retiredmartin

April 2023.

A few more holiday snaps, then I can return to those bench seats and boring brown bitters in grim Midlands towns you so love.

Only time in our itinerary for one excursion from Pristina, but by common consent Kosovo’s second city Prizren is the must see outside the capital.

Kosovo is about half the size of Wales, and once you get away from Pristina’s endless shopping malls (there’s a Hamley’s !) and modern apartments it’s only an hour on the bus.

If Pristina is the modern cosmopolitan city, Prizren (pop. 100k and rising) is the ancient picture postcard one.

We had a long climb up to the best view point before lunch, so I allowed Mrs RM the energy-giving baklava at Te Besniku just outside the bus station.

The lovely staff summoned Mrs RM to the counter to admire their display of calorific delights. They know her too well.

Then 25 minutes to the foot of the fortress,

with a stop for an argument about the school uniform shop.

Mrs RM was convinced that’s Britney Spears in the middle. (I don’t think 6th formers really dress like that in Prizren).

Tourist life centres on the row of restaurants along the Prizren River leading to the Stone Bridge and the Sinan Pasha Mosque,

but of course our focus was on walking the cobbles up the hill (steeper than Sheffield) to the fortress.

We saw a car reverse down that path.

Blimey it was a slog, but worth it for Mrs RM’s Instagram shots towards the top.

There’s even a little hotel-cum-cafe, though it’s anti-Bass stance scared us off,

as assuredly as the cannon scared off the invading craft beer salesmen from Tirana in the 14th century.

Mrs RM loved the UCK sign, but couldn’t find a spare “F” lying around to make a really great picture. And the lizards wouldn’t sit still, either.

The scramble back down took even longer than the scramble up, if anything, and we were pleased to arrive on the flats in time for opening time at Bar Aca.

Mrs RM loves a beer menu,

a nice tight menu with actual craft beer from up the road. My tasting notes say “Pivdzan IPA nice, tastes like beer I tried to smuggle back though Nuremberg airport in a sock“, which shows why I don’t do Untappd.

Bar Aca seemed delighted at our enthusiasm for their craft beer; for their part they seemed a bit obsessed with Vaya Con Dios.

Folk on blogs had recommended NOJA for lunch, and we sheepishly follow folk on blogs.

A lovely lady made us this gorgeous feast of burek, falafel wraps and rose water for about £8.

and any toilet with a Camus/Catctus/Zen air freshener mash-up deserves your custom.