#133 Youngest capital in Europe

May 24-25, 2022: Prishtina, Mitrovica

F. Prishtina is the youngest capital in Europe. The city is moderately large with its 150,000 inhabitants, and so after about 4 hours we were already out of the city. The traffic is not much more chaotic than in other large cities in the Balkans, and I have already gotten used to it to some extent.

We passed by the two large mosques that were rebuilt by the Turks after the war, and headed towards the Ethnographic Museum. It consists of two old Ottoman houses that were inhabited until the mid-20th century. They give you an insight into the way of life of the people at that time. We had already visited such a museum in northern Greece (#117), so there wasn't really anything new to discover - especially since the second house was being renovated and was not available for viewing. Nevertheless, I took one thing as a new insight. In the culture of the Kosovars, it is the highest honor to be able to serve a guest with good hospitality.

After shopping at a huge fruit and vegetable market next to the museum, we continued through the city center. The pedestrian zone is modern, large, and offers many shopping opportunities. We treated ourselves to ice cream in the shade at over 30 degrees Celsius, and at 50 cents per scoop, it tasted even better. On the way back to the car, we also visited the Newborn Monument. This was built in 2008 as part of Kosovo's formal independence from Serbia. At first, the huge letters were yellow, then the country flags were painted on by the countries that recognize Kosovo as an independent country, and for a few years now, the letters have been repainted every year. The unveiling of the new paint always takes place on February 17th, Independence Day.

The next day we actually wanted to go to the bear sanctuary (east of Prishtina), but the next morning we spontaneously decided to participate in a free walking tour in Prishtina instead. Except for another German couple, no one showed up at the agreed meeting point for the tour, so we were a little disappointed that we didn't go to see the bears.

Instead, we decided to drive to Mitrovica. The city is located in the northern part of Kosovo and is divided by the Ibar River into a predominantly Serbian-speaking part and a predominantly Albanian-speaking part. The new bridge over the river, financed by the EU, is closed to car traffic and several KFOR vehicles are parked on it. There were violent outbreaks between Serbs, Albanians, and the KFOR in 2004 and 2008. During our visit, we could not see any current tensions, although the conflict between Serbia and Kosovo flares up here from time to time.

Day 221 - Total tour 16,556 km

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