Kosovo Hearts America

 

October 18, 2023 - Lake Liqeni, outside of Peja, Kosovo

I didn't know what to expect from Kosovo, but our time there definitely brought new meaning to "off the beaten path".  We had four different stops: Prizren, Gjakova, Peja, and Pristina, and saw few tourists along the way. Perhaps more notable than any specific place was our overall experience with the culture. I remember hearing "Kosovo" in various news reports when I was a teen, but didn't know many details of the US involvement in the conflict. Kosovar's feelings about America and its people became apparent to us when, at every turn, the US flag was displayed alongside their own. Curious at first, we soon came to understand why. From hearing a song subtly titled "Thank You USA" at a karaoke night, to visiting the Bill Clinton statue and mural, it was clear that we, as a country, are held in quite high regard to the cultural Albanian population of Kosovo. 

We randomly ended up at perhaps the only gin distillery in Kosovo (Vidasus, which was some of the best gin I've ever had), speaking to a woman who was a refugee during the war and her own experience, including the death of her husband during the conflict and escaping to Albania with her two young daughters. Many people we met expressed their continued appreciation of US support, all the way up to their declared independence in 2008. After some of the countries we've visited, it was atypical for us to be in a country where Americans were viewed in such a positive light. Besides the friendly, welcoming people, Kosovo had lots going for it  (especially considering it is a somewhat random vacation destination for many). Without the tourist infrastructure of many of the places we've visited, and it being off-season, the main thing to do at each of our stops was walk around the old parts of town, sip coffee or raki at one of the many cafes, or rent a car to see some of the countryside. Johnny was in heaven at the sheer number of cafes. You see a lot of folks hanging out at outside tables, sipping on espressos in cobblestone squares that date back to before the Ottoman Empire. 

Our first stop of Prizren was probably the most "touristy", but it was mostly day-trippers from Albania. There is definitely a small-town sort of charm, particularly in the main square, which was also full of friendly "neighborhood" dogs that don't really belong to anyone, but everyone takes care of them. There are some fortress ruins on the top of a very steep hill, but beyond that, you really just hang out on the river and enjoy the day.

The other stops went in much of the same way to varying degrees; hanging out at cafes, walking around old buildings, and feeding snacks to the local dogs. The second stop, Gjakova, was WAY off the beaten path, but gave us an opportunity to get caught up on some computer work (I picked up a small, intermittent curriculum writing gig), and we really got to just live the day-to-day Kosovar life, which of course includes lots of espressos and raki. 

The next stop of Peja was a bit more of a typical tourist stop. A very cute little town, complete with an old man roasting chestnuts in the square whom I visited daily. We got rained out for some of our time there, but we lucked out with one clear day to rent a car and visit some of the natural sites in the area. Because of the rain, we didn't feel like going business to business pricing out rental cars for the next day and there was little to no information online, so we decided to just ask our hotel front desk about setting up a car rental for us. They quoted us $50 for the day, which seemed high, but we decided on the convenience because of the weather. The next day we went out front where we were told our car would be waiting for us, but all we saw was an old, beat-up minivan. Talking to the front desk, they confirmed that that was, in fact, our rental car for the day. This was clearly just some person's family vehicle, complete with used coffee cups, little kid sunglasses, and a questionably low tire. Without any other option, we accepted our lot and set out for the day. 

The first stop entailed a short hike to Waterfall Ujevara e Drinit, which is slammed in the summer but we had entirely to ourselves. The real highlight of the day was the canyon drive that followed. The scenery was breathtaking, as were the cliff drops on the sometimes questionable road. Driving right alongside (and sometimes through) the rock, much of it was only wide enough for one vehicle, and meeting someone going to other way meant them having to get too close for comfort to the crumbly edge. It was well worth it as at the end was a hike to Lake Liqeni, right on the Montenegro border. This was technically our second time crossing into Montenegro, but it still doesn't make the country count. I made a lot of nervous sound effects on the ride home, as this time it was our turn to have to pull to the cliff's edge for oncoming traffic. All set to the tune of the myriad of noises being made by our struggling minivan. Johnny was relieved to finally dump the thing back off at our hotel with a "good riddance". 

We wrapped up our time in Kosovo in the Capital City of Pristina. With an expat population (met some NATO and government folks), it was a great location for us to catch the Rugby World Cup Finals. We frequented the same bar each night we were there to catch various sporting events and meet some other tourists in Kosovo. It was really our first time so far in the country to talk to other travelers. Small world, we actually ended up running into another American we had met the previous month in Northern Albania  Besides the expat bar, you can take a walk down Mother Teresa Boulevard, complete with one of the many of her statues we saw. (She is a great source of pride to the Balkans, and many Kosovars will remind you that it was there that she found her calling to God). You can also check out some interesting architecture, like the National Library, which has been called the ugliest building in the world. I didn't think it was all that bad. 

It was also in the Capital of Kosovo that I rang in my birthday. An overall pretty uneventful day, I consider an around-the-world trip my real 40th birthday celebration. I did make my way across town to the only Gluten-free place in the city to enjoy a pizza and baklava. After a few fancy cocktails out with Johnny thanks to some generous folks back home, I called it a night pretty early, feeling all of those 40 years after partying the previous few days at the expat bar.

It was then back on a bus for the return trip to Albania to explore the South. A very easy border crossing, they don't even stamp your passport. An officer walks through the bus, collects everyone's documents, then returns 5 minutes later to send the bus on their way. By far one of our easiest border crossings. Although we had to transfer in the Albanian Capital Tirana, we opted to just hop from one bus to the next to get us to our next destination, the Southern Albania coastline.