Kosovo, small area, little expectations and big surprises

As soon as I planned to go to Kosovo and Montenegro I didn’t know what to expect. I just wanted to discover others Balkans areas.

Some people said that Montenegro is a wonderful place, many beaches, beautiful landscapes... Then, What about Kosovo?

Some people were quiet; others said that is a good place to party but nothing else. Regarding to friends from France, it’s still a quite poor and war-torn country. Their first reaction was “Why? Be careful.”

To go to Prishtina, the Capital of Kosovo you can go by bus. It’s around 2.30 hours from Skopje. When you go to the border, they ask you sometimes to pay a tax (around 5euros) and sometimes not. The bus station is not exactly in the center of Prishtina. You need to get a taxi, you can ask the information desk, they will give you phone numbers of cheaper companies than those in front of the station.

When I arrived to my hostel, I discovered that many young people were visiting the Capital (even in May) so it was easy to meet people and ask advices. The first night people I met, my friends and I went to Lil Jon concert in Prishtina. It was great! When we came back to the hostel we were hungry and some grocery stores were opened. We were even more surprised when one guy showed us where it was still possible to eat a burger in a restaurant. The next day we chilled out in the city and saw different monuments:

-“New born” The Newborn monument is a typographic sculpture and tourist attraction unveiled on 17 February 2008, the day that Kosovo declared independence from Serbia. The monument consists of the English-language word "Newborn" in capital block letters, which were painted bright yellow when the sculpture was first revealed.

- The Bill Clinton Statue

During the night we had a beautiful dinner, with a nice host and drinks in bars. Then it was time to leave Prishtina to Prizren. The bus station there is close to the center (10minutes walk). I noticed a different atmosphere. You are not anymore in a Capital, it’s less Europeanized. If you are a girl you can have some reflections. Other than that the city is really beautiful, the center is pretty, full of pubs and restaurants crossed by a river. “City Hostel”, the hostel we stayed overnight was awesome. We met other volunteers from Bulgaria and had the chance to drink Rakija and beer for free and even a barbecue.

As a conclusion I would say that I am positively surprised by Kosovo. It’s a place to visit in our lives, mainly if you love party. By the way Prizren is the 2nd Best city of Europe to party after Ibiza!

Bérénice Kermoal.