A Day in Prizren, Kosovo
A Day in Prizren, Kosovo
My next stop on my Balkan adventure after Tirana, Albania was Prizren, Kosovo, the country’s cultural capital. Funnily enough (or not), I ended up in Kosovo’s actual capital, Pristina. My bus stopped at a gas station about a 30 minute drive from Prizren, and I incorrectly assumed that the bus would make a stop within the city.
It did not, so I ended up two hours past Prizren in Pristina. At this point I had been on the bus four hours, and I was travel weary from weeks of travel and a ridiculous amount of time spent on buses, so I seriously considered staying in Pristina for the night. But, I already had a hostel booked in Prizren, and I had read so many posts declaring it far better than Pristina.
So, I found a bus at the Pristina bus station heading back to Prizren for the reasonable price of €4. Then, finally, around 1:30 in the afternoon after catching my first bus at 9 am, I made it to Prizren.
Fortunately, I think I made the right decision. I didn’t see anything in Pristina past the bus station, so I can’t compare the two cities, but I really liked what I saw of Prizren.
While in Prizren I grabbed lunch at the highest rated restaurant for traditional food, called Restaurant Familja Beska. There I had beef goulash and a traditional layered pie called flija. I had these dishes and a drink for €6.
Traditional beef goulash
A piece of a traditional layered pie called flija
After that I headed up to Prizren’s primary thing to see and do: the Kalaja Fortress. Just about a ten minute uphill walk from the Old Town of Prizren is a huge fortress with beautiful views of the city. If you’ve been keeping up with my travels through the Balkans, you know that I have climbed to many a fortress (Sarajevo, Dubrovnik, Kotor), and Prizren’s fortress did not disappoint.
There are a lot of outcroppings to climb or sit on to relax, and on a sunny day, there is a great view of not just the city below but also the mountains surrounding it.
The beautiful of Prizren from the Kalaja Fortress
A stunning view of the mountains behind the fortress
A view of the city and the Church of the Savior on the path to the fortress
After making my way back to the Old Town, I visited the Sinan Pasha Mosque. Like many cities in the Balkans, Prizren is a great example of religious tolerance and intermingling. All within a couple blocks are a mosque, a Catholic church, and an Orthodox church. Kosovo, though, is 88% Muslim, so it was not surprising that this lovely mosque and the dozens of minarets of other, smaller mosques dominate the skyline of the city.
The inside of the mosque was also quite lovely. I entered after taking off my shoes and covering my hair with a scarf that I had taken to carrying around for this exact purpose. This is customary for most mosques, as well as having knees covered. The inside is bright and decorated with colorful swirls of Arabic script.
The elaborately decorated ceiling of the Sinan Pasha Mosque
The chandelier in the center of the Sinan Pasha Mosque
After that, I spent some time wandering around the city, people watching and admiring the old stone that comprised much of the town. One of my favorite little details about the town was the crocheted coverings on the trees that the Women’s Association of Prizren created. The trees were covered in knit sunflowers, evil eyes, and other cute designs. The colorful tree sweaters definitely helped to endear me to the city.
The Old Town and old bridge of Prizren
A tree covered in crocheted sunflowers
The plaque letting people know that the tree sweaters were created by the Women’s Association of Prizren
My last stop in Prizren was the Aurora Bakery, where I sat down and enjoyed some Burek. I ate so much burek in the Balkans it isn’t even funny. I just couldn’t resist the pastries stuffed with yummy fillings. That night, I had a large slice of cheese burek for less than 70 cents!
Cheese burek at the Aurora Bakery in Prizren
I only had one day in Prizren that was cut even shorter by a bus mishap, and I regret not spending more time here and in Kosovo as a whole. I did and saw everything that a tour book will recommend in Prizren, but I would have loved just one more day in Prizren to sit back and enjoy more good food, interact more with the locals, and perhaps make it back up to the fortress for sunset. Kosovo was a short but nice stop, and I can see myself dedicating more time to the country if I find myself back in the Balkans.