After the Peace Corps, I decided to take the long way home and went on a month long trip through Eastern Europe. First stop, Kosovo. It was an interesting place because there were a lot of similarities between Albanian and Kosovars. Exhibit 1. The very large statue to Skanderbeg who is a national hero in Kosovo and Albania. About 95% of Kosovars are ethnic Albanians so it was fun to use my Albanian language skills and make some comparisons between the two cultures.
The Fatih mosque in Prishtina which is painted in a floral motif. There was a little old man who was the key keeper of this mosque who thanked me profusely for being an American. He was one of several Kosovars who were really excited to meet me.
I also had the fortune of running into another PCV, Bill. Here we are in Gjakova, a smaller town whose name means place of blood. Hmmm.
We also visited Prizren which is really the jewel of Kosovo. It's an amazing example of a stone town built in the Ottomon style. The entire center of the city is built out of stone and filled with hamams, mosques, and cobbled streets.
Not to end on a sad note, but this picture shows the difficulties that this country still faces. This Orthodox church is surrounded by barbed wire to protect it from looters. There is a long history of struggle between the Serbian and Albanian Kosovars. Kosovo declared independence while I was living in Albania, but it doesn't look like it will be admitted into the UN anytime soon.
The Plotjice waterfalls near Jajce. We actually swam right up to the waterfalls. It was incredibly cold, but amazing
While we were visiting a town, we stopped by this woman's house who makes homemade syrups. You mix about a tablespoon of the syrup with water or sparkling water. Super refreshing. My favorite was the mint.
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