Discovering Kosovo: Pristina, Prizren, monasteries, and a ski resort

Despite the workload, we still aim to visit the highlights of Kosovo, while working, in two and a half weeks, and renting a car for 3 days. Our HQ is in Pristina, a capital without much charm, covered in snow in April 2023.

Here, as elsewhere in the Balkans, the locals are super friendly and the heating is more than effective. We like the food in Kosovo a bit more than in Serbia, since most of the population is of Albanian origin and their cuisine is delicious (very Mediterranean).

We hesitated a lot between North Macedonia and the Kosovo, but from Serbia, it’s more practical to take a direct bus to Pristina, and it’s also a pleasure to discover a name we heard non-stop on TV for the wrong reasons. We want to see Kosovo, and we want to see its beautiful cities, not its wars. Kosovo is still not a country recognized by the UN. Serbia considers Kosovo to be Serbian. But it is recognized by France, but not by the European Union. Are you following? Anyway, there is indeed a physical border between Serbia and Kosovo. And we are very happy to get a Kosovo stamp on our passports. We are a bit afraid that this stamp will prevent us from returning to Serbia later (read the article on the subject) but in the end it didn’t cause any problems.

We had asked our Airbnb how to get to the apartment from the bus station. To our great surprise, he replied: “let me know when you arrive, I’ll send you a Tesla”! Indeed, in Pristina, there is a 100% Tesla taxi company. So it’s in Kosovo that we first ride in a Tesla. Unbelievable!

Road trip itinerary:

Pristina

We are staying in the city center. Apart from a library with weird architecture and a half-built church, the surroundings are nothing special. We push on to the Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa next door, but we can’t be bothered to go see the statue of Mother Teresa.

Prizren

I really liked this tourist town with a stone bridge that attracts tourists. The mosque nearby is not bad either, though small, and we can peek inside just after the prayer. In Prizren, there are plenty of “parking” signs leading to tiny parking lots managed by someone who doesn’t look official. But we still get a printed ticket, so for 1.5 euros, we won’t quibble, right? The parking is guarded and the attendant helps with the maneuvering, excellent service!

We have lunch at a restaurant serving hot stone grills (Marashi). The meat is very tender, the sauces are very good, and the warm homemade bread is perfect for soaking up the juices. JB loves it! You can also park right next to the restaurant. We went back another day 😀

We spend the night in a beautiful hotel with pool, hammam, sauna… when it’s cold like that, it’s very welcome! (Booking link)

White Drin Waterfall

The next day, we plan to visit a waterfall, but right at the entrance, there’s a restaurant that tempts us: Trofta e Drinit. We see many descending water pools behind the restaurant, containing trout, from the smallest to the largest, and they end up directly on our plates. Convenient: as fresh as it gets!

We then go to White Drin Waterfall, the flow is very strong. It seems to be a family-friendly place as we see many families, many children. Going all the way, we find ourselves at a paid cave, which can be visited every 30 minutes or so with an English-speaking guide. The cave is not very beautiful compared to the magnificent French caves, but it’s still very nice (and from memory, not very expensive). I recommend it! Especially since the path leading to the cave is prettier than the path leading to the waterfall.

Patriarchal Monastery of Peć

We backtrack to go to the Patriarchal Monastery of Peć. There’s a military checkpoint at the entrance. Thinking we’ve made a mistake, we drive around before realizing there’s no other option than to go through and leave our passports there. The Serbs hold this region and this monastery dear, but it is now in Kosovo. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site, and we understand why when we see its magnificent frescoes, which remind me of those in the Göreme region (the Dark Church).

As tensions between Serbs and Kosovars have never ceased (there was even a resurgence while we were there), the site is protected by a NATO force: the KFor.

I find that people overcomplicate things. This area is very close to the Serbian border. If religion divides so much, we might as well give these monasteries back to the Serbs 😀 Good riddance! But my simplistic and naive vision will never make me an ambassador or a politician. Thank you for listening to my TED talk.

Visoki Dečani Monastery

Here, it’s worse, there are obstacles on the road to stop us from speeding through. And even an armored vehicle! Kfor soldiers take our passports hostage again during the visit. Visoki Dečani Monastery is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, especially renowned for its frescoes, which cover more than 1,000 square meters. It’s admired for its medieval architecture, with a Byzantine influence combined with Gothic elements, particularly visible in the arches and sculptural details.

Inside, there’s a very kind man who tells us not to hesitate to ask questions. The goldfish that I am has no interesting questions to ask; the beauty is right in front of our eyes, we just need to look and admire the high ceilings, the colors, the expression of Christ. The outside looks simple, but the inside (which I can’t take photos of) can be admired on Google Images.

Leaving the monastery, we come across a tourist who seems to be walking the Balkans. Instead of packing his stuff in his small backpack, he hangs everything he can left and right: a pot, a mattress, a puffer jacket… and it goes “kling kling” with every step. The sight is so comical that we die laughing. We would have liked to give him a ride, but he had just arrived at the monastery. Anyway, if you plan to go on a trip like that, opt for a bag that fits everything you need, it’ll be more practical and better for your back! (see JB’s backpack)

We return to Prizren to spend the night.

Brezovica Ski Resort

The next day, we cross the whole country, all the way to the south of Kosovo.

We are still on the lookout for the perfect ski resort in the Balkans. Since discovering ski resorts in Montenegro and Albania, we think it will be cheaper and easier for me to learn to ski in the Balkans. This ski resort is mostly frequented by locals. It has a chairlift system that would make any safety-conscious engineer cringe. We wanted to go up to the top just to look at the scenery (we don’t have skis), but given the height and the lack of safety on the chairlift, I’m terrified of falling from the top, not knowing how to get down properly, and sliding down the whole slope on my butt.

We settle for walking painfully to the restaurant, eating whatever is on the menu in a huge hall (there are groups of kids today). The restaurant also serves as a hotel, and it’s exactly the kind of decor I’d expect from a “Balkans” hotel, a bit frozen in time. It has its charm.

But my model is more like the Grand Hotel Belushi, on the other side of the country (northeast), near the border with Montenegro. It’s the hotel that gives off the vibe of “The Grand Budapest Hotel”.

On the way back, we stop dead in front of a truck parked at an intersection and full of strawberries. All of that costs about 20 euros for 10 trays, and it’ll take me forever to finish them. They’re small but juicy and sweet. Paradise!!!

Gračanica Monastery

This monastery is very close to Pristina, and we visit it on the way back to Pristina. Don’t trust the photos; in reality, it’s huge!

This one is right next to Pristina, so I wouldn’t recommend anyone return it to the Serbs (no way! we’re not naive either!), even though it was built by a Serbian king and constructed on the foundations of an ancient 6th-century Christian basilica.

It’s also recognized as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. Despite the discreet presence of KFOR, no one took our passports. You can’t park in front, but a little further down the same street.

It’s really a shame I can’t show you the inside because it’s the most beautiful we’ve visited so far. It’s immense, with so many domes, and inside, you can see it! Because each dome is decorated to perfection, very colorful with lots of golden elements, just as I like. I love domes; I didn’t know that, now I do. The domes give a special effect to the frescoes; you get drawn into the drawings. However, due to the candles, everything is blackened; I’ll let you discover the interior photos on Google Images. And there’s an unpleasant man who comes by to grumble and put out the candles, cursing in a language I don’t understand anyway.

This is the end of our short stay in KosovoIt’s a country that surprised us a lot because we expected there wouldn’t be much left. But on the contrary!! It’s still all pretty, all cute, and you can even ski there! It’s wonderful.

This chapter in the Balkans comes to a close, and we won’t return to the Balkans until SofiaBut in the meantime, first we have to go see the tulips in Amsterdam.