Prishtina - An Unusual City Break (Prishtina)

Member Name: maikli

Product:	Prishtina
Date:	22/08/09 (83 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quirky, old mosques, great museums, lively bars and cafes, fantastic Albanian restaurants

Disadvantages: Lots of ugly apartment blocks, not jam-packed with sights

"You're going where? Is it safe?"

Anyone who watched the news in the late 90's will have heard of Prishtina. War correspondents in khaki bullet-proof vests standing on rooftops with the sound of gunfire in the background is not really the best advertisement for a holiday anywhere, and ten years on, Prishtina hit the headlines again. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia, and Prishtina became the newest capital in the world. Most in Kosovo looked to be celebrating, but others were angry and reports of rioting were rife in the news.

So it was hardly surprising when, one month later, the German traveller looked a little alarmed as I announced my plans for the following day. I have to admit to being slightly concerned, as Kosovo had been in the news practically every day since independence, and nobody seemed to know what was going on. I needn't have worried.

After some initial confusion in Skopje bus station, I boarded a Prishtina-bound bus and little under an hour later, we arrived at the Macedonia-Kosovo border. Lots and lots of soldiers, some local, others labelled KFOR (the NATO-led force) with flags on their shoulders. Greek, Armenian, Lithuanian, Polish...it seemed half of Europe was here, brandishing guns and looking stern.

"Why you coming in Kosovo?" asked the frowning border guard, his uniform decorated with a new badge, the flag of Kosovo, yellow map and six white stars on a blue background. I mumbled something about tourism, expecting my answer not to go down too well. He looked me up and down, then broke into a smile before stamping my passport with a flourish. "Welcome in Kosovo!"

Arrival in Prishtina was uninspiring. The bus station is separated from the city by a ring-road, and the hundreds of decrepit grey high-rise blocks stretching as far as the eye could see did not really tempt me to risk my life dodging the speeding cars to get to the other side. There weren't any crossings anyway. The only other tourist on the bus was making a day trip of it, and had just two hours before the last bus back to Macedonia. He was a speed traveller, three countries a day, that sort of thing, and had decided to walk from the bus station. I can imagine him sat in a hostel somewhere that evening, boasting about his day in a depressing war-torn city, having seen nothing but an ugly suburb. I had a bit more than a day. In fact, I had ten days, and I sincerely hoped there was more to the city.

Not having a common language, somehow I managed to persuade my taxi driver to take me to a cash point, so I could get some cash (Kosovo uses the Euro, like nearby Montenegro) before heading to the city centre. We sped through the tower blocks and turned a corner to be greeted by someone I had not expected to see. Bill Clinton, grinning and waving at me from the side of one of the blocks. A little further on and we passed his wife Hilary, commemorated as a Disco Bar and Patisserie.

My guesthouse was located on a hill above town in the slightly upmarket Velania quarter. Known as "The Professor's", this was Prishtina's one and only backpacker hostel, run by an elderly professor with a vigorous handshake and good English. Unlike the noisy dorm rooms of other backpacker hostels on my Balkans trip, this one had rooms, en-suite with televisions, lots of hot water, heating (it was March and bitterly cold, so that was important), and a communal kitchen, all for just a couple more Euros than a dorm bed in Skopje or Sofia. The only thing it lacked was other backpackers. Armed with a locally produced pocket guidebook on loan from the professor, I set off down the cobbled lane to the centre of Prishtina.

Bill Clinton grins from tower blocks, Hilary dances in cowboy boots at a disco patisserie, and yet another famous face lurks outside a bookshop on the main street. Mother Teresa, an Albanian from Skopje, is treated as one of Prishtina's own, and has the whole street dedicated to her. Her diminutive figure stood wrapped in shawls shielding a hungry infant, her plinth being used by a tradesman selling Spiderman costumes, and opposite someone played the piano under a tent as snowflakes began to fall. It was all very surreal.

Mother Teresa Street (Rruga Nene Tereze) is the heart of Prishtina, newly pedestrianized and, when the sun comes out at least, full of people wandering around without purpose. Shoe shiners sit at benches gossiping with old men, traders crouch selling tissues and cigarettes, men in black leather jackets sip macchiatos with Prishtina's most stunning girls at pavement cafes. The buildings can't really be described as pretty, but it isn't ugly. It's unusual. So soon after independence, there were also lots of stalls selling Kosovan souvenirs. Key rings, t-shirts, posters, mugs...anything you can get a Kosovan flag on. The new flag has some stiff competition from the Albanian flag though, and you'll see almost as many black eagles on red backgrounds all over town.

Another statue marks the end of Nene Tereze, this one less well known internationally but a local hero nonetheless. Skenderbeg, an Albanian officer in the Ottoman army who rebelled against the Sultan several centuries ago, now sits above his horse in the shadow of the brand new Kosovo Parliament building. Glass and steel, tall and imposing, perhaps the best thing about this building is the reflection of Prishtina, old and new, in its wall of windows. Prishtina may seem a normal city nowadays, but outside the Parliament is a reminder that there was trouble not so long ago: photographs of the hundreds of missing people, pinned to the railings alongside flowers and candles.

A busy road stood between me and Prishtina's old centre, but unlike the hideous road by the bus station, this one seemed to have a pedestrian crossing. I pressed the button and duly waited for the green man to flash. Two kids ran across from the other side without looking, seemingly unflustered by the zooming cars passing behind them with inches to spare. Right next to me, a young woman pushed her pram straight into the traffic, horns blaring and cars swerving, she took no notice and made it to the other side without even breaking into a run or a sweat. I was still waiting for the trusty green man. He flashed, and I naively thought the traffic might stop. Indeed, some cars did slow down, but just when I thought it was safe to cross, a dozen horns announced the arrival of speeding vehicles from a side road, all hurtling towards me. Green man was flashing, but I was stuck in the middle of the road with cars both in front of me and behind. It was not funny, and it wasn't funny every other time it happened to me either. No matter whether it was red or green, I always ended up having to run the last few steps to the safety of the kerb. I never did get the hang of Prishtina's traffic rules.

Prishtina has not fared well through its history. Under communism, the old quarter was systematically torn down. Mosques, churches, houses, all razed to the ground, the Ottoman bazaar buried under concrete in order to modernize. And not having any clear laws in the last decade, new buildings have popped up higgledy-piggledy without much planning. Basically, it's a mess. But a few monuments did escape the bulldozers, and they are certainly worth seeking out. Directly opposite the Parliament building is one of Prishtina's three big Ottoman mosques, the Charshi mosque which is actually the oldest building in the city. Behind it, you can't miss the Kosovo Museum, as it is a century-old mansion painted canary yellow. I tried on several occasions to have a look round, but it always seemed to be closed. I say seemed, as the main door was actually open but the metal grille inside was firmly locked and not a soul was around to let me in. A shame, as I hear that some of the artefacts looted in the war have been recovered.

Behind the museum, another Ottoman mosque stands next to a tall clock tower (Sahat Kulla). Every Ottoman town in the Balkans worth its salt has a clock tower. Skopje has one on a hill; Tirana's overlooks its main square. Prishtina's stands in what looks like a semi-official car park. But at least the clock is right.

Over the road, you come to Prishtina's main mosque, the impressive Xhamia e Madhe (grand mosque). Old men tend to congregate around here, especially towards midday on Fridays, feeding the pigeons and gossiping in the courtyard. If you only go in one mosque in Prishtina, make it this one. The caretaker is friendly and welcomes visitors outside the main prayer times.

Taking the small side street below the mosque, you might stumble upon another Ottoman house. There's no sign, but wander through the gate and you'll find yourself in the Emin Gjiku Ethnological Museum, which has been restored to its former glory and now houses some interesting exhibits on Albanian culture. The guides speak English and are happy to take visitors on a tour around the collection of three restored buildings. I asked if they had a lot of visitors, and the guide proudly showed me the guestbook. I counted less than a dozen entries since Christmas (it was mid-March). Perhaps the lack of visitors might be down to the lack of sign?

The Ottoman bazaar may have been razed, but a new one has taken its place. Known as Treg in Albanian, Prishtina's central market is a chaotic jumble of temporary stalls in a few rubbley streets. Those with cash from neighbouring countries should note that this is one of the few places in town where you can change Albanian, Bulgarian and Macedonian notes. Elsewhere, you have to rely on finding a working cash machine that accepts your card, which is easier said than done. A machine that accepts your card one day may decide to refuse you the next, but luckily there are plenty to choose from.

The market area is one of the best places in Prishtina for a quick cheap local meal, and the choice is really between Qebaptore and Byrektore. A qebaptore serves a range of kebabs and kofte (meatballs), and the ones in the market are packed at lunchtime, smoke and steam from the traditional ovens streaming through the windows. A byrektore is more of a breakfast venue, with burek (pasty filled with cheese or meat) and other pastries on offer, along with good strong coffee in some places.

Modern Prishtina has an eclectic mix of architecture. A walk down Luan Haradinaj Street will take you past plush office belonging to NGOs and UN agencies, upmarket clothes boutiques, half-finished apartment blocks, even a few red-tiled roofs. But you can't fail to notice the huge triangular building with the spiky roof. This is BoroRamiz, a sports complex, which had an enormous poster of a local war-hero plastered on one side. More importantly, down below on the pavement is one of Kosovo's newest monuments. The word "Newborn" stands in two-metre-high yellow letters, covered in signatures of all those who celebrated Kosovo's independence on the 17th February 2008.

Not far away is perhaps Prishtina's most unusual building. Some say unusual, others are less diplomatic, preferring the adjectives ugly and vile. Grey Lego blocks covered in scaffolding and topped with green domes, that's the best way I can try to describe it. This is Kosovo's National Library, and deserves to be seen. Local legend has it that when it was first opened, the honoured guest cutting the red tape asked when the scaffolding was coming off. Well, the scaffolding has certainly come off the building next door, but not because it is finished. The shell of a Serbian Orthodox church stands neglected on a patch of waste ground, surrounded by barbed wire. In the 90's, Milosevic wanted to build the largest Serbian Orthodox church in the region, and when war broke out, plans were understandably put on hold. I was told in a nearby café that nobody really knows what to do with it now, so it just stands there looking sad.

On my final day in Prishtina, I left my guesthouse and instead of heading down to the city centre, I climbed up to Martyr's Hill behind Velania district. A derelict monument provides a playground for kids and excellent views over the city, while nearby, a couple of rows of graves draped in red wreathes and photos commemorate dead soldiers of the KLA (Kosovo liberation Army). Not far away, another tombstone stands alone, guarded by soldiers. This is the grave of Ibrahim Rugova, Kosovo's leader who died a few months before realising his dream of independence. Look out for a huge mural of the man on the side of a colourful apartment block on Rruga Nene Tereze.

Those in a rush could probably "do" Prishtina in a few hours if pushed. There aren't that many attractions, and tourists used to hours of sightseeing in more traditional city break destinations will probably be disappointed with what Prishtina can offer. But I stayed several days and was never bored. For me, the attraction lies in walking and people watching, chatting in cafes and eating burek. With independence a recent event, Prishtina had something of a party atmosphere, and when the sun came out between snowstorms and rain, the streets were packed with people just walking. Perhaps because of all the international organizations that have been working in Kosovo for the last decade, Prishtina has a very lively restaurant and bar scene. All sorts of cuisine can be found, Mexican, Thai, Turkish, Indian, Italian...but my favourites were the local restaurants specializing in Albanian food. There are several around town with dishes like Tave Elbasani (meatballs, eggs and yoghurt baked in an oven) and Flia (layers of pastry and cream cooked on a fire), washed down with local Peja beer or Stonecastle wine, but two I liked were Te Pishat (off Nene Tereze) and Liburnia (off Luan Haradinaj).

I did not see all of Prishtina. No doubt someone will read this and say "but you didn't go to Gracanica". Gracanica is the Serbian "enclave" a few kilometres south, housing an ancient monastery complex and most of the Serbs who left the city after the war. No I didn't go, as after independence, it was difficult to find out what sort of reception I would have got in the Serbian areas. There was rioting in Mitrovica, a half-Serbian town in the north of Kosovo, so warnings were posted about visiting other Serbian enclaves. From what I hear, I would have had no problems, and I regret not going now, but it's an excuse to go back soon. Likewise, I did not get out to see Germia Park (parks can be miserable in the rain and sleet, so I opted to stay somewhere within easy reach of a café!), the battleground of Kosovo Polje, or the archaeological site Ulpiana.

Anyone heading to Prishtina for more than a couple of days should really make an effort to get out of the capital and see something of the rest of the country. I made two trips, the first to Gjakova (four hours by bus to the west) where the old bazaar has been mostly restored since being burnt to the ground during the war. The second trip was far more rewarding, to the south east to Prizren (again, four hours or so by bus). If ever Kosovo finds itself on the tourist trail, Prizren is likely to be the highlight, with its well preserved Ottoman centre, narrow cobbled streets, restored mosques and hammams, stone bridges and fountains, Turkish restaurants and trendy cafes, the League of Prizren museum and a ruined castle on a hilltop with snow-capped mountains in the background. A sadder sight is the ruined Serbian quarter on the castle slopes, deserted and fenced off. Even so, Prizren is beautiful and I certainly recommend a day trip or a longer stay there.

Prishtina is easy to get to. British Airways flies direct to Prishtina Airport from London, while budget carrier Belle Air serves Belgium, Germany and Italy. Other airports make good gateways too, with Skopje in Macedonia just three hours away by bus, and Tirana an overnight bus ride through stunning mountains. Using budget airlines, I made Kosovo the focus of a longer trip starting in Sofia and ending in Dubrovnik. Kosovo is also one of the only countries in the world to allow all visitors in without a visa, so if you happen to be in the neighbourhood, you have no excuse!

Now is a good time to visit Prishtina. Tourism is developing slowly, with a new guidebook out (Bradt guides), a city guide (In Your Pocket dot com), and a couple of British tour operators now offering city breaks in Prishtina and longer tours around Kosovo. It won't be to everyone's tastes, but if you're bored of the standard city break destinations and want something a bit different and off-beat, give Europe's newest capital a go.

Summary: Europe's newest capital would make an unusual destination for a city break