It appears it had snowed in Prizren overnight.
And as I get into Pristina bus station, it started snowing.
It was bizarre seeing a Statue of Liberty in the distance as I arrived into the city.
As the day went by, the snowfall got heavier.
It was probably not the right thing to do by heading out to explore the city, but I wanted to check out some spots.
I didn't get too far as the snow started blistering down and made it really hard to walk even with an umbrella. It was also freezing cold.
I only made it to the National Library and the Bill Clinton Statue.
The National Library had a unique hive shape structure. But what I found more strange was with the inside. I would had expected more books, and even the area with books, they were in a shady spot.
There was also a Cathedral nearby which doesn't seem finished. According to Brandon, he shared this was built by the Serbs when they invaded Kosovo, just to prove a point they can build something that reflected their presence in the country, but it's just an empty shell. The government is trying to figure out what to do with this building now.
The Bill Clinton Statue
They really love Bill Clinton here.
Ethnic Albanians give Mr Clinton credit for the NATO bombing campaign which brought an end to the Kosovo conflict in 1999. This allowed those who had fled to return to their homes.
Besides the statue, there's even a Boulevard named after him.
Just a few steps away there's also a clothing store named Hillary.
Restaurant Recommendation
The restaurant Renaissance which Clemens had recommended was nearby. It only just passed 4pm and I decided to try my luck and see if I could go in for an early dinner, especially since I hardly ate much since the morning.
Renaissance was a speakeasy kind of place - There were no signs on the door to indicate it is a restaurant. I walked in and one of the staff looked surprised to see someone there at the hour. His first question was, "Did someone recommended me to come" and I said yes. I asked if they were open, and he said they usually only start at 5pm but he allowed me to come in early.
There is no menu - decision is made by the chef, starting with a mixed platter of starters that had grilled cheese, a variety of cheeses mixed with different herbs and spices, grilled capsicum, grilled eggplant and beetroot. The portion was big and everything was good, with the exception of the beetroot, but because I don't like them to begin with.
The main comprised of chicken (honey mustard I think), slow cooked veal, grilled mushroom and avocado. With a side of salad and accompanied by red wine.
Everything was really good except for the veal - it was soft and tender but I found it too dry for my liking.
And lastly dessert Sheqerpare - apparently its a Turkish dessert. Soft balls of almond based pastry dipped in thick lemon-flavored sugar syrup.
The entire meal was €18.
Even after I was done with my meal, it was still blistering down heavily with snow. This is the first time on this trip that I had been impaled by snow.
Thankfully the snow stopped on the 2nd day, though it got really cold and I had to be extra careful while walking around.
Xhamia e Çarshisë
Jashar Pasha's Mosque
Xhamia e Madhe
These 3 mosques were located on the same street within a 100m perimeter.
Ethnographic Musuem
Comprising of 2 different houses located side by side, the first one being over 300 years old (the oldest building in Pristina) and the 2nd over 200 years old.
Only the 1st house was admissible and the staff who showed us around was really nice and explained the various rooms including the kitchen/dining area, the room where the kids and mothers would be in, and the guests/entertainment room.
National Museum
Spread over 2 floors, the 1st floor contained a number of antiquities and old coins as well as some roman ruins. There weren't much information on the items, and after taking a browse through, I quickly moved to the 2nd floor.
The 2nd floor contained a number of war time artifects belonging to people whom I have never heard of nor were there any write up about them.
There was also a room which contains the document that recognises the sovereignty of Kosovo as a country, and I spotted the Singapore flag!
There was also a room filled with different wind instruments, which seem to commemorate someone called Shaqir Hoti.
The only thing I was impressed about was this mosaic of Mother Teresa that is made out of staples and had even gotten a Guinness World Record for the largest mosaic made of staples.
National Gallery of Kosovo
I was told of this Gallery by the staff at the Ethnography Musuem, which is located just behind the Library.
Although there are 2 floors, it was really small and not much to see other than some striking images taken just before Kosovo became a country.
Newborn
One of the famous signs in Kosovo as it marks the Independence Day of Kosovo on 17 Feb 2008.
Every year on this date, the colour / pattern on this sign changes
Mother Teresa's Cathedral
Inaugurated on 26 Aug 2010 on the 100th anniversary of Mother Teresa's birthday. Also one of Pristina's tallest building.
I was wanting to go up the tower, but the staff dissuaded me saying it is extremely cold up there.
I went into the church and noticed the frosted glass windows were somewhat different from most other churches.
Gračanica Monastery
This monastery is located a 20mins bus ride outside the city.
On the inside were painted frescoes, though not as impressive as those in Desan and Pejë.
On a good day, Pristina can be easily covered in a few hours.
Meals wise, I also tried Serai - Red Turnip soup and chicken wrap.
As well as Shaban Grill House for cheap Qufte, which costs me only €2.30 for this meal!
Accomodation
Highly recommend Pristine Central Hostel, located right in the city centre next to Mother Teresa Square, though it's a 4 storey climb just to get to the hostel. People are really friendly and there's a very social vibe in the hostel.
I also got a text from Erhan, the host from the hostel in Prizren, that he was in Pristina on the 2nd day of my stay and had a place with a 2 bedroom apartment and welcomed me to be his guest. I thanked him for his gesture and as I already had my hostel paid for, I was going to stay in my hostel.
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