Travel day to Peja, Kosovo

The Gazimestan memorial, site of the 1389 Battle of Kosovo, fought between the Serbian medieval state and the invading Ottomans. Leaders of both armies died, and both armies were badly broken, but the battle is part of the Serbian national identity.

The Tomb of the Ottoman leader, Sultan Murad

After that we drove to the town of Prekaz. In March 1998 a Serbian Anti-Terrorism force came here to capture Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) fighters considered to be terrorists by Serbia. In the end KLA leader Adem Jashari and his brother Hamëz were killed, along with nearly 60 other family members including women & children. A cemetery and memorial have been built in the town, and the family homes that were attacked have been left as they were after the attack.

The family homes with scaffolding and roofs to protect the ruins

Peja, our destination for tonight

Pristina, day 2

Breakfast at our hotel

This morning we took a bus out to the village of Gračanica, a Serbian enclave since the end of the Kosovo war, and the location of the Gračanica Serbian Orthodox Monastery

Gračanica

This memorial in Gračanica is dedicated to Serb victims missing from the 1998-1999 Kosovo war

Back in Pristina this monument pays tribute to the estimated 20,000 mostly Albanian women who were victims of sexual violence from Serb forces during the Kosovo conflict. Militants from both sides have been indicted for war crimes.

Apartment blocks in Pristina

Mosque

Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa

An unfinished Serbian Orthodox Church in Pristina

National library

People lining up to get visas for Europe

Clock tower

Open air market

On the main pedestrian street

WWII monument

The Kosovo flag. Interestingly, this flag doesn't show up much, but you see the Albanian flag everywhere. Apparently most of the people in Kosovo would like to join Albania.

Travel day to Pristina, Kosovo

When we originally booked our rental car, we knew that we weren't allowed to take it into Kosovo. We toyed with the idea of not going to Kosovo at all, but decided in the end that we should, since the history of Kosovo is a significant part of the Balkans story.

So this morning we checked out of our Skopje apartment and took a bus to Pristina, Kosovo. We left our car in Skopje, and will be renting another car in Kosovo for a few days.

The USA, and Bill Clinton in particular, are very popular in Kosovo for their role in the 1999 NATO intervention in the Kosovo war.

Monument to Kosovo's independence

Pedestrian street

Market

Apartment block

Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa

Modern building

Skopje, day 5

Random photos from our last full day in Skopje

Mosque built in 1492

Fortress overlooking Skopje

Leftovers from the 2016 Colorful Revolution where demonstrators threw paint at government buildings in protest

Built in 1973, this was Skopje's first mall. 46 years later, it ranks as the 140th largest mall in the world.

Used book seller in the main square

Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great