Kosovo (ex-Yugoslavia)

Welcome to Kosovo!  Enjoy the fine Duty Free shopping from behind sandbags and barbed wire!  Brought to you by the friendly men and women of NATO, KFOR, the EU, and a few hundred NGOs.

Kaçanik - this is the first major town encountered after crossing into Kosovo from Macedonia.  It is notable as the site of the declaration of Kosovar independence in 1990, which was never recognized by the international community.

Kaçanik - a street scene.  By the time of my visit, most of the physical damage had been repaired, although many atrocities were carried out in the vicinity of this town in the prelude to April 1999.

Kaçanik - a Serb church being protected by KFOR from Kosovar Albanian wrath, and an unforgettable image of the catastrophe which unfolded here.

Burial, near Kaçanik.  This makeshift graveyard is on the outskirts of Raçak, scene of a massacre by Serb troops in April 1998.  This gruesome event helped spur NATO intervention one year later.

Burned house, near Kaçanik.  Unlike Bosnia (where I visited nearly three years after the Dayton Accords were signed), most physical damage in Kosovo had been repaired; however, the psychological scars will undoubtedly take much longer to heal.

KFOR troops, near Urosevac (Ferizaj).  A common site in Kosovo at the time of my visit, and likely to remain so for some time to come.

Pristina - view of the "capital" of Kosovo from atop the Grand Hotel, the only hotel of an international standard and former HQ of notorious characters such as the Serb paramilitary Arkan.

Pristina - the main post office, showing damage suffered by NATO bombing in May 1999.

Pristina - unfinished Serb Orthodox church, under protection by British (KFOR) troops.

Pristina - a scene along the main street in front of the Grand Hotel.  As a British mine clearance expert resident in the province told me, "Kosovo was once a civilized place".

 Pristina - one of several local street markets in the city.

Pristina - in the street market.  Like it or not, America's (and thus NATO's) fate is likely to be intertwined with this troubled land for some time.

Pristina - a view of one of several mosques in the city.

Countryside between Urosevac (Ferizaj) and Prizren.

Another view of countryside in the same general area of the Šar Planina mountains which form the border with Albania.

My driver Zlatko (Zlate - "Golden One" in Macedonian).  Great stroies and great times - what more can you ask for?

Prizren - famous as the site of the Prizren League in 1878, the first open manifestation of Kosovar Albanian nationalism against the Ottomans.

Prizren - this view is looking through the yard of the Serb Orthodox church, which is protected by KFOR (whence the sandbags).

Prizren - back side of the Serb church and damage sustained during the recent conflict.  Walking along this street was the only time I felt a definite sense of danger.

Prizren - KFOR troops search a car for weapons.  Kosovar cars carry a special 'KS' registration which prevents them from leaving the province; however, up to half the private vehicles on the road are stolen from other parts of Europe with no valid registration.

Map courtesy of the BBC.