Europe 2014

I finally thought I’d out-run the London storm when I changed planes at Zagreb. Alas, no! I could see my rucksack atop the trolley that was gracefully aquaplaning across the Croatian tarmac. It was only when I landed in Skopje that the angry storm clouds were replaced by a heavy-browed, blunt customs officer demanding to know why I was travelling through to Pristina.

The bus-ride from Skopje to Pristina varies in duration depending on how long you have to wait at the border. All the advice is to take the bus, rather than the train, due to tensions between Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia. Skopje to Pristina is a journey through a country’s history: I saw abandoned buildings with bullet holes in the walls; inhabited homes with bullet holes in the walls; and new constructions with a distinctly Western influence. There were times when the road was a ruler, one long slab of concrete with views for miles. Other times I was in bandit-country: penned-in by forest laden mountains; the road clinging to the edge, skirting a threatening ravine: the element of danger coupled with the immense beauty of the sun just beginning to drop behind the rocky peaks. The summertime really is the ideal season to visit: I think if I’d attempted this journey in winter, with the road nearly impassable and the dark falling earlier, I’d have been too scared to enjoy the view.

Pristina itself is a gem of the Balkans. The new city is predominantly one street (Mother Teresa Boulevard), with the old city a labyrinth of cobbled streets and uneven walls. The sense of a country forging its own identity is strong here. Throughout the city there are monuments to bygone conflicts and to rebirth. Sitting on Mother Teresa Boulevard it becomes obvious that it’s the youth driving Pristina. The population here is noticeably young, they’re politically aware and engaged. Pristina’s status as a hipster city is growing and the stores and restaurants cater to this scene with independent, relaxed diners offering food from a range of cultures, the alfresco dining is incredibly popular and the university’s at the heart of the city (the library building has even gained recognition as being one of the ugliest buildings). I’d recommend a trip to this relatively unknown city soon, whilst it’s still growing, and drink Rakija under a canopy of fairy lights on a balmy July evening.