philippwasserscheidt

Hm, what should I tell you about Kosovo? It is really difficult. I wouldn t say, that the biggest part of Kosovo is what you could call beautiful. Not only that everything is full of rubbish and house-skeletons, former serbian houses, where the albanian picked out the bricks. But there is no atmosphere, no soul in it. Everything is new, of course, because the war destroyed nearly everything, but everybody builds as he likes, too big houses in too small villages …
On the other side you have the wonderful serbian monsteries, cities like Prizren and Gjakova, great mountains, and the need to understand that war cannot be the way …

In this monastery you can find the church, that was built by Sveti Sava, the holy father of Serbia and founder of the Serbian Othodox Church. Next to this church, there are 2 more churches, forming one big holy house (like the trinity). All are coverd with old frescos and full of the soul of important Serbs.
The monastery, built in the first half of the 14. century, is situated at the feet of wounderful mountains. It is, like all other monasteries, guarded by KFOR (again the italian sweeties). If you tell the women in the monastery about your coming in advance, they will be glad to show you everything.

in Serbian it´s Peć, in Albanian Peje, with two points above the last e.
You missed nothing, when you didn+t stopped by here ..
But you have to come here, when you want to visit the Pećka Patrijaršija, another UNESCO World Heritage Monastry in Kosovo

At first, I have to say THANK YOU!!! to Kushtrimi, how was so friendly and open, helped us through some indecisiveness and showed us his town (look at locals in Kosovo).

Gjakova, or in Serbian Đakovica, is maybe on of the most beautiful towns in Kosovo. I think, it could compare even with Prizren.
The heart of the town is the old bazar, that was burned down during the war, but is now reconstructed. There are cute small wooden houses surrounding a magical mosque, and you can even find an old han there.

Decani monastery is famous for it´s fresco, that is said to be the largest preserved in the Byzantine world. Built and painted out in the middle of the 14. century, it shows over 1000 frescos with 10 000 faces on it, the painting longed 15 years.
It is like all other serbian monatries well guarded by KFOR (funny italian guys), and according to the monks that is very nessecary. The town Decani is even between Albanians known for it´s extremism.
If you tell them in advance that you want to visit the monastery, the monks will wait you with open hands. We had a wonderful mornig-service, and after that even dinner and a excursion around the whole place with a friendly young monk. Decani seems to be very lifely, although they cannot move at all.

is maybe the craziest place in Kosovo/a. On the on side the serbian part, with the former serbian University of Pristina, then the, no no THE bridge, THE symbol for a ethnical divided town at all, the bridge that divides the serbian from the albanian part, and at last the albanian part, that trys to impress you at it´s best, with roes of new houses, chaotical ensembles, dirtyness, and a totally different feeling. That all is not beautiful, but worth a trip.

An impressing fortress at the danube. On one side Romania, on the other Serbia. In your back the danube, borderless like a huge lake, in front of you the porta de fier.

Valjevo (Valyevo) is not interesting at all, what seems to happen to some average villages in Serbia. The only thing you may enjoy are the mountains around. But it actually is a good starting point for visiting Trsic (Trshitsh), the place where Vuk Karadzic was born. But really great is the train track to the south (Uzice), which leads trough an amazing countryside!

Is a new chain of cafes, selling primarly Bliny. The food is o.k., the coffee is bad. But in the central Melnitsa on ploshchad Lenina you can use wireless internet for free.

The first “real” cafe in Pskov. Here you really can enjoy a good atmosphere and sometimes even live piano music.
On Oktryabrskii Prospekt