GREAT EMOTIONS TO GET TO PRISTINA, THE CAPITAL OF KOSOVO.

  

At the Skopje (Macedonia) bus station, located adjacent to the train station, about 1 km from the historic center, I only have time to

change money and buy a bus ticket to Pristina (price 320 Macedonian Dinars, one way. There are 8 trips a day on this route. Website: web.www.sas.co.mk).

I am the only Extrabalkan on that Pulman and in two and a half hours through the mountains and countryside I finally reach the appointment with history on time at 1.30pm.

I am at

Pristina.

I immediately book the bus for tomorrow to Tirana. I have 2 choices: at 5

in the morning or at 15.00 in the afternoon. Which one did I choose for you ???? That of 5 in the morning of course.

 Of course,

the trip takes 7 hours and I can't afford to arrive at 10pm in Tirana

also because the next morning I have to move very early. (Cost of the one-way ticket with the Arbeni Tours Company: 18 Euros. They also offer you a cold drink during the trip).

Then I launch into the center on foot. Everything is decadent and needs to be rebuilt.

All barracks. Many works in

course though. Here you can still breathe the flavor of

war: mine warning signs, photos of the dead, gravestones everywhere,

destroyed buildings, police everywhere, old cars and buses. After the incredible failure of the Sofia and Skopje stamps, I'm not going to try it here

not even, but I have a stroke of luck and see the post office.

I go in and the assistant has in hand

an ocean of postage stamps; I take three different ones. Then I go to the bank to change

the remaining Bulgarian and Macedonian money.

I continue my visit. The crazy heat kills me but I resist

and I visit all the small center of Pristina.

There is little to see but the historicity that

you breathe it reaches very high levels. Beautiful .... no tourists around .... difficult to find your way around, few marked streets ....

Then I take bus no. 7 for the Velania district, located on the Sunny Hill (ticket price to do on the bus: 0.40 Euros). I am looking for the Guesthouse Velania, located far from the center, but with a price of 16.00 Euro per night, including breakfast and free internet. The only one available at that price.

I ask dozens

of people and finally after an hour in which I wandered around empty I find it ... what a struggle.

Superb also this: spotless, elegant, double room all to myself with

television. For

go up to the room you have to leave your shoes down on the floor

earth ....... crazy stuff.

I think it's just me

here.

I am drinking tea at full speed and eating the hostel cereals while

I write this e-mail.

Wait

moment: another US warrior arrived alone: ​​3 months in

Balkans (Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania, ect), 28 years old, unemployed, with a backpack weighing about 40 kg,

pazzziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii .... What incredible encounters !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Only in

these countries can be done.

But I have to make a small consideration: the thing that differentiates me from all these guys / and I meet abroad is that they are all adventurers like me, let alone women, but

they all have the same characteristic that I don't have yet: they are all

unemployed and stay around for months:

crazy stuff.

Twist at the Cibali: a Londoner has arrived

also alone who came to Pristina 4 days to attend a congress for Jehovah's Witnesses: Incredible !!!!

These extraordinary encounters have fatigued me. My destiny is the bed.

My complete travel report with map, photographs and videos is available at this link:

http://vivendosalendo.blogspot.com/2012/10/il-giro-dei-balcani-in-autobus-e-treno.html