Sights of Prizren

Moving to Prizren

Buses from Gjakova to Prizren run around every 30-60 minutes so I didn’t have to plan my departure time in advance.  When I felt ready after breakfast, I checked the schedule and delayed myself a little so that I would get to the station just right for the 0940 departure.

It was surprisingly cold as I walked there, even in the sun.  At the station, I saw a bus bound for Prizren that wasn’t on the schedule I had noted yesterday.  It had originated in Peja and was passing through.  It left as soon as I hopped on at 0925 and I couldn’t have been luckier.

The 1h ride was a bit foggy at times, perhaps due to burning of wood heating through the night.  It was a 10-min walk to the superbly-located Oferta Hotel.  As it was only 1040, I had no chance of getting into a room.

Sights of Prizren

I left my bag at reception and commenced one of the walks I had charted on Google Maps, followed by another, in the space of 1h45. It is a delightful old town and there’s so much more to it than Gjakova yesterday. Here’s my route:

• From the hotel, I followed the Prizren River to the Stone Bridge and crossed it. This led me to Shadervan Square, filled with lovely eateries and cafes (just like along the river actually).
• Taking a right turn, I saw a small Orthodox church and a large one. They were St Nicholas Church and the St George Cathedral respectively.  Both had warnings that these were protected buildings and it was a criminal offence to vandalise them.  The latter was under guard.  I guess emotions are still raw and small incidents could lead to flare-ups that may cause these buildings to be destroyed.  In the area, I saw a couple of KFOR soldiers, who are a NATO-led peace-keeping force.
• Further along was the Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour. This was completely unguarded as it was Albanian as opposed to Serb Orthodox.
• Backtracking and taking a different fork in the road, I came to the Sinan Pasha Mosque from the 15^th Inside, it had a nice painted dome.
• Following the river to the north-east and crossing it, I came to the premises of the Albanian League, an organisation formed in 1878 to defend the rights of Albanians in the Ottoman Empire. I didn’t enter but will return tomorrow for a visit.
• Heading west, slightly inland from the river, I came to the Gazi Mehmet Pasha hammam, which was closed for restoration. It had a nice collection of domes for its roof.
• Continuing west, I saw a white tower. It was the archaeological museum, which was once a hammam.  There was a wooden watch tower was from Roman times but that was replaced by the current one during Ottoman times.  It is probably the only hammam that has a tower!  The nice man let me up to the top of the tower and asked me to open the windows for him, to let all the flies out.  It was truly abuzz when I reached the top and I was happy to oblige him!
• Nearby was a closed-up and barb-wired church. Naturally, I knew it was Orthodox and not Catholic.  It was the Church of Our Lady of Ljevis.  I saw some Arabic inscription on it and upon looking it up, learnt that it was originally a Byzantine church from the 14^th Century, became a mosque during the Ottoman times from the 15^th  It became an Orthodox church only in 1912 when Serbia took control of Kosovo after the fall of the Ottoman empire.
• I finished my walk at the Tregu i Gjelber market and headed back to the hotel to check-in to my room.

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Climbing up to Prizren Fortress

Being so centrally located, I ducked in and out for little walks through the day and errands.  Having had such heavy meaty meals for the last few days, I tried to skip lunch but it was in vain.  I needed food about 1430 and settled for white meat for a change; chicken it was!  This was followed by a piece of baklava in a nearby sweet shop.

After 1600, I decided to climb up to Prizren Fortress.  It came highly recommended for taking in the sunset.

• The walk up was steep and took me through what I consider Turkish-style homes, with thick dark wood window frames.
• Along the way I found the Church of the Holy Sunday, with a kiosk for security personnel and a warning sign against vandals.
• I also saw the larger Church of the Holy Saviour which had been destroyed, leaving only the shell. Yep, both these churches are Serbian Orthodox, no doubt.
• Prizren Fortress was built in the 4^th to the 6^th There were a few highly restored buildings inside the fortress in addition to the semi-restored ruins which visitors can climb all over.  The view of the city was awesome.

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While some recommend the fortress for sunset, it isn’t particularly great for photographing the city below as one would look into the sun.  I may return tomorrow to catch the morning sun illuminating the city instead.

I managed to skip dinner tonight, having fruit, yoghurt and muesli.  I’m simply not use to having so much meat in my diet, even if it is accompanied by large salads.  I just feel so full.

Just a random observation. I noticed that Turkish appears to be a third language in Kosovo in signage. Naturally Albanian is first with Latin Serbian as second and then Turkish. English is also used if tourism-related.