Balkans day 12: Kosovo

After the hit-and-miss affair that was the bus ride over here, and arriving heavily delayed, it was reassuring to be staying in a rather fancy hotel right in the centre of Pristina (on a nice cheap off-season deal). Restaurants were largely closed, so I grabbed a Burger King and settled in.

What I’d heard was really outstanding about Kosovo was its natural beauty, which I wouldn’t get to experience by shuffling around the cafés of Pristina. So today I’d booked a tour around Peja in the western part of the country. Kosovo, like Montenegro, is tiny, and driving all the way from one side to the other takes less than two hours, even given the horrific traffic in Pristina. Our first stop was the White Drina waterfalls.

Water falling

In the spray zone

My guide, V., said that they were unusually full of water because of the recent rain and the melting mountain snow. They were certainly impressive. On the way we passed a couple having a wedding photoshoot there.

Next up was the Rugova gorge, source of almost all of Kosovo’s mineral water. A fun experience here. There was a glass-floored panoramic viewpoint high above the gorge. As I stepped onto it, I heard an ominous splintering sound, and looked down to see cracks spreading across the floor below me! Turns out there was ice on top of the glass floor, and it was that that was doing the cracking, fortunately.

View from the dubious viewpoint

The final stop on the tour was the Patriarchate of Peć, one of three Serbian Orthodox monasteries in Kosovo and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, dating mostly to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Because of ethnic-religious tensions, the monastery is guarded by police, and you have to show your passport to enter. Inside it’s an unbelievably peaceful place, with a few nuns shuffling about and birdsong as the soundtrack. V. said that there were often cows there too, as the monastery is self-sufficient. Photos weren’t allowed in the churches, but the interior was covered in beautiful blue-hued frescoes.

Ruins and the church complex in the Patriarchate

Driving back across Kosovo, snow-capped, almost cartoon mountains seemed to tower on every horizon. It was mid-afternoon before we got back to Pristina; I can thoroughly recommend the tour. Next I returned to my normal mode, shuffling round the cafés of Pristina. A traveller on the bus yesterday had told me that Kosovo has the world’s best macchiatos, so I tried a few out. Also visited the cool, minimalist cathedral and the NEWBORN monument commemorating Kosovo’s declaration of independence in 2008.

The Palace of Youth and Sports, a public building in Pristina

Pristina is an extremely bookish city! There are bookshops everywhere, and little cabins packed with books on the central pedestrian streets. The city isn’t picturesque, but seems to be bursting with energy. I’ll have a little more time to explore tomorrow before I head on to yet another country.