Day 13 (July 17, 2019): Pristina, Kosovo

It was 1:30AM by the time we got to bed at the "Yotel" in the new Istanbul Airport.  The bad thing was that we couldn't get the temperature in the room down, so sleep was impossible.  The good thing is that we were able to leave our room and not have to deal with customs or security before heading to the gate.  The bad thing is that the new Istanbul Airport is so incredibly massive, we had to walk further than we have ever walked in an airport to reach our gate!

In any case, our flight from Istanbul to Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, was on time and excellent.  We landed at 8AM, got a cab to our hotel in the center of Pristina, and lay down to sleep for a couple of hours before starting out.  Pristina is a city of 200,000.  Getting around is quite easy, either on foot, or via the city's bus network.

We met some wonderful people today, and learned alot about what led to the war in Kosovo in 1998-1999.  I'll try to relate some of those conversations in the captions below.  As we chatted over dinner tonight at the rooftop restaurant of our hotel and looked out over the city, we felt happy about our decision to visit this place - a place with a strong connection to Canada.

The red tails of Turkish Airlines dominate the world's newest and largest airport.  But the lack of food outlets and extreme distances that are part of the design make Istanbul's "Havalimani" our last choice for future connections in Europe.  Yes, Havalimani is indeed bringing the world together under one roof, but in a manner that gives a terrible experience to the traveler.  Thumbs down.

Thumbs up, however, to the food service on Turkish Airlines!  Last night, I marveled at the fact Turkish ave a very generous "snack" on a 90-minute short-haul flight.  Well, again this morning, they gave this breakfast on our 90-minute flight to Kosovo.


We have seen sites in both Macedonia and Albania that celebrate Mother Teresa.  We were surprised to see that Kosovo also claims a close linkage to the Saint.  Mother Teresa was born in 1910 in Skopje, Macedonia, which at the time was the capital of the Ottoman Turkish province of Kosovo. And hence, the reason for her statue in the center of Pristina.


The Prishtina (also written as Pristina, without the H) International Film Festival is underway here.


Statue to Ibrahim Rugova in the center of the city.  Rugova was the first President of the partially recognized Republic of Kosova, serving from 1992 to 2000 and again from 2002 until his death in 2006, and a prominent Kosovo Albanian political leader, scholar, and writer. He oversaw a popular struggle for independence, advocating a peaceful resistance to Yugoslav rule and lobbying for U.S. and European support, especially during the Kosovo War.  Owing to his role in Kosovo's history, Rugova has been dubbed "Father of the Nation" and "Gandhi of the Balkans".


The Kosovo Museum, where two interpreters kindly answered our barrage of questions about the War and Kosovo today.  If you read the history of Kosovo's modern history on Wikipedia, your head will spin, it's that complex.  So the Museum's staff started to unravel some of the confusion for us.


Two things to highlight from the museum:  first, this portrait of Mother Teresa - made entirely of staples!!


And secondly, the flags of the 160 nations (of the 194 nations who are part of the UN) who recognize Kosovo's status as a country.  Interestingly, Russia and China do not recognize it.  Nor do countries with their own internal struggles for independence, such as Spain, with its Catalonia pressures.


The Jashar Pasha Mosque


The Imperial Mosque is an Ottoman mosque built in 1461 by Sultan Mehmet II Fatih.


The Clock Tower was built in the 19th century by Jashar Pasha. It served as a means of informing the town during the Ottoman Empire rule, in order to let people know when to pray as well as the traders closing their shops. The 26-meter high hexagonal clock tower was made of sandstone and bricks.


The post-war population of Kosovo is 88% Muslim, 5.8% Roman Catholic, 2.9% Orthodox Christian and 2.9% non-religious.  Therefore, there are few churches in the city these days.


The Ethnological Museum is basically a former Ottoman home but the key to its value is the ethnographer who takes his time to tell you about Kosovo.  We spent about 45 minutes with him, and learned so much.  Just another of the kind encounters we had today.  Interesting note:  we couldn't find this place, so we ended up in a school and were taken to the Principal, who spoke French.  He gave us instructions to the museum, and also told us how impressed he was with Canadian soldiers after the War.  He invited us to join him for tea and to discuss Kosovo, but we didn't have time, unfortunately.


The kitchen and dining area in the Ottoman house.


The sitting room in the Ottoman house.


A monument to countries that helped Kosovo.


The Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa in Pristina is a Roman Catholic cathedral being constructed in Pristina, Kosovo. In 2007, the Government of Kosovo approved plans for the building.  The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Teresa of Calcutta.  The foundation was ceremonially laid by former President of Kosovo, Ibrahim Rugova, himself a Muslim.  It was inaugurated on the hundredth anniversary of Mother Teresa's birthday in 2010 and is stil under construction. It is one of Pristina's tallest buildings.


Interior of the Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa.


View from the Bell Tower of the Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa:  dominating the scene is the National Library.


View from the Bell Tower of the Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa:  dominating the scene is the Univeristy campus.


View from the Bell Tower of the Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa:  showing the great building boom currently underway.


View from the Bell Tower of the Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa:  showing the concentration of Soviet-style housing.


The unique design of the National Library, which is the iconic building usually used to represent Kosovo.


Showing the metal cage-work that encompasses the National Library.


The Cathedral church of Christ the Saviour is an unfinished Serbian Orthodox Christian church whose construction began in 1992; it was due to have been completed in 1999.  However, the project was interrupted by the Kosovo War and it was never finished.  The Serbian Orthodox population declined significantly as a result of the War.


Kosovo feels very indebted to the USA for its assistance in garnering support for the recognition of Kosovo as a country, following the War.  The side of this tower in central Pristina sums it up well:  "Happy July 4 Independence Day of USA.  Kosovo will always be grateful."


The view from the rooftop restaurant at the Hotel Sirius, where we are staying.  We enjoyed the best and most kind service we have received on our trip so far, and enjoyed an excellent Albanian hot-pot dish.  He told us how Canada took in many refugees after the War, including his sister-in-law, who now lives outside Toronto and is "very grateful to Canada".  He offered us coffee on the house!


Our delicious charcuterie board tonight!