A Pleasant Day in Pristina!

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I am extremely lazy when it comes to keeping up with my travel blogs. I apologize deeply for another delay. At this point I am basically playing catchup, but it's all good!

Ok, after a night of much needed sleep my host and I decided to hang out in Pristina the following day! The weather happened to be very pleasant and sunny. This was already the first sign of a highly enjoyable day to come! Since Pristina is quite small, one full day is sufficient for a good tour of the city. Our walk through the streets remind me of my previous experience back in 2007. It has the same feel to it. A couple of things have changed since my last visit. A huge pedestrian walkway filled with cafe shops has been created. This area used to be a busy street. Moreover, in 2008 Kosovo became an 'independent' country. Otherwise Pristina is the same ole Pristina!

My host and I headed over to an internet cafe as I needed to catch up on some emails. On the way there, we had to pass several outdoor cafe shops. As soon as I walked by these cafe shops, I noticed I was the center of attention, especially with the guys. I received stares, smiles, curious looks, and the like. We proceeded to the internet cafe. The cost of an hour was about 65 cents. Not bad at all! Of course the guy sitting at the computer beside me couldn't resist the urge to smoke so I was obligated to inhale his highly toxic fumes! This is the Balkans, what can I say? It's so funny how many NO-SMOKING signs are not respected in this part of the world. I remember an interesting Greek experience two years ago. I walked into a Star bucks and there was a NO-SMOKING sign in plain view. Out of curiosity I asked one of the employees if smoking was forbidden and she replied, "You can smoke here, no problem!" It's not uncommon to see people smoking in non smoking train compartments and in so many other places that would be considered a NO-GO for us in the USA.

Back to the story.....

While I was typing away the smoking man sitting next to me began chatting me up. He was curious to know where I was from, my objective in Pristina, my relationship status, etc. He then gave me his student business card and asked me to been in touch. As soon as my host and I headed out the door, there was another guy standing outside of the internet cafe wanting to take me for coffee. As this was a friend of my host, I would have accepted, but it was already 3pm and we needed to utilize our remaining 4 hours of daylight very wisely. The next morning I would head to Macedonia! I did not have much time to waste, but I thanked him anyways and continued down the street with my host.

We walked down the popular Bill Clinton Blvd. There is actually a mural of him on one of the buildings on this street. I did not get a chance to take a look at the mural during my last visit so of course I wanted to have a 'picture' with our 42nd US President. We then headed to the library of the University of Kosovo. It's quite an interesting and exotic looking building. The Albanian and American flags were proudly blowing in the wind at the top of the library. My host also showed me the American corner and we took a brief tour of the interior. There were quite a few students hanging outside of the library. I was met with several curious stares from many of the University students.

Next we continued to head down the pedestrian walkway where we ran into several friends of my host. One thing I noticed is the warm hospitality of the people of Kosovo. Every time we ran into friends, I was always greeted followed by a friendly handshake. People would often ask me where I was from and other similar questions. I guess being American in Kosovo does have its benefits. One gentleman we met even considered Kosovo as "Little America"!

After having alot of pictures, laughs, stares, cat calls, curious looks, and tea and dinner engagements my host and I ended the evening at a local pub. We had a swell time dancing to local music and mixing with local people and ex pats alike. I eventually met the pub owner who gave me a drink on the house and even called me his "American sister"!

Finally after midnight we decided to retire for the night. I have a long day ahead of me beginning in the morning.

I will really miss Pristina and the warmth of the people. I experienced so many interesting encounters, but it's impossible to mention every single detail in one travel blog entry. These experiences, however, will remain in my heart!

Thanks Pristina and many thanks to a wonderful host!

See ya again one day!

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