In Slovene only: A show on Kosovo on RTV Slovenija. Click to watch "Čez planke"

Last night a car with a Kosovo licence plate overtook me on the motorway from Vienna towards the Hungarian border. I assume this car is going to cross Serbia. Is that possible now? From what I knew Kosovo plates are not accepted in Serbia. Has that changed?

"Der äußerste Südwesten des Kosovo leert sich langsam von den dort lebenden Menschen, den Goranci. Einer muslimischen Minderheit, die lernen musste, nicht aufzufallen, um überleben zu können. Auch als Gastarbeiter und Flüchtlinge in Österreich." [Mehr und Quelle: Datum 09/08]

Maybe these passports are obsolete soon.

"Der Zug in Richtung einer Unabhängigkeit des Kosovo scheint trotz des anhaltenden Widerstandes Serbiens abgefahren." (ORF.at)

Vielleicht hat Kushtrim ja doch Recht mit dem 21. März ...

According to ORF.at every second person in Kosovo is under 20 years of age. Seems there are more weddings coming up.

I was amazed at the number of brideshops in Kosovo. Especially in Mitrovica there was one to the next.



The lady in the middle is wearing a traditional jacket over her dress. It's handmade embroidery.

Walking around Prishtina feels like "Where's the problem they are all talking about?". Apart from the strong presence of military and UN vehicles people seem to lead every day lives (which is only the surface, of course).


The road to Mitrovica

Mitrovica, though, is different. Mitrovica is a divided city. Divided into an Albanian southern part and a Serbian northern part. Divided by a river. Connected by a bridge. Guarded by armed troops. There are soldiers keeping guard from the tops of houses next to the bridge.


Reaching Mitrovica

People from both sides do cross the bridge. But not very many do it.


The bridge connecting the ethnic parts of Mitrovica

We asked at the local UN police station whether we were allowed to cross the river and walk around the Serbian part. Since we didn't bring the mandatory UN radio phone "It's not forbidden, but it's at your own risk."



The situation felt tense. Although I actually felt a bit more comfortable in the northern part, because I understand some Serbian but no Albanian, I could sense that it doesn't take much to bring about an explosion. A couple of month ago there was bomb attack in one of the cafes next to bridge.


Instructions to cross the bridge

These banners say "Russia help!" (left) and "In the name of God and Justica - Do not make our holy land a present to the Albanians" (right).



In the Serbian part, btw., you pay with Serbian Dinar and use Serbian stamps. In the Albanian part you pay with Euro and use Kosovo (?) stamps.


Yugoslavian money. Probably from inflation.


Orthodox church and a monument reminding of the history of mining in this area.

Facing the Serbian side this billboard on the Albanian side shows Mr. Ramush Haradinaj, Prime Minister of Kosovo. He was indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY).



Street life in Mitrovica.



As you can see we returned safely, reporting to the UN police that we were back.

Sunset



City Park



Smart art



Travel Agency



Everything that was so far is now around the corner.



Dishes.



Skenderbeu monument.



Streetlife



Shop



Theater



Way into the EU.



Picturebook Prishtina, Part I

Concrete monument.






The new pedestrian zone. Sesame white will be the color of the stones.



Zahir Q. Pajaziti - Hero i Kombat






"What's this?"
"Art?"



LDK parade



Mother Theresa Statue

In the middle of Pristina you find this ruin. It hasn't been removed on purpose, but serves as a reminder of the war. Who knows, maybe it's just a lack of money.



Pictures of the dead are tied to the fences.



"We are all missing you".


So many more are still missing and nobody knows where there bodies are.



1977 - 1999.



Hope for justice.



Remembering Rugova

Ibrahim Rugova was Kosovo's first president. He died of cancer in 2006. His grave is guarded day and night.



"Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, President of Kosovo, 1944 - 2006"



"President Ibrahim Rugova, symbol of Kosovo's independance"