Turns out a friend I had met while in Kosovo had family from the city of Peja (Pejë, Пећ, Peć, Peć, İpek) and she offered to give me a tour of the place. We drove down one day and ended up there early in the morning for the tour. Although quite active and vibrant there were many buildings still visible that were partially or wholly destroyed during the war. We drove past a house her family had lived in up until the war and it was basically destroyed, perhaps by a bomb or something. Her family was forced to flee, some moving to Albanian controlled areas and some to the states.
I forgot to mention that the city is surrounded by mountains and the scenery is striking. It also lies near the Rugova canyon (Gryka e Rugovës, Руговска клисура, Rugovska klisura) which we drove around later in the day.
We eventually parked and made our way into the pedestrian area of the city as I wanted to look around for perhaps a souvenir or two. As with the other cities I visited it was filled with sidewalk vendors and a makeshift bazaar. The shops were all open as well and we ended up walking through an open air market where I saw what appeared to be hand made baby rockers of various sizes. I had my friend negotiate with the vendor for one that was just large enough to hold a bottle of wine and eventually purchased it. Interestingly enough it came with small versions of bed linens which made the purchase even more valuable. I got a good deal or at least felt I did and we were on our way.
As we walked through the city center there was some sort of a Christmas celebration going on. I just love these type of things and walked over to see what was going on. There were decorations and some guy giving carriage rides to anyone willing to pay the fee. I snapped a few photos and then asked my friend why the locals were celebrating Christmas with many of the decorations and activities I see in the west. She remarked that the locals like to have fun just as much as any other culture and they enjoy the lights, colors and activities associated with the holidays. It is interesting the number of similarities I discover within cultures despite their differences. Anyhow, something else I quickly learned was they love Americans here as I noticed flags hanging from the buildings. This aspect of the area I must admit I found particularly interesting. My friend said it had something to do with the war but didn’t provide any details. In any event it made for an interesting tour because I received a number of high fives and greetings from the people as they realized where I was from.
My friend suggested we drive to a ski lodge up in the mountains so I figured why not and we headed off. Just before the entryway we stopped for a cup of coffee at a restaurant recommended by her. We went in ordered and enjoyed a bite to eat with some local coffee and a good conversation about the area. At the end I waved the waiter over asked for the bill. At the same time my friend who speaks Albanian became engaged in a conversation with two men sitting at a table not far from us. After a few minutes the waiter walked away and I asked her what had just happened. She said the owner realized we were American and told the her our money was no good here as the Americans had saved he and his family during the war. I was very appreciative and asked her to tell the owner that I was not the one responsible for this and could not accept. After another short conversation she basically said forget it he won’t accept your money, so I left a tip, expressed my thanks to the owner and made my way back to the car. It’s amazing what happens as I travel, the situations I find myself in, what an enriching experience that was.
We then headed up a winding mountain road that at times was essentially one lane and with the icy conditions made it somewhat treacherous. We stopped along the way for photo ops and to admire the scenery. After about an hour drive we came upon a semi carrying logs and it turned out to be a challenging inexperience to let the driver pass us. We had just come out of a small tunnel that had been carved out of the mountain and suddenly there he was. We managed to get as close to the wall of the mountain as we could affording him just enough room to pass. Looking ahead it appeared that this would continue and as the day was wearing we turned around (which was quite an effort in itself) and made our way back down.
We drove back to the city and stopped at a very small restaurant my friend was also familiar with as I wanted to have some locally prepared food. The place could only fit around a dozen or so people comfortably and we sat down as she ordered something I couldn’t pronounce. I’m not sure what it was but I enjoyed it and after the meal we made our way back to the car and returned to Pristina. It was a valuable learning experience and another great trip for me during my stay in Kosovo.
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