Balkan Trip 3 - Prishtina, Kosovo to Podgorica, Montenegro - 20 October 2026

After attending to some important official duties, I prepared for the day ahead. There was actually nothing much left in Prishtina to do; what was left could be completed in a few hours. Out of the accommodation and almost immediately to the left was the entrance to the Old Green Market of Pristina. The vibrant bazaar captures the essence of local life and commerce of the city. Nestled bang in the centre of the old town area, this traditional bazaar offers a colourful array of goods, from fresh fruits and vegetables to antiques, second-hand electronics and clothes and handmade crafts.

Its compact layout and bustling atmosphere make it a favourite among both residents and visitors seeking a genuine shopping experience. Haggling is part of the shopping culture here, and speaking the local language is a definite advantage, I was told. Both can often lead to better deals, though fair negotiation is always encouraged. While plans for redevelopment and modernization have been discussed, the market continues to operate in its original form, preserving its charm and historical character. To mark my shopping experience in the bazaar I bought a half kg of peanuts!

From the bazaar I made my way to the Ethnological Museum, which, frankly speaking, was a huge let down. Firstly, all that is open of the 'museum' in the Emin Gjiku Complex is a 300-year-old residence, supposedly one of the city’s best-preserved examples of Ottoman residential architecture.

Built in the 18th century, the compound originally served as a family residence for Emin Gjikolli. The museum’s layout preserves the original architectural features of the homes of the era, including carved wooden ceilings, stone arches, and enclosed courtyards. Each room contains authentic artifacts - furniture, embroidered garments, cooking tools, musical instruments, and ceremonial items.

When I visited the National Library of Kosovo last Sunday, it had been closed. Having read a lot about the library, I walked nearly 2 km to check if I could gain entry to have a look around. I need not have worried. There was neither anyone at the door, or what looked like the reception, to restrict access to the library. I was awestruck when I opened the front door and moved into the library. The aesthetics, the architecture and the bright sunlight that pours in through the 74 domes of the iconic building baffle and astonish you at the same time.

Wood had been liberally used in the various facilities within the library. What fascinated me the most was the main auditorium. The masterful use of wall panelling to elevate the effect of acoustics, the amphitheatre theatre seating arrangement and the clever use of natural sunlight are its unique features. The outside appearance of the National Library has courted many controversies and, unsurprisingly, it was ranked in the top ten ugliest buildings in the world in a reputed survey.

The mission of the library is to collect, preserve, promote and make accessible the documentary and intellectual heritage of Kosovo. The National Library of Kosovo is responsible for coordinating all Kosovo libraries within the country. Also, it is responsible for supplying information for higher education and research, and access to various databases.

I spent some time in the contemporary arts library, set up in 2005. It represents one of the most special and valuable funds for the documentation, preservation and promotion of contemporary artistic creativity. Its importance lies not only in the wealth of materials it contains, but also in the role it plays as a bridge between art, researchers and the public. The lady in charge of the section requested me to pen my observations in the visitors' book.

From the library I visited the Nene Teresa Cathedral one more time. This time around the lift to the belfry was operational. After a short time in prayer inside the cathedral, I paid a fee of €2 and took the lift to the 3rd floor, which opened out to a platform just beneath the belfry. The height of the tower of the belfry is 250 feet.

The cathedral is also situated on a small mount as compared to its surroundings. Therefore, the views I had from that commanding height was just too good for words. The red-tiled roofs, spike-like minarets, landscaped gardens, the strikingly domed National Library, the unfinished Serbian Orthodox Cathedral and the roads took on a different dimension when viewed from there.

Before walking back to the accommodation, I chose to have lunch at Mery's - a restaurant with seating both inside and outside facing the lively Mother Teresa boulevard. The boulevard was surprisingly busy with many kiosks of a farmer's market doing brisk business of pickles, honey, embroidered and crochet tablemats and such other, etc. There was also a gathering where schoolchildren were supposedly selling snacks for some kind of charity event.

The lunch of chicken breast with soy sauce, carrots, zucchini and potatoes was wholesome. A drink of fresh orange juice accompanied the main dish. While at lunch I received a message from the accommodation that I was well beyond the checkout time and that the room needed to be cleaned before arrival of the next guests. I was confused. Yesterday, it was agreed with the owner, Orhan, that we would leave the accommodation at 3 pm.

I messaged this information to Orhan's daughter and then the matter was resolved. I would vacate as decided the previous morning. Orhan dropped me to the bus station at 3 pm. The roads were terribly congested because of the rush hour traffic. Educational institutions work from 7 am to 3pm and offices work between 8 am and 4 pm. We were caught in the melee that happens when folks have to return to their homes. Anyway, I had more than 90 minutes to kill before the scheduled departure of the bus to Podgorica at 5 pm.

While hanging around I met Manunur from Tripura. He was on a backpacking tour of the Balkans. It was the size of his backpack that caught my attention. I carry more in my office bag every day to office than he had in his for the Balkan tour! He works in Prague with a company that manufactures cabs for JCBs and has a permanent residency status of the Czech Republic. Hence, it was easy for him to travel around, especially in Europe.

He told me of his horrific experience just a few days back in Tirana, where protestors clashed with police and a large number of public places were damaged and some even set on fire. I could not believe this, as I had visited the city only 45 days ago. his experience in Tirana. Then I met a German guy from Cologne, who is an anthropologist by education and interest, but worked mostly in journalism and public relations. He was also on an extensive tour of Eastern Europe. We exchanged notes on the Cologne Cathedral, which he said charges an entrance fee of €8 because of the costs of maintenance, and the current status of the print media.

The bus too had been caught in the traffic and we left the platform 10 minutes late. The route to Podgorica by bus goes substantially through Albania. In effect, I will be travelling through three countries within a span of 6 and half hours, namely, Kosovo, Albania and Montenegro. We started the journey in a 50-seater, which was quite comfortable. The highway was quite good too and the quality of ride was better than the one to Prizren. After two hours the bus stopped for dinner in the outskirts of Prizren. I had a cup of coffee and used the toilet facilities in the premises.

Within 15 minutes of leaving the diner, we crossed the border into Albania. Almost two hours later the bus stopped at a gas station for snacks and coffee. Those travelling to Shkoder and Podgorica were transhipped into a smaller vehicle about 65 km from the Montenegro border. When my immigration was completed at the Montenegro border, I had officially entered the 77th country of my visit.

The ride to the Podgorica bus station was less than 30 minutes from the border. The bus docked at the Podgorica bus station at a quarter to midnight. I had been in constant communication with the owner of the apartment, Slobo, while in the bus. We agreed to meet at a location he had sent me. I walked to the location in less than 5 minutes from the bus station.

I met up with Slobo, who accompanied me into the apartment and settled me in. He was profusely apologetic about his poor standard of spoken English. However, he used Google translate and managed very well to answer my queries and explain the use of facilities in the apartment. It was well past the midnight hour when Slobo left the apartment, promising to return by 9 am.