Kosovo

KOSOVO - COUNTRY OR NOT?
A country is a country if enough other countries agree that it is a country. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Although the United States and most members of the EU recognized Kosovo's declaration, Serbia, Russia, and a significant number of other countries, including a few EU members, did not. So officially, Kosovo is not a country and is not a member of the United Nations. Although it doesn't count towards completing the U.N list of 193 countries, it is a significant and intriguing place to visit.

The border crossing from Albania into Kosovo was very quick - less than 10 minutes. And a significant portion of that time was taken up verifying that Ale and her Chilean passport were welcome without a visa. The outbound crossing the following day would be even quicker, even with another Chilean passport check. The road between Tirana and Kosovo is excellent

OF MOSQUES AND MEN
The population of Kosovo is about 95% Albanian and predominantly Muslim. This became immediately obvious as the small town we stayed in, Prizren, boasts more than 40 mosques, all of which were blasting the call to worship as I was parking the car. It was difficult to miss. We were here during Ramadan and were told but someone in Albania that we should head to the Kaljaja (Prizren Fortress) for sunset, to hear the call to worship and see some fireworks.  The town was very quiet and the fortress was an easy 15 minute walk up the hill behind our hotel. We took a bottle of wine took in the stunning views and watched both fireworks - yes, only two - before wandering back to the town now teeming with men, women and children out for dinner.

Atop Prizren Fortress at sunset

TWO GREAT MONASTERIES
We spent an entire day driving around Kosovo in search of two UNESCO World Heritage sites as well as the capital city - Prishtina.

First stop was the Visoki Dečani Monastery near the town of Desan on the western side of Kosovo about 90 minutes drive from Prizren in the south. It is one of the most important monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church, famous for its elegant and peculiar architecture. It dates from the XIII century and mixes western and eastern church building styles to create a hybrid style only seen in old Serbia. This monastery is particularly noted for some of the world's finest medieval frescoes including a kick ass one of Jesus holding a sword - nothing like it anywhere else. Sadly though, no pictures allowed inside.

Visoki Dečani Monastery

Next stop was an excellent lunch in Peja at a restaurant called Kulla e Zenel Beut, then the second monastery, the Patriachate of Peć, 2 km west of Peja city center. Dating from the XII century, this is the mother church of the Serbian Orthodoxy. Another stunning interior with many spectacular frescoes but, once again, no photos allowed.

The Patriachate of Peć

It took the best part of two hours to drive through the center of the country to Prishtina on the eastern side. We had to play Tetris to park the car then walked around the old clock tower and through a market where we stocked up of football jerseys and golden eagle energy drinks.  From there we took the long drive back to the Albanian border to Tirana airport through town with names like Kukes, Rubik and Milot. By 11pm we were back at Tirana Backpacker Hostel for the night.