Day trip to Kosovo and the lunchtime fiasco - 22nd June 2026
- Brett Sedgwick
- Jul 27
- 4 min read
Pershendetje from Kosovo,
We decided to book a bus trip to see Kosovo, as we know nothing about this (disputed) country apart from that it was bombed mercilessly in the 90s war and everyone in this region has a different opinion on it.
So, we rocked up to the bus at 6.30 am, jumped on the A/C minibus with 6 others and headed off. One couple missed the pick-up spot, and we then had to wait 30 minutes for them at a servo up the road while they got a taxi there. Great start. Anyway, Spanish Barbie Mum and daughter got on, and we were away!
It took an hour or more to get to the border; we crossed fairly quickly, and then it was another hour or so to our first stop: the town of Prishtina. It was 12 pm by this stage, and we’d been on the bus for hours, so we thought there might be time for first lunch? Nuh, we were straight into a two-hour walking tour of the city. Righto, I guess…
The first thing that our guide told us was that the religious situation in the country was pretty much the same as Albania’s (check my last post for the stats.) The first place we visited was the Mother Teresa Cathedral. This cathedral was just finished - the outside was still gravel and dirt - and it was very cool. It was designed like the old cathedrals that we’ve seen all over the place but the marble was new and white and the stained glass held images of recent people like Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa (of course) and about three other popes - but not the Emperor - whatever his name was. An added bonus was it was cool inside and a blessed (pun intended) relief from the heat.
We also saw the building that housed the radio station where the rebels would broadcast from during the war. Pretty cool, and it’s still a radio station to this day.
We then walked to one of the most bizarre looking buildings that I’d ever seen - the National Library. This joint was Brutalist concrete that was clad with a steel mesh on the outside, and the rood was about fifty white domes of varying sizes. Very groovy.
The groove continued inside with old wood, marble, old books, students and 70’s styled lecture halls and reading rooms. It was a trip, and pretty cool that it’s still standing. I took way too many pics of this joint, but whatevs - check ‘em out.
We then checked out the main pedestrian drag - full of shops and trees - the NEWBORN sign, which is the symbol of the city moving forward, the statue dedicated to all of the women who lost their lives in the war, and the Youth Palace. To be honest, it was too hot to appreciate the gravity of the situation, and by 2 pm, most people were starving, tired, thirsty, boiling and needed the toilet. Well I did, anyway…
We walked back to the van and drove the hour to the town of Prizren, and our first impression was that it was super cute. Cobblestones, pedestrian streets, a canal, bridges, a castle on top of the hill and old stone churches. Yep, European awesomeness at its most awesome!.
Righto, where do we go for lunch, I asked the guide?
I’ll let you know after our hour-long walking tour.
WHAT - doesn’t he know that the Dude needs to chow down at regular intervals??
Anyway, we went with him, saw some nice buildings and went into a mosque, but we decided not to trek up to the castle and instead found a restaurant with a rooftop terrace.
So, we finally ate lunch at 4.30 pm. I shit you not.
I won't say that the kebabs, bread, salad and chips were the best that we've ever had, probably because I didn't taste them, rather inhaled them. We then then we sat around in cafes for an hour or so, people watching, enjoying a coffee and a cheeky ice cream and enjoying the sunset.
On our way back to the bus we saw Spanish Barbie Mum in the canal with no shoes on! WTF? Apparently she and her daughter were posing for selfies, and their selfie stick and phone fell in the water and were being washed away… Karma dude, karma.
We got back to Tirana at 9.30 pm after a massive day.
One of the main takeaways that I got from the day was that everyone thinks that Kosovo sort of belongs to them. Our guide said that he didn't need to show his Kosovo passport to go into Serbia - just his ID card - as they claim Kosovo as their own. It is recognised by some UN states as an independent country but not by others. The Albanians claim that it is pretty much part of Albania as the residents are the same nationality as them…I don’t know, obviously as I’m a naive outsider, but I do know that they serve lunch at a fuckin’ funny time!
Peace out, brethren and sisterhood!!
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