July 30-31
Hello everyone!
Before moving on to a new Balkan country, I visited the
Albanian town of Berat. The medieval stronghold is well-regarded in these
parts, being described as the ‘highlight’ of any visit to the country.
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| Traditional Albanian patterns |
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| View of Berat from the fortress |
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| View of Berat from the old bridge |
After a final adventure geocaching in Tirana (I found three,
with one tiny one being hidden in the bunker), it was time to leave Albania. I wasn’t
going far and actually moving onto a place which has a majority of ethnic
Albanians. It’s also more renowned as being a war zone, one the most horrific
of the Balkan battles of the 1990s. Welcome to Kosovo.
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| The first - and by far the largest - geocache I found in Tirana |
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| RKS = Republic of Kosovo |
Yes, Kosovo is a
country. In spite of what its Serbian neighbours may think, Kosovo declared its
independence in 2008 and is seen as an independent nation by 56% of UN member states
and 82% of EU members. It is not yet a member of the UN but is part of many
other international organisations, such as the World Bank and IMF.
Tensions between the ethnic Albanians and Serbs in the
region led to a war in 1998-9 which was only ended with a NATO intervention. The
country pays its respects both to its own fallen comrades and the Americans who
saved them. I honestly don’t know if Madeleine Albright has a street named
after her anywhere else in the world.
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| Madeleine Albright - Kosovan heroine? |
Kosovo’s history stretches much further back than the last
twenty years, though. Kosovo is a more Muslim country than Albania, which
itself was officially atheist for much of Enver Hoxha’s dictatorship. The
number of mosques and Turkish baths – hammams – dotted around the city of
Prizren are evidence of the spread of Islam to this part of the Balkans.
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| The main mosque at dusk |
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| The old town of Prizren |
Prizren was a charming city, with architecture similar to
the Albanian towns already mentioned. The difference, however, was the vibrancy
of the place. We went for food one night and my mind was blown by the volume of
people walking around in the main streets and relaxing in the cafes. On a Thursday
night. It was incredible, as was the food (that plate includes grilled meat
stuffed with melted cheese: heart attack heaven!).
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| Prizren by night. There are thousands of people here but you can't see them. There are, though. Honest. |
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| First taste of salad outside of a kebab since Greece |
Clearly the locals enjoy themselves once the sun has gone
down. This was evident from the people working in the hostel, who plied me with
beer within minutes of my arrival. They also liked to experiment with cocktail
shots…
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| The hostel owner reeled off at least four different liqueurs that went into this shot - and water as he ran out of juice... |
Whilst enjoying city life, I want to take any possible
chance of exploring the natural beauty of the Balkan countries I visit on this
trip. It was due to this that I boarded a morning bus to Kosovo’s second city: Peja.
I wasn’t coming here for the city itself but for what sits behind it.
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| Rugova Gorge from Peja |
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| A closer view of the start of Rugova Gorge |
Rugova Gorge is tucked in those enormous mountains which create
such a spectacular backdrop for Peja. I hiked through the gorge for a while
until I found a waterfall and the perfect chance to cool off, which was
necessary in spite of the sun popping periodically behind the clouds.
The main waterfall itself was too deep to get under (not to
mention fierce – I dipped my head under briefly and felt like I was under
attack) but the water was delightfully refreshing. The rocks in the river were
fairly uneven, resulting in me cutting my foot.
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| The tail end of the waterfall |
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| Shortly before dipping my head under the thunderous waterfall |
I dried off and decided to head back to Peja as the last bus
was in two hours and I was over 8km from the city. It was just at that very
moment that more water came…in the form of rain…
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| See that patch on the middle of the road? That's a puddle that appeared in less than five minutes... |
I don’t know what ‘torrential’ is in the local language but
this was certainly an apt description of what was falling from the sky. Heavy
raindrops clattered the road. Walking with a dodgy foot through this – in T-shirt
and shorts, lest I forget – at the speed needed to get to the bus on time? Trouble
brewing…
One of the people I’d met in Prizren the night before was a young
Japanese man who was hitchhiking across Europe. I was fascinated by his stories
and decided that this was my possible escape. I hid under an arch and, smiling
as best as I could, popped my left thumb out at each car that sporadically
passed.
Fifteen minutes later, a car stopped. The man spoke no
English but nodded when I said Peja. I hauled myself into the back seat. A
woman turned around from the front passenger seat and, in a strange accent that
I thought I recognised, remarked, “Wot ya doin out ere?” A bit of conversation
led to me learning that the woman was indeed Kosovan but had spent her last 16
years living in…Manchester. Where I went to university, and clearly where she’d
picked up her northern twang. They kindly drove me back to town and the rain
soon relented.
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| The car of the folks who kindly gave me a ride |
People hear ‘Kosovo’ and often conjure up negative, grave
images in their mind. I had a fantastic time in this young country, enjoying
the hospitality of proud, expressive and joyful people who were keen to help
with a smile on their face. Even the rubbish bin collectors play music out of
their trucks! A big thumbs up for little Kosovo.
Love you all
Matt
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