Another Great Day in Prishtina!

2 Euro Coin

It was another pleasant day in Prishtina with a lot more to see so we decided to spend another day walking through Prishtina.  As we walked, we saw several memorials to Ibrahim Rugova, the first President of Kosovo.

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Ibrahim Rugova, first President of Kosovo

Zahir Pajaziti was a Kosovo Liberation Army commander who was killed in action against the Yugoslav army in 1997.  He was declared a Hero of Kosovo.

Zahir Pajaziti

Yes, there really is a statue of Bill Clinton in Prishtina!  Without trying to explain the complexities of the Kosovo War, suffice it to say that the Albanian population of Kosovo was being oppressed by military and security forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia prior to the start of the Kosovo War in 1998.  Albanians in Kosovo were being fired from their jobs and evicted from their homes.  

President Clinton supported the efforts of Albanian Kosovars to create an independent state and authorized US participation in the NATO bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.  The campaign began on March 24th, 1999 and ended June 11th, 1999.  It led to the rapid end of the Kosovo War on June 12th when NATO ground forces arrived in Kosovo.

As an American in Kosovo, I can say that we felt truly welcome and were treated with great hospitality and appreciation.  I would definitely visit Kosovo again!

Bill Clinton Statue

After the war, Prishtina began to grow rapidly and continues today.  Apartment buildings are still going up everywhere we looked.  We often woke up to the sound of construction near our hotel (Hotel Afa).

Apartment Blocks Under Construction

Consumer goods are available although the economy is depressed.  While Kosovo has the youngest population in Europe, unemployment is high.

Super Viva Cafe

Caffetin Analgesic

A potent combination of Cafeine, Codeine, paracetamol and propyphenazone

The government of Kosovo approved the construction of the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Blessed Mother Teresa in Prishtina in 2007.  The cornerstone was placed by former Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova, a Muslim.

Cathedral of Blessed Mother Teresa

Prishtina has an very active cafe scene!  Off limits to cars, Mother Teresa Boulevard offers a pleasant walk with outdoor vendors and cafes on each side of the street.  It is a great location for a coffee and some great people watching!

Walking Mother Teresa Boulevard

Mother Teresa Boulevard

Brasserie Firenze

Hungry?  Looking for some fast food?  Check out the Albanian fast food restaurant Kolonat.  Do those golden arches look familiar?

Kolonat

Another building from Kosovo's Yugoslavia past: The Palace of Youth and Sport built in 1977.

The Palace of Youth and Sport

Adem Jashari was one of the founders of the Kosovo Liberation Army.  This banner hangs above the entrance to the Palace of Youth and Sport.  Prishtina's airport is named after him.  In 1998, the Serbian army killed 58 members of Jashari's family including himself, his wife and son during a raid on Jashari's home in Prekaz, near Skenderaj in the Drenica region.

Adem Jashari

The Palace of Youth and Sport includes a shopping mall that is still a popular shopping venue.

Shopping mall is part of the Palace of Youth and Sport complex.

These young men asked me to take their photo on the steps of the Palace of Youth and Sport.

In front of the Palace of Youth and Sport is the Newborn Monument.  The monument is a typographical sculpture that was dedicated on February 17th, 2008, the day Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia.  Each year, the monument is repainted with a difference scheme and rededicated on February 17th.

Newborn Monument

The American School of Kosovo is a private school opened in 2003.  The school caters to children from pre-Kindergarten through grade 12. The school operates with the principles of the American educational system and provides a curriculum that is North American-based. Instruction is primarily in English, with the exceptions of courses in Albanian language, Albanian culture, Albanian history and foreign languages (German, Italian, and French).

American School of Kosova

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Exploring Prishtina

5 Euro Note

Yes, Kosovo uses the Euro!  That makes it really easy to travel to Kosovo.  Chris recommended that we take a walk after we get settled into Hotel Afa.  Walking after a long flight really does help reduce the effects of jet lag.  I highly recommend it!

So we headed downtown (literally down hill from Hotel Afa!) to see the sights.  The first building we saw was the Yugoslavia era National Library of Kosovo.  It was designed by Croatian architect Andrija Mutnjakovic and dedicated in November, 1982.    During 1990's, the building was used to house refugees from Croatia and Bosnia.  Unfortunately, there are many grand buildings in Prishtina that are languishing due to lack of funding.

Click on my photos below to see them in high resolution on Flickr.  You can view the photos in high resolution by clicking here!

National Library of Kosovo

Walking down Mother Teresa Street you run into Mother Teresa Square with lots of interesting buildings.  Here is a shot of the National Theatre.

National Theatre of Kosovo

Kids are kids everywhere on this Earth!  They all love to play in water and fountains.  In Mother Teresa Square we walked by this fountain.  Behind it on the right is the Skanderbeg Monument.  Skanderbeg's real name is George Kastrioti.

Kids Playing in the Mother Teresa Square Fountain

Why would a predominantly Muslim nation name a square and a major boulevard after Mother Teresa?  It turns out that Mother Teresa spent her childhood years in Kosovo. 

Running through a fountain is clearly fun!

While there are a lot of old buildings, including some that date to the Ottoman Empire, there are also many new buildings.  

Kosovo Government Building

Ibrahim Rugova was the first President of Kosovo.  He served two terms from 1992 to 2000 and again from 2002 to 2006.  Rugova advocated peaceful resistance to Yugoslav rule.  He was taken prisoner by Yugoslav forces when NATO's air war began and was exiled to Rome.  He returned to Kosovo after the Kosovo War.

Ibrahim Rugova Memorial

As of 2005, Kosovo is home to 1.9 to 2.2 million people, 92% of whom are ethnic Albanians.  Four percent are Serbs and the remaining 4% are Bosniacs, Gorans, Turks and Roma.  The predominant religion is Islam.

Charshije Mosque

This is one of the last photos of the Monument of Brotherhood and Unity.  Why?  It was built 1961 during Joseph Tito's rule of Socialist Yugoslavia to emphasize the brotherhood between Albanians, Serbs and Montenegrins.  It is scheduled to be demolished to make way for the new ‘Adem Jashari Square.’

Monument of Brotherhood and Unity

Serbian Orthodox is the predominant religion of the ethnic Serb population.  The construction of the Serb Orthodox Christ the Savior Cathedral started in 1995.  The cathedral would have been finished in 1999.  However, construction was halted during the Kosovo War.  After the war, construction was not resumed because it is viewed as a symbol of Slobodan Milošević's rule.  The future of the building remains a topic of debate.

 Christ the Savior Cathedral

We ended the day enjoying an excellent meal at the Restaurant Liburnia.

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Hello Kosovo!

We just returned from a week in Kosovo visiting with our son Chris and to see the Kosovo he has been talking about.  

Where is the heck is Kosovo? 

Maps Of The World

Kosovo is landlocked, surrounded by Bosnia, Serbia, Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro.

KnowledgeDB

We started our journey by driving from Richmond, Virginia (where we live) to Dulles Airport in Northern Virginia.  We boarded a United Airlines flight to Zurich and a SWISS flight to Prishtina, the capitol city of Kosovo.  "Pristina" is the Serb spelling of the city's name.  "Prishtina" is the spelling used by the predominantly Albanian population.  

Pristina International Airport (southwest of Prishtina)

As we flew into the night over the Atlantic Ocean, we were treated to a beautiful sunset!

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Sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean east of Nova Scotia, Canada

We had about a three hour layover at Zurich, Switzerland before we boarded a SWISS flight to Prishtina.  As we flew toward Kosovo, we gasped as we looked down on a gorgeous view of very rugged and majestic-snow capped mountains of Montenegro.

The gorgeous snow-capped mountains of Montenegro

After a two hour flight, we landed at Pristina International Airport.  It is a small but modern and clean airport with a terminal built in 2013.  

Pristina International Airport

We were met by our son Chris and a taxi driver who took us to Hotel Afa in downtown Prishtina, a 15 minute ride from the airport.  The friendly Hotel Afa staff quickly got us into our room on the fourth floor overlooking their quiet and relaxing courtyard.

Hotel Afa Courtyard

We relaxed in the courtyard, regaining our energy to explore Prishtina, our next blog article!

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Grayson Highlands - Mountain Paradise

There is no doubt in my mind.  Grayson Highlands is a beautiful place and well worth a visit.  We only spent 2.5 hours there including a picnic lunch.  I would spend twice that so that you could work in a hike in the meadows and ridges.  However, our visit there was wonderful and the first chapter of a 7 hour day spent exploring the area to the south and south west of Marion.

Grayson Highlands State Park was created in 1965 with significant local support.  It consists of 4,822 acres of mountain land within Jefferson National Forest and bordering Mount Rogers National Recreation Area.  The park offers some awesome hiking to nearby Mount Rodgers and Whitetop Mountain, waterfalls and overlooks; access to the Appalachian Trail and the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail; camping, wildlife viewing and picnicking.

On the drive up to the Visitor Center, we stopped at Sugarlands Overlook which offers some fantastic views worth photographing.  The overlook is named for the large number of Sugar Maple trees located there.  The sap of the trees can be boiled down to produce Maple Syrup.

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High Rock on Buck Mountain from Sugarlands Overlook

Sugarlands Overlook

Tucker Road from Sugarlands Overlook

Mountain View from Sugarlands Overlook

We then continued up to the Visitor Center located near the summit of Haw Orchard Mountain at over 5,000 feet.  The center offers interesting exhibits, gift shop, information and rest rooms.  Across from the center is a trail to Massey Gap where several other trails intersect.  We enjoyed a nice picnic lunch, shot some more photos at a nearby overlook and headed back on the road.

Picnic area overlook

Haw Orchard Lane from picnic area overlook 

Haw Orchard Baptist Church & Cemetery from picnic area overlook

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A Good Marion Morning

We spent July 4th exploring Marion in the morning and Hungry Mother State Park in the afternoon.  Marion is only four miles from the park.  It offers several grocery stores, restaurants and gas stations for resupplying campers and tourists.  While Marion is a small town of only 5,968 residents, the town has done an admirable job preserving its history by renovating many of its historic buildings and creating the Marion Historic District.  The historic district is composed of 361 buildings.

One of the buildings included in the National Register of Historic Places is the Norfolk & Western Railway Depot.  The depot was built in 1904 to handle passenger traffic.  Passenger traffic peaked after World War II and started to decline in the 1950's until passenger service at Marion ended in 1971.  The depot, renovated in 1994,  now houses local businesses.

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Marion Norfolk & Western Railway Depot c 1904

Restored front of the railway depot.

One of the original baggage carts at the depot c 1904

The Colonial Revival-style original Marion US Post Office building was built in 1935.  Louis A. Simon was the Architect and Neil A. Melick was the supervising engineer.  The old post office is now a Macado's Restaurant.

The Old Marion Post Office - Now a Macado's Restaurant c 1935

The building below was built in 1930.  Previously, it was the Donnelly Furniture Company.  It now houses the Blue Ridge Title & Settlement Agency. 

Blue Ridge Title & Settlement Agency c 1930

Iron Street Mall c 1835

The Lincoln Theatre was built in 1929 by Charles C. Lincoln, Sr., his son Charles C. Lincoln, Jr. and John D. Lincoln.  When it opened on July 1st, 1,000 people packed the theater to watch a silent movie called "Close Harmony" starring Buddy Rogers and Nancy Carroll.  

Artists who appeared in person at the theater include Roy Rogers (and Trigger), Dale Evans, Lash LaRue, Randolf Scott, Sunset Carson, Hopalong Cassidy, Tom Mix, The Lone Ranger and Gabbey Hayes.  Country music stars Minnie Pearl, Earnest Tubb, Del Wood, Roy Acuff, June Carter Cash, The Stanley Brothers, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, Stringbean, Little Jimmie Dickens, and Grandpa Jones also appeared at the Lincoln.

The Lincoln closed in 1973.  It opened briefly in the 1970's, but closed in 1977 due to poor ticket sales.  The theater was later preserved, then renovated.  It reopened on May 16th, 2004 with a performance by Riders In The Sky.    

The Lincoln Theatre c 1929

The Beaux-Arts-style Smyth County Courthouse was designed by architect Frank P. Milburn and built in 1905 by Stephenson and Getoz of Knoxville at a cost of $50,000.  Originally, the courthouse included an auditorium for public performances and meetings called "Court Square Theater."  It was replaced with office space during remodeling in the 1950's.

Smyth County Courthouse

In 1903, a statue of a Confederate soldier at parade rest was erected on the lawn of the courthouse.  The Civil War Battle of Marion was fought in 1864 over the industrial facilities, lead works and salt mines in Marion and Saltville.  John C. Breckinridge commanded a Confederate force of 1,200 to 1,500 cavalry and infantry against General George Stoneman's Union forces.  Breckinridge's force successfully defended Marion through the first day of the battle.  Lack of ammunition and casualties caused the Confederates to withdraw the following day.  The Union force then destroyed the Confederate industrial infrastructure, salt mines and lead works at Saltville and Marion.

Confederate Memorial c 1903

Flags flying in front of Smyth County Courthouse on July 4th, 2014

The building below is one of the oldest brick commercial buildings still existing in Marion.  It was built in 1891.

Mercantile & Stillhouse Store c 1891

The Classical-Revival style Hotel Lincoln was built in 1927 as the Francis Marion Hotel.  The hotel was built by Charles Clarke Lincoln, Sr. and Dr. William M. Sclater.  The boutique hotel reopened in 2006 after two years of renovation and restoration by the new owners Joe and Susie Ellis.  The hotel is also home to the Black Rooster Restaurant & Lounge.

The Francis Marion Hotel c 1927

Veterans memorabilia on display in a store window on Main St.

The Dip Dog Stand on Route 11 was opened by Lester Brown in 1957.  Since then, the restaurant has been popular with devotees of their famous "Dip Dog" corn dogs.  The stand was purchased in 1966 by Grant Hall, Sr.  Grant operated the stand with his family until the stand was purchased by his son and his wife in 1979.  The Hall family continues to operate the stand to the delight of many a happy customer.

The Dip Dog Stand c 1957

The Colonial-Revival style Municipal Building was built with WPA funding in 1936.

Marion Municipal Building - c 1936

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