Kicking Back in Kosovo…

I had not reckoned on passing through Kosovo...

We ate at this restaurant where service was excellent...

Willi and I had planned to ride from Podgorica in Montenegro, through Albania and Kosovo, and into Macedonia in one day, and stay in Skopje…

But the late start we had got off to the previous day, couple with the difficult ride through the mountains in Albania, meant that we only got as far as Przren in Kosovo…

The town was a pleasant surprise, and we enjoyed the time we spent there…

This horse and cart takes folk around the town...

The old fort on the ridge above town, looks down over peaceful Przren...

Giant schwarma for lunch...

Willi wonders which way to go...

The Centrum Hotel, located just off the main square in the old part of town, and wedged down a side street, was a good place to spend an extra day in… Not only was it close to all the amenities, but is was also brand new…!! It had only been open for a month or two… The restaurant only officially opened the day we got there…

Willi found a place where we could get our bikes washed, and also found a barber where he had his hair cut… While I sat updating the website, he wandered around town, and would come back every hour or so to talk about the new places he had discovered… He returned from one of his little walks with his biking boots expertly polished… By the time we left, Willi knew more about Przren than most visitors ever would…

We bought fruit at this stall for our ride the next day...

We befriended a local guy who owned a clothing shop, and he gave us the rundown on where to find the best food, and gave us an insight into why the little town was so busy…

We had noticed that no matter the time of day, people thronged the sidewalk cafes, and a constant stream of pedestrians walked through the square… We discovered that there is at least 50% unemployment in the town, but the people living here are kept going by the money their family members working in other countries, send back to them…

The cost of living is cheap here; Willi and I had a two course lunch with drinks for just €8.00….!!

There is also two high schools in the town, and students flock to the square to meet their friends and show off the latest fashions…

I spent the better part of the day in the new restaurant, where the internet signal was strongest...

Przren is a cool place, I shitje not...!!

We walked up the main street, which runs along a little river, fed from the mountains behind the town. The remains of an old fort line the ridge just above our hotel, and the minarets of at least 6 mosques can be seen from the central square…

Kosovo is said to consist of about 70% Muslims and the remaining inhabitants are either Catholics or Orthodox…

At 5.00am, the faithful are called to prayer, and the wailing reminded me of the North African towns I had stayed in…

Willi complained bitterly about being woken up so early… He nevertheless did not make it down to breakfast before 8.30am…!!

Messing about at the car wash...

With our bikes and gear washed and repacked, we were ready to ride again, and decided to go straight through Macedonia and into Bulgaria, from where our paths would split… Willi would head north, while I would head for Greece…

"Oooh...!! That tickles...!! Do it again...!! And don't forget to wash under my bash plate...!!" The Big Fella had not been cleaned so well for months...

©GBWT 2010