Monday, October 17, 2005

MDLF training - Kotor, Montenegro

The pier outside the hotel where the media training was held

The coastline at Kotor, an old medieval city in southern Montenegro, is rugged, dramatic, spectacular, awesome and foreboding. In places, the cliffs seem to falls directly to the sea. A twisting coastal road clings to the rocks in places.

At times it is only one vehicle wide. It takes three hours to travel 40km. Dozens of small villages crowd the coastline. Most have old castles or fortresses, some have narrow cobbled streets. None are easy to pass through. All are worth exploring.

The centre of old Kotor, a charming, walled city

Kotor itself is wonderful. The one downer is that there is a strong, foul smell in the old town. I was told it's because the old sewers have collapsed and they can't dig them up and replace them because it would damage the character of the place. If you can put up with the smell, it’s worth visiting.

If you do get the chance to visit, climb the steps from the old town to the castle. Hard work, but breathtakingly beautiful.

The purpose of the training was to help four small media operations in the region with their editorial propositions and business planning.

Radio and print journalists and managers attended the training

Those attending the training, at a small, family-run hotel about 3km from the town centre, were:


Client: MDLF