Summary
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Sun - Left Kukes for Prizren in Kosovo
- I left Albania on Sunday and we waved through the border so I was not stamped out of Albania nor into Kosvo.
- Strangley Kosovo seems quite different to Albania proper. It's much more Muslim ..saw people waiting for night before eating as it's Ramadam
- Prizren is a historic town like Kruche or Gjirokastra, but not as good. As it was the first capital of independent Albania in 1921 there is a museum, but it was boring. Went up to a fort for vioew. Past a lot of smashed up Serb houses on the hillside. It was noticiable that Kfor has now protected all the old churches with barbed wire and started to rebuilèd them. Mosques seem to have all been restored.
There is striking message on the wall of the townhall thanking all the countries for their help
- I couldn't find the hotel so camped out. (I had looked in the right area, but the neigbours weren't aware of the hotel)
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Mon - to Pristina and Serbia ..turned back at border
- I see this map includes a lump in the NW with Novi Pazar ..this is not normally included in Kosovo
- Mon morning went to the Archaeology museum ..boring except for clocktower view... and then took bus to Pristina
- Since the town is new I decided to get on a bus to go into Serbia and Sarajevo
- I thought I would be OK entering Serbia as I had no Kosovo stamp in my passport. I boarded the bus from Pristina to Novi Pazar, but at the border the Serbs said "ah you have no Serbian stamp in your passport"
I said "well give me one then", "We can't do that as this is not an offical border" I guess they consider the frontier with Albania the official Serbian border, but because the Kosovo Police and KFOR control that border the Serbs don't have control there.
They said "You have to travel back to Pristina then to Pec and then to Montenegro and then enter Serbia from there"
..sounds pretty dumb to me. I want to experience Serbia, but they are sending me on a 200Km diversion.
As I walked back all the foreigners who had left Serbia into Kosovo and who were coming back into Serbia were all waved through no problem.
- a pity cis I saw this http://www.hiddeneurope.co.uk/welcome-to-novi-pazar
| Mon - Tue in Mitrovice a divided town
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- Oh well at least I got to experience both cultures in the town of Mitrovice a Serb picked me up and dropped me on the Serb side of town and then I walked across the bridge, which he has never crossed. To the ethnic Albanian side.
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after I left the area I checked the net and found this advice on the FCO site : "We continue to advise against all but essential travel to the North Mitrovica area. There have been sporadic disturbances there since Kosovo declared independence in February 2008, including an explosion in July 2010 which killed one and injured ten."
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