The Lands of the Tamed Turk; or, the Balkan States of to-day: A narrative of travel through Servia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Dalmatia and the recently acquired Austrian provinces of Bosnia and the Herzegovina; with observations of the peoples, their races, creeds, institutions and politics, and of the geographical, historical and commercial aspects of the several countriesJaekel, Blair
History
The Lands of the Tamed Turk; or, the Balkan States of to-day: A narrative of travel through Servia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Dalmatia and the recently acquired Austrian provinces of Bosnia and the Herzegovina; with observations of the peoples, their races, creeds, institutions and politics, and of the geographical, historical and commercial aspects of the several countries
Jaekel, Blair
Balkan Peninsula
After leaving Njegushi you ascend to the pass of Kruacko Zdrjelo, and,
at this point, another wonderful view unfolds itself. Away to the
south, the great lake of Scutari is plainly visible; in the west, the
famous Mount Lovčen rears its rocky self, with the little chapel, in
which lies buried the body of Peter II, the last of the Prince-Bishops
and Montenegro’s greatest poet, perched upon its crest.
Doubtless, night will by this time have spread its black mantle over
the hills, leaving the remainder of the drive to be made in the
darkness. Down—down—down—as much down as the Austrian side of the
mountain was up, until finally, you overlook the beautiful valley of
Cettinje, and the blinking kerosene lamps of the capital. In half an
hour you will be driving at a gallop through its deserted streets,
and rein up at last in front of the Grand Hotel, obviously the most
aristocratic and up-to-date hostelry, for it is the only one in the
town. The head-waiter, in dress suit, will welcome you at the door,
inquire whether you have had supper and show you politely to your
rooms, which you will find rather bare but scrupulously clean.
Thirty years ago Cettinje was a mere handful of thatched cottages
scattered over a small space in the valley and approached only by
mountain trails. To-day it has a population of five or six thousand, it
is the seat of the newly constituted Parliament and a diplomatic post
for the ministers of the European Powers.
There are but few historical monuments in Cettinje, and of these the
principal ones are the old palace of the Prince, and the monastery with
its chapel and quaint cloister, the latter built against the base of a
great cliff and shaded by the spreading boughs of shapely trees. The
main street of the town is wide and clean, flanked on either side by a
uniform line of stone dwellings, which is broken only by the postoffice
building and an occasional shop.
As in Njegushi, the men, all heavily armed, strut along the streets
and allow the women-folk to conduct what business may be found in
the stores or in the market. At the rear of the hotel a rather
barren-looking square to deserve the nomenclature of “park” faces the
palace of the Crown Prince. Near the centre of the town stands the
palace of Prince Nikola, a comparatively small and a most unimposing
structure to house the chief executive of a nation. Directly across the
street from it is his former residence, in which is installed the only
billiard table in Montenegro.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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