Pristina, Kosovo
Aug 28, 2025
It was almost the first thing I saw, getting off the bus in Pristina. Lady Liberty was small but immediately recognizable. Later as I wandered through the city, I saw a statue of Bill Clinton, a bust of Robert Dole and boulevards named after them. Clinton (spelled Klinton) and Hillary are popular children’s names.
There are cafes called Route 66, Buffalo and Philly Cheesesteak. There is even a boutique named Hillary. A local man said to me “We love America more than Americans love America”. Another said simply “I would be not be here if it wasn’t for America”. Their heartfelt feelings are shared by most Kosovars, they tell me.
It all goes back to years of discrimination meted out by the Serbians under Slovodan Milosevic towards the ethnic Albanians of Kosovo who are predominantly Muslim. A growing sense of nationalism led to the birth of the Kosovo Liberation Army which clashed with Serbian forces, resulting in a brutal crackdown by the Serbians and the beginnings of ethnic cleansing that would have led to the death of millions. In 1999 NATO, led by the US military intervened, ending the conflict and creating a UN administration in the area. In 2008 when the fledgling nation declared independence, the US was the first to recognize Kosovo’s sovereignty. Today, recognition of Kosovo grows globally but Russia and Serbia among a few others still refuse. The inevitable tension is dissuaded somewhat by the strong presence of NATO.
The youngest capital city of the world is still growing and new buildings are coming up everywhere. Under the mounted statue of the national hero Skenderbeg, the large plaza extends into a pedestrian boulevard. Among the cafes and shops, I spy bookshops. Any city that still has secondhand bookshops gets my vote!
The strong feeling of gratitude felt by Kosovars is understandable, but it isn’t just that. It is in the smiles of strangers on the streets, in the cheery welcome of locals, in the bus conductors who went out of the way to make sure I was on the right bus when google maps had steered me wrong. There is a pervasive sense of warmth in the air, the first I’ve felt on this trip. And nowhere is it more prevalent than in the local bazaar. This is the kind of sprawling bazaar that I like! It is far from the sanitized environs that I have been seeing recently and I wander delightedly. I am offered a plum here, a peach there, a handful of nuts. And I am shown the best kebab place in the bazaar.
The food is good but cannot hold a candle to Liburnia, a local eatery I had been told of. Kat, a fellow traveler and I went there for dinner one night. Built in an old house, it is almost a museum, so well has it been designed and created.
The visual appeal is more than matched by the taste. It was best food I have had to date on this trip! So much so, that we scarfed it all down before we thought to even take photos!
ITCHY FEET TRAVELS 