Pristina looks like any other war-torn city a decade after the last battle. Much of it is under construction with the help of foreign aid money. Hotel Begolli, a Lonely Planet recommendation, is a nice place but in a part of town that feels like a Middle Eastern souk. It is dirty and after dark, 4:30 this time of year, it's dark.
I still can't get my head around Balkan history and Kosovo is especially confusing. It is a newly self-proclaimed republic but it isn't recognized by the UN. Serbia believes Kosovo is historically Serbian, having something to do with the battle of Kosovo when the Ottoman Turks defeated the Serbs, then ruled for hundreds of years.
The official language (and most of the population) is Albanian. Albanian flags outnumber those of Kosovo 100 to one but the Albanian Kosovars don't want to be part of Albania because Albania is so much worse off. Go figure!
