Exploring options around the primary destinations of our most recent Balkans trip, I realized Kosovo was enticingly close. I’d been curious about Kosovo for awhile, but had no specific destination in mind there. A little research turned up a lot of opinions raving about the city of Prizren as one of the prettiest in the country. And Prizren would be an easy drive from Skopje. We needed to get back to Tirana, Albania, to catch a flight home to Paris. It seemed a no-brainer to add a drive through Kosovar mountains and a stop in Prizren. That way, we’d be making a loop (from Tirana to Ohrid to Skopje to Prizren to Tirana) and seeing new places rather than just retracing our steps back through Ohrid to Tirana. And, despite Google recommending the Ohrid route, returning via Prizren actually had the advantage of being about a half hour shorter drive time. A win-win!
Our third driver booked through Daytrip.com, Gligor B., arrived promptly in a very nice Mercedes E-class sedan. He parked near the Holiday Inn a short walk from our Hotel Senigallia which sits on a tree-shaded pedestrian area on the River Vardar. Thankfully, one of Gligor’s first questions was whether we had our passports within reach since we had two border crossings ahead. We realized we’d left them and some other vitals back in the ship safe. A bit of an embarrassing rookie move as I finished up my 99th country! Gligor spoke excellent English, was a cheerful companion, and continued to make things smooth for us throughout the rest of our day together. [Although I found Gligor via Daytrip.com and was very happy with them (see my earlier posts), he might be available directly at +389 70 340 498 where I communicated with him via WhatsApp.]
We crossed into Kosovo from North Macedonia without a problem. I’d been a little worried since passport control hadn’t stamped our passports when we entered North Macedonia from Albania. I’d also read that we might have trouble getting into Serbia at a later date if we had Kosovo stamps in our passports, but Gligor said that wouldn’t be a problem. Gligor said the only issue would be trying to cross into Serbia from Kosovo with a passport. Although the U.S.A., Canada, Great Britain, France, Australia and over 100 other countries recognize the 2008 independence of Kosovo from Serbia, Serbia and others do not. However, Serbia and Kosovo have normalized economic relations since 2020. Gligor recounted a tale of an American client who’d refused to believe him that he couldn’t cross into Serbia “even” with an American passport. (Gligor could cross since he only needed an identity card, not a passport.) My arrogant countryman insisted on going to the border anyway and arguing at length with border security, threatening to call some “important” contacts. After wasting over an hour, they had to turn around and drive hours back to North Macedonia to cross that border into Serbia.
Given the option of driving to Prizren via highways to the Kosovo capital of Pristina or taking winding mountain roads, we opted for the mountain roads. Gligor seemed pleased, saying even though the drive time was about the same, the route through the mountains was much more scenic and interesting. He also said the mountain roads are impassable in the winter.
Gligor drove us along winding roads through thick forests, their leaves a bright green in the summer light. As we drove over a stone bridge, I spotted a pretty creek spilling down the side of the mountain and under the bridge, but didn’t have time to point it out to David. Gligor obligingly turned back to let us out to explore. (Impromptu stops on whim are a major advantage of a private driver.) A couple near the spring above the bridge had built a campfire and had a watermelon chilling in the cold water. The elevation, cool water and shady forest provided welcome relief from the summer heat.
At almost 6000 feet, we came to parked cars and a cluster of stands selling honey and fruit juices, kites and other toys. People lounged in the sun under big colored umbrellas across a grassy mountainside nearby. Higher up, wooden chalets overlooked the scene. This was Prevalla, a popular ski resort in the winter. We headed straight to a honey stand since David is a notorious honey junkie. The friendly vendor spoke halting English then asked if maybe we spoke French. I was surprised, but told him I did and his face lit up. It turns out he had lived in Annecy, France, for some years and was eager to talk about his time there and practice the language. We bought a beautiful jar of artistically arranged mixed nuts steeped in honey from him before continuing on to Prizren in the valley below.
Gligor dropped us off on the banks of the Prizren Bistrica, the river that runs through Prizren. Although we could see the dome and minaret of the Sinan Pasha Mosque beyond a long row of cafes with awning-shaded tables and chairs set out along the river, we were hungry. We opted to lunch at The Charm Delight, one of the few riverside spots that offered air conditioning before we did any sightseeing. This turned out to be a happy choice. “Chicken wraps” were freshly grilled chicken breast meat, tomatoes and cheese wrapped in hot flatbread served with crispy, just-out-of-the-fryer potatoes wedges. Delicious, made to order and cheap. They even had ice cold beer. Score!
The Sinan Pasha Mosque, a central landmark of Prizren, was built in 1615 reportedly using stones from the ruins of an Orthodox monastery. A flight of stairs leads to a 3-arched stone porch crowned by three vaults. The mosque perches above the Prizren Bistrica river near the iconic Stone Bridge. 19th century paintings of flowers and Koranic verses decorate its walls and ceilings. Rain and time have damaged some of the artwork and Ottoman manuscripts, but a local Islamic union rebuffed efforts to turn it into a museum/library. The mosque remains an active and tranquil religious building. After I donned a headscarf and we both removed our shoes, David and I were welcome inside with a few other visitors. A man and two boys prayed beneath the high dome of the main room while another man knelt in a side alcove. We navigated around the worshippers to admire the art and architecture and enjoy the coolness of the interior before heading back out into the sunny streets.
We crossed a wide plaza where a woman and child filled a container with water from a central fountain while café patrons sipped cold drinks in the shade of awnings. Our destination was the Cathedral of Saint George. A robed priest at the entrance to a courtyard signaled we’d found the right spot. Unfortunately, David could not enter the main church since he was wearing shorts. Pants that covered my knees were deemed modest enough, though, so I made the circuit of the large gleaming white and surprisingly modern interior on my own. The modernity reflects the burning and looting of the 19th century cathedral in 2004 by local Muslim extremists and the subsequent rebuilding. This was part of a troubled period in Kosovo that Serbs call the March Pogrom and Albanians call the March Unrest. Photographs of the cathedral from the period show near total destruction. The 15th century stone Chapel of Saint George Runovic sits on the cathedral grounds. Although also damaged by fire in 2004, it contains beautifully restored paintings on its walls and vaulted ceiling.
and its Chapel of Saint George Runovic)
With our time in Prizren running short, we meandered our way through narrow streets back towards the river to the Stone Bridge. Only a few clouds near the Prizren Fortress perched above the city broke the bright blue of the sky. [See lead photo at top of this post.] I texted Gligor that we were ready.
The last of our trip took us over large reservoirs, across the Kosovo-Albanian border, past small towns, and through the mountains of northern Albania. Here the mountains were rockier and more barren than the forested mountains of Kosovo. We enjoyed seeing a part of Albania that was new to us, a final bonus to taking the Kosovo route back to Tirana.