Kosovo Koppels
Kosovo to Cofradia & everywhere in betweenArchive for October, 2007
Balkan Weekend-Part 1-Rugova
There was no sitting around for the Koppels this past weekend. On Saturday morning we got up early to meet Art & Marsha in front of E’s office. Equipped with the requisite chocolate croissants we headed east to the Peja region. Known as the town where the Kosovo beer brewery is located, Peja is more than just hops and barley. It is a beautiful area of Kosovo where the mountains are majestic, the fall foliage rivals that in J’s New York home town, and the brooks all babble effortlessly.
After navigating a lengthy traffic snarl outside Pristina, we drove along yet another Kosovar highway lined with petrol stations, motels, and the bombed out remnants of a number of churches and homes.
We met up with Dr. Gashi in Peja. A devoted outdoorsman, during the week he is a local doctor who works with UNMIK. His enthusiasm is contagious and so with little pause, we happily headed out of Peja and to the Rugova mountains along the Kosovo-Montenegro border (and not so far from the Albanian border). In many places, the picturesque road was literally cut out of the side of a massive rockface. We climbed higher and higher as Marsha adeptly, albeit nervously, maneuvered the corkscrew turns and we oohed and aahed at the fantastic foliage and the dramatic cliffs that fell to a rushing river. Dr. Gashi pointed out the entrance to a cave that apparently extends more than 12 kilometers. I’ll stay above the surface, thank you very much! He also showed us a beautiful church that many Peja locals drive out to on Sundays.
Finally we reached a turn-off. Straight on would have taken us to Montenegro. Instead, we turned off the paved road, engaged the car’s 4-WD and started climbing even more steeply on the muddy track. At about 2000 meters(?) we had finally arrived at the sleepy village from which we would start our several hundred meter ascent through the forest.
It was drizzling and there was snow on the ground, so we all bundled up as best as possible. Unfortunately for E, he doesn’t own hiking boots. So, he borrowed J’s extra wool socks and was quite a trooper in his leather soccer shoes.
Led by Dr. Gashi, the first part of our hike was through a bunch of small alpine cottages – very reminiscent of a small Swiss chalet village. From there we moved into the forest. They had quite a serious forest fire a little over a year ago, so as we moved up, we moved closer and closer to the burn area. There were lots of pine trees and the bark had been stripped off parts of some of them in order to extract the valuable resin. At the time though, besides some animal tracks in the snow, we were the only sign of life around.
The terrain became more rocky and the trees began to thin as we moved up. The snow also became deeper. We arrived at the primary site of the forest fire and it was fascinating to see that the fire had been extinguished by rain just before it leapt to another stretch of forest, so burned tree stumps were directly next to healthy old trees. The even better sight was the small saplings growing on the site of the fire.
A short traverse across a boulder strewn clearing, through another forest, and there we were: at the lake we had come to see. The lake was covered with a thin sheen of ice. It was quite narrow across and stretched around a bend, so I’m not sure how long it is. The mountains rose up all around it – the definition of picturesque.
Back down we went. Once we reached the point where Marsha was taking a well-deserved respite, E headed out in front of the group. His feet were slightly the worse for wear after hiking through the snow and rain for two hours. We all rendezvouzed about 3/4 of the way back to the trailhead. From there we took a slightly different route back, along a dirt road. At this point we were hiking through pea soup fog. The coffees and teas we enjoyed in the mountain hut near where we started were much appreciated.
The drive back to the paved road was a bit nerve-wracking since the fog was all around us, but Marsha took it nice and slow, and we eventually made it.
We made one more stop on our drive back to Peja. Dr. Gashi showed us an absolutely gorgeous trail to a beautiful waterfall that has been painstakingly created through the collaboration of several groups brought together by the Kosovo Environmental Action Group. Those I remember include Soros, Colgate University, and Deutsche-something or other. It was a short trail on planed wood planks and small wooden bridges. As you arrive to the waterfall area, there is a final winding staircase carved into the stoneface opposite the waterfall. When you arrive at the top, you’re at the same height as the mid-point of the waterfall itself – where a pool has formed, and the water collects before continuing its descent.
Many thanks to Dr. Gashi for being a fantastic tour guide, to Art and Marsha for inviting us, doing all the driving AND providing some fantastic banana nut bread and homemade cookies.
It was a fantastic adventure. Rugova – we’ll be back again and we’ll definitely spread the word to other people. It is a shame that Kosovo has such an incredible natural environment, and yet so few people are aware of it. For those of you who are nerdy like me, I found the following link to the Kosovo Ministry of the Environment’s Action Plan: http://kos.rec.org/english/pdf/KEAPS.pdf It addresses everything from air and water quality to soil and radiation management.
Snow in Pristina
It snowed here in Pristina last night. As E and I walked down the street towards the Phoenix Bar to watch the Rugby World Cup Final, the power went out with it’s typical “pop.” In the near darkness through which we trudged, hats on and heads down, the rain seemed to begin a metamorphosis… “is it raining or snowing?” we asked.
A minute later we arrived at our destination and promptly forgot the weather. Yet, when we glanced up and out the window during the World Cup half-time, we were amazed to see tried and true snowflakes fluttering down through the evening sky. No snow is left on the ground this morning, but there’s a coating on rooftops and cars. Appears that winter has arrived in the Balkans.
Greece with 2 Steves
J’s SIPA classmate Steve K recently arrived in Pristina to visit with Steve F., another SIPA classmate who also works for UNMIK. It was our duty to show Steve K the sites – a responsibility we took very seriously! Since there was a long weekend this past week, on Friday morning the 2 steves, J & E all hit the road for a trip to Greece.
Our first destination: Skopje, Macedonia. About two hours due South from Pristina, Skopje is the capitol of Macedonia. The road through Kosovo is filled with industrial buildings, an inexplicably large number of motels and quite a few gas/petrol stations.
But once you roll into Macedonia, the landscape changes. It is quite mountainous, and there are lots of valleys and idyllic little streams scattered through the mountain ranges. Beyond enjoying the landscape though, Macedonia was not our destination, so we stopped in the only restaurant that was open in Skopje (it was the Ramadan feast day), McDonalds if you can believe it, and were SERVED at our McD’s table. We then picked up a rental car and rolled on after E had his first go at driving a standard car (a successful attempt). Beyond the escaped cows we encountered round a bend, the road was ours – not many other people were out and about. So, shortly thereafter we arrived at the Greek border.
From there, it was past Thessaloniki and Mount Olympus, and onward to the Greek peninsula of Halkidiki. High tourism season is definitely over in that part of Greece, so we were easily able to maneuver through the narrow little cobble-stoned streets that eventually lead you to the water. Seeing as the water surrounds you on three sides, you’re never far from the beach in Halkidiki!
We stayed in locally owned apartments in the heart of the little Greek village of Afitos. In our two nights’ there, the guys consumed innumerable fresh octopus tentacles… they keep a live octopus in a tank at the restaurant and chop off the tentacle(s) of your choice. As Steve F delighted in telling me, “they grow back so the best time of year is the BEGINNING of the season when the poor buggers have had all winter to regenerate.” Lovely. The guys had alot of other seafood too, but nothing else that was still wiggling when served.
We also partook of our fair share of ouzo – the greek anise-flavored drink. I appreciated the cultural warning in the binder in our apartment… “if you have too much ouzo to drink one night, beware of drinking too much water the next morning as it will make you drunk again.” For those of us who have toasted with pastis or ricard or some other national anise-flavored drink, this is a warning we know to be well worth heeding.
We spent our days driving along the coast, ambling along the beach, partaking in a bit of coffee, ouzo, retsina (a greek drink that is some kind of fermented beverage that includes pine resin), and playing many hands of cards. We must mention our favorite waiter – the Buddha Boy. As for physical recreation, E was the only one of us brave enough to swim in the crystal clear water since while it wasn’t exactly cold, it was certainly not warm!
Sunday afternoon found us homeward bound. By 9:30pm were back in Pristina. Many thanks to Steve F for doing the majority of driving!
Our Winged Visitor
Two weekends ago, E and I went to a party at Zeynep and Ufuk’s house in Dragodan (a neighborhood in Pristina). Since the evening turned into a riddle fest, we found ourselves leaving there very late (highly out of character for us ol’ fogies).
When we walked into our apartment at 2:30am, I went straight into my little “office” to turn off the computer. “Swoosh” something flew right by my head as I sat down! I gave a little shriek and ran out of the room. When I told E we had a bird in the house he immediately closed himself into the bedroom with the dog. So much for chivalry in the Koppel home. After I shut the cat in another room and joined the two cowardly lions in the bedroom, the dog got a little agitated and decided to relieve himself ON THE BED! Did I mention it was about 3am now?
So, I peered out of the bedroom to discover that our winged guest was now swooping back and forth in the hallway because the light was on in the bathroom (directly next to the bedroom from which we were plotting his removal). Someone clearly had to go out into the hall and turn OFF the bathroom light to stop the frantic flying. Which Koppel would it be? E had a moment of courage, but alas it fizzled when he poked his head out the door and realized our fine “feathered” friend was actually a bat.
About five false starts later, my head covered in a winter cap, I gathered my courage and jumped into the hall to smack the lightswitch and start closing doors to create a path to the windows I threw open. When E realized that the undoubtedly traumatized bat was stationary at the other end of the hall, he joined me in plotting to roust the bat and send him in the direction of the open windows.
Armed with five empty 1.5 liter water bottles (there’s never a shortage of those here), E started chucking them at Monsieur Bat. Just as E’s ammunition was running out, the bat took the hint and flew off. I had a momentary glimpse of him as he flapped into the living room and out the window. Adios!
So after stripping the sheets off the bed and scrubbing the comforter, E and I fell into a deep sleep at 4am. Who knew it would be such an exciting Friday night!
By the way, here’s one of the riddles (compliments of Oksana) that puzzled us at the party:
A man walks into a bar and asks the bartender for a glass of water. The bartender pulls out a gun and points it at the man. The man says “thank you!”
What happened?
You can post yes/no questions in the comment section and I’ll respond.
Roman Catholic Church in Kosovo
Did you know that somewhere between 5-10% of Kosovar Albanians are Catholic while the remainder of the region is comprised of approximately 90% Albanian Muslims and 5% Serbian Orthodox Christians?
Now here’s a quiz for you. Who is Albania’s most famous Catholic? I’ll give you a hint – it is a woman. Do you know now? She spent the majority of her life working in India, although she also initiated other programs around the world. She was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. She died just over ten years ago. A major thoroughfare here in Pristina is named after her (an aside: another street is named after Bill Clinton).
The answer is Mother Theresa! This woman known the world round was the youngest child born to an Albanian family. She was born in Skopje (now the capitol of Macedonia) in 1910 as ˈagnɛs gɔnˈʤa bɔˈjaʤiu (Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu). Say that three times fast.
Something I found interesting is that my (admittedly cursory) research indicates that once she left home at the age of 18 (1928) to begin her work as a missionary with the Sisters of Loreto, she never returned home (if you have information to the contrary – please let everyone know by posting a comment). Yet, she is most certainly revered here.
Speaking of Mother Theresa, Stephen & Nagham introduced E and I to the Catholic Church here in Pristina. There is a large statue of Mother T at the front of the church and some rather psychedelic stations of the cross mounted on the walls… one almost expects to see little grateful dead bears traipsing among the scenes. Trippiness aside, they’re quite nice.
The English language mass is on Saturday evenings at 7pm. The priest is an Irishman who is here with KFOR. He comes to church accompanied by two young lads with large “semi-automatic?” machine guns. They sit in the last pew and do take communion, guns slung across their backs. After mass, Father disappears into the Sacristy and quickly emerges in full-on fatigues. It’s out to the landcruiser with his two companions and back to the military base. Amen.
On the Road Again – To Istanbul
After arriving in Pristina on September 1st, I spent a day catching up on some long overdue sleep. E took me on a walking tour of town, but other than that we just lazed around our apartment in Downtown Pristina.
On the morning of the 3rd we headed back to the airport for an afternoon flight to Istanbul. After navigating our way through the line/horde at the airport ticket counter we queued for the various security checkpoints. A few minutes after the flight departed, the flight attendants began a frantic distribution of meals (who knew airlines still served full meals to coach passengers on short haul flights! Turkish Airlines does folks)! Literally five minutes after the trays were placed in front of us, the flight attendants desperately (at least according to their facial expressions) began collecting the trays again. As they moved down the aisle and towards the middle where we were seated, you could feel a palpable panic spread. People began eating faster and almost with choreographed synchronization - ourselves included. I gobbled down the surprisingly decent offering and chugged the water that was included- just in time – the flight attendant’s hand reached in to take my tray and I breathed a deep sigh of relief/indigestion.
A little while later we arrived in Istanbul. As E was getting cash, I heard a call over the loudspeaker for “El Koppel.” Apparently E’s first name had been shortened and assumed to be part of his new Arab last name.
We settled into our hotel room in the center of Sultanahmet with a fantastic view of the Aya Sofya. Using our eight year old guidebooks, we found an inexpensive restaurant favored by locals and enjoyed our first holiday meal (which included beetroot juice for the intrepid E).
Over the next two days we toured the Aya Sofya (aka Hagia Sophia), the Blue Mosque (constructed between 1609-16), and the Topkapi Palace (including a visit to the Sultan’s Harem). I was especially impressed by the tremendous history within the Aya Sofya or “Church of Holy Wisdom.” Built on the footprint of two earlier churches, it was inaugurated by Emperor Justinian in 537AD. When you see the massive domes and marble floors, you too will be amazed at how old the building is. In the 15th century, the Ottomans moved in and converted the church into a mosque. As a result, there is an interesting/odd blend of items to see… minarets, tombs and fountains were the Ottomans contributions, but a number of beautiful golden mosaics of saints and other religious figures remain to betray the building’s original purpose.
E especially enjoyed (he doth protest) our wander through the Sultan’s harem at Topkapi palace (we highly recommend arriving right at 9am so that you don’t have to queue forever). Women of the harem were not locals. They were slaves brought from the furthest reaches of the Ottoman empire and beyond. Competition was stiff to be favored by the Sultan, because to bear him a son might lead to marriage. For those of you who have ever competed with someone else for the affection of another, imagine a competition with such high stakes that you’re competing with up to 1,000 other concubines! That’s right – the harem was FULL of women – and the only men allowed were the Sultan, his sons, and the Eunuchs that guarded the harem. For added intrigue, the mother of the son who the Sultan chose to succeed him (no primogeniture – ie, right of the first born son – there) became the Valide Sultan – the most powerful woman in the Harem. She had a suite of luxurious rooms and she wielded significant power in the matters of the State. She also held significant estates. I could go on and on about the interesting social dynamics that governed behaviour in the Harem, but then you’d have no reason to visit and learn more for yourself!
During our week in Istanbul, we also drank a significant amount of Turkish coffee. If you’re not familiar with this form of coffee, it is worth experiencing. It is essentially finely ground (to powder consistency) roast coffee beans served in a small espresso-sized cup with the dregs forming a solid sludge at the bottom of the cup. The Turks call it turk kahvesi to distinguish it from the relatively recent emergence of “instant coffee” or “nescafe” that is also available.
We also conquered the Istanbul trolley/subway system, visited the Galata Tower, took the locals’ ferry to the Asian side of Istanbul, visited Taksim Square, took a daylong boat-trip to the Princes’ Islands where J was singlehandedly responsible for NOT getting us lost (ie, refusing to accept E’s persistent insistence that we were going the wrong way), and befriended numerous dogs and cats (who seem to be well-loved in Turkey) along the way.
Finally, while the Turkish folks had a lovely habit of sitting together at small cafes for backgammon games, E and I had our own take-off of an afternoon/evening social game… “travel scrabble.” To protect the innocent, I won’t say who won more of the many matches we played that week. Suffice it to say that in the process of proving that you can play “travel scrabble” on a boat, in a park, at a restaurant, at the airport, overlooking the Bosphorus, on a Castle’s grounds… we both had a number of 300+point games.
On September 9th it was back to the Istanbul airport, and from there to our little home in Pristina once more.
