Kosovo

---

---

7 November

Fiona's camera did not turn up but we collected the police report at 3.00 pm. We arrived at the station earlier and were asked to come back in the afternoon. We spent a few of our extra hours in Sarajevo retaking lost photos on Marcus' film camera, sipping Bosnian coffee and trying to relax. We came across a decaying military helicopter on the edge of an unkept park near the Holiday Inn. We took photos from a safe distance.

At the autobus station we enquired about ways of leaving Sarajevo. The sole English-speaking gentleman at the "information desk" angrily told us how to get to Prishtina via Novi Pazar (Serbia).

We departed Sarajevo at 10.00 pm for Novi Pazar on a crowded but friendly bus.

8 November

Arrived at Novi Pazar at 6.00 am and learned that we could continue to Prishtina, Kosovo, on the same bus by paying 5 euros. We drifted off to sleep and awoke in the midst of amazing mountains which resembled the highlands of Scotland, but with more trees. It was beautiful scenery.

It was exiciting to pass through United Nations/NATO passport control into Kosovo. We were given special entry cards to keep with our passports. They bore the UN stamp--an unusual item for travels abroad.

Arrived in Prishtina at 8.00 am and trekked into town on "Bill Clinton Avenue", passing the Hotel Victory which had its own Statue of Liberty on the roof. We found our guest house which was operated by a very friendly professor (electrical engineering).

Spent the day exploring the city and absorbing the culture. Kosovo is populated primarily by Albanian-Kosovars, so this was an introduction to another side of European life. Mosques dominated the city-scape. It is difficult to describe Prishtina because it is so cosmopolitian. The peace-keepers come from all over the world and the presence of UN/NATO operations are everywhere. It does not have the usual feel of being in a "country". The people were very friendly and helpful. They seemed very welcoming and many spoke fluent English, or at least were eager to introduce us to someone who spoke English.

9 November

Hired a taxi to visit Gracanica Monastery, just 13 kilometers from Prishtina. It was guarded by KFOR soldiers from Sweden who were very friendly but surprised that we would visit. The monastery was built in the 14th century and is Serbian-Orthodox. We later learned that this area was populated by Serbian-Kosovars. Prices here were also given in dinars (Serbian currency) not euros, like most of Kosovo.

The taxi driver agreed to take us to Prizren, in South-East Kosovo for a good rate. Unfortunately it gets dark around 4.00 PM, but we managed to walk the streets and get a feel for the place. We noticed that much of the city was dark. Our driver, who accompanied us, explained that the electric power was unrelaible. The loud, clanky generators buzzed away at all the cafes and shops.

We saw the inside of a mosque, illuminated only by emergency-style lighting. There were a number of damaged Serbian-Orthodox churches which were protected by razor-wire and warning signs. Some rioting last year resulted in a number of these churches being destroyed.

Returned to Preshtina only to learn that no bus services headed to Skopje until the following day. Rather than risking a close call in Sofia, our very helpful taxi driver drove us to Skopje, where we caught a bus at midnight for Sofia, Bulgaria. We regret that our visit to the Republic of Macedonia (or for you Greeks, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) was this brief.

---

Comments

[K]

Getting in to Kosovo
Hi, Just incase you read this, for the journal on Kosovo and visit to Gracanica Monastry. I recently spent some time in Kosovo this summer, Photographing a project their. I was just wondering with the restrictions on crossing the border into Kosovo, if it is hard do you need written permission to enter the Province yet? Also i tried too visit Decani Monasty but was not allowed by Italian Kfor Soilders, has that changed or is Gracanica Monasty easier. If you have time to reply that would be great as i want to return In December this year. Thankyou [e-mail]