Travels with Kathryn

Today, we set off from Skopje and drove the short distance to Kosovo (no stamp, sadly, but I am definitely here!). Kosovo is the newest county in Europe (partially recognised – more on this below) and is one of the few modern examples where a rebel group wanting independence actually won. So, Kosovo shares a similar history to many of its neighbours being conquered by the Romans, then the Byzantines, then the Bulgarian Kingdom, then the Serbian Kingdom and then the Ottoman Empire. In 1913, Kosovo was ceded to Serbia and became an autonomous province within Yugoslavia. Tensions between Kosovo’s Albanian and Serb communities escalated through the 20th century and culminated in the Kosovo war of 1998/9, which the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) won and the Yugoslav army withdrew. Kosovo unlitateraly declared its indpenedence from Serbia in 2008 and has gained recognition of 102/193 UN member states. Kosovo today is the 2nd poorest country in Europe (it was the poorest until the war in Ukraine) and is mostly ethnic Albanian and Muslim. Many people visit Kosovo for just a day, but I felt I should at least spend an overnight (and thus pay for a hotel room).

So, that is the context, but on route, I did remember to take some photographs so you can see just how lovely this part of the world is:

Our first stop (about 30 minutes from the border) is Kosovo’s capital, Pristina. Pristina only became the capital of the region (and then the country) in 1947, and until even the 15th century, it was mere village. What this means is that the city is not filled with many historic buildings. Much of what you can see today was built in the last 50-100 years, so it is not a “pretty” city.

However, I will give Pristina’s Heroinat monument to women a special mention. It is made using 20,000 pins, and each pin represents a woman raped during the Kosovo War (using a conservative estimate) coming together to see a portrait of an Albanian woman. It is really beautiful and far more impressive than the photo below suggests:

We then drove almost the length of Kosovo to the country’s second largest city: Prizren. Maybe it was because the sun was shining, but Prizren is beautiful – it is not considered the cultural and historical capital of the country for nothing, and much of the Ottoman city has been preserved.

After a delightful wander around the town, I tackled the climb to the fortress (see above) – I nearly died! Well, I may be exaggerating just a little, but it was a steep 20-minute hike up, but I made it! The fort dates back to the bronze age, but today’s ruin is mainly the 4th century, and I was rewarded with a beautiful view over Prizren.

I scuttled down the mountain (as it was just starting to rain) and treated myself to a traditional Kosovon meal, which to be honest, is rather similar to Turkish as it is grilled meat and vegetables. However, I did remember to photograph it!

So, that was my one day in Kosovo, and tomorrow I head back into Albania and back to being in control of myself again. However, I am so pleased I did this trip as I would not have been able to do it myself, and have got so much out of my guide, particularly about recent history and tensions across the region. I am looking forward to learning more as I head into more countries in former Yugoslavia.

I end today with: