Getting down to Skopje

I decide to check out a bit of tiny Kosovo today. basically there is a sort of circling road going around the main interesting cities. From Skopje west to Peja, then south to Prizren then back east a little to get back on the north to south road leading to Skopje (and Mitrovica in the north). Mmm not very clear all this. Anyhow, instead of going ridiculous 100kms directly to Skopje, i decide to go visit some big monasteries next to Peja and then the nicest town of Kosovo, Prizren. Making it almost 300 kms around the city.
But soon, the rain and unsuccessful hitchhiking makes it happen otherwise, i return to Skopje and decide to make it straight south, wherever the rides will take me. The first one takes me to Garanicica, the Serbian town composed of “refuges” from Pristine, they left under pressure of living conditions amongst Albanians remembering times of occupation and still hating the Serbs they come across. The driver works for an NGO taking care of kids and helping them with homework. He was in Skopje to get paper for his new driving license. He had one for 3 years but since Kosovo police don't always recognize Serbian papers... he had to do it again, all over, from the beginning. An other concrete example of human stupidity. Funny town, as is spend my last euro on Burek and yogurt, i realize that here, people pay with dinners, the Serbian currency. Also everyone speaks Serb and Albanian is not recommended, so said my driver. I visit rapidly the monastery with is under KFOR protection... As i walk pass the Swedish guards, i discover the monastery and what seems to be an older hospital
This stop was short but i realize that as i though, UN is very probably not going to move out of here at the end of 2008 as they plan.

I then get a short ride with Serbs who work for the UN and will bring back to the main road. One of them tells me how he spent 1000 euro on fake papers to apply for a visa to Sweden (or Norway maybe...). And got refused... They are happy sad people. You who reads this in your comfy office chair, please realize once again how lucky you are to be born on the right side and allowed travel the world freely. Why would someone need to be allowed to do so??! jut because he lives in a country on a given list.

The next ride is with an Albanian who lived in Canada for 8 years now and tells me about his business there. First the official one, air conditioning and heating, then the other one. He brings up the subject asking about weed prices in France and Switzerland. He used to sell 50 kilos every 8 weeks in the US for about 5000 dollars... no wonder he is renting a big car and taking 2 month of... He is however very nice and funny. Tells about how Macedonians hate Albanians (very true from my little experience, i was also told Serbian police is nicer than the Macedonian)
As we get into Skopje, the behavior of the copilot who did not say anything until now changes. He yells out the window, makes weird sounds. Actually i realize he is saying hey my man... but in a fast and strange intonation. He also talks to he chicks, the drivers stops looking at the roads to star at asses etc... pretty normal Balkan thing actually. I don't get to leave them without taking with me a liter and a half of a home made raki... And head of the Aurelie’s place with that extra kilo and a half on my back.
Aurelie is a friend of Timis from Pristina. Very nice French girl on a voluntary mission with an NGO. An other Frenchman on the same program is still around but about to leave. We go for coffee and internet. At about 9 pm we are done with our respective stuff and treat ourselves a fresh beer. The discussion kicks of on reporting, my new dream :) she is writing for a small local paper and i ask for advice, it is however her first attempt. As i mention what i would like to write about, more positive things, we get onto the Balkan subject. And since she has written her memoir on this subject, we have quite some material to discuss. We then talk about me. :) I realized, a couple days ago already, that my lonely travel often bring me to some extra need for attention and to be at the center of something. Basically we analyze me :) very interesting, well i guess since time flys and it is suddenly midnight as we go for a bit of pasta (damn i didn't eat anything since my morning Burek...). And off to sleep after more and more incoherent chatting.

A couple days with UN and ESCE

What would be a stay in Pristine without spending some days with people from the organizations that you can see all over the place. UN cars, KFOR, ESCE, Police and others..,, authority and organizations are present in all forms and everywhere. Mostly seen as huge white 4 wheel drives. I have my foot in the door since Nicola with who i partied at EXIT 2 month ago is now working here as an intern with ESCE.
He will host me for the next nights and introduce me to his friends from ESCE, NGOs, UNMIK etc... It will be a funny time and starts on a Friday night. I really feel like mentioning my Friday afternoon frenzy before however. I get to pick up my stuff at Timis/Kreshniks and feal really excited about being in a new city again. everything is great, the sky (though it is not blue and sunny), the buildings, the cars (as i said many official 4x4 along the oldest ladas), the atmosphere and people. A comparable feeling to that of my crazy ride in south Albina or as i arrived in Pristina not so loog ago. But this time, it has nothing to do with hitchhiking it is one of those moment where i feel a burst of joy without knowing why.
So we first hit Nicolas friend, Alberik's house party. And what a party, kicking of with 2 bottles of some real nice French vine and a couple cheeses he brought back from his last holidays home. Mmmm i had forgotten those tastes! The vine and cheese is running out as the party gets busier and crazier. But remaining reasonable :) no trashing, no yelling, no crazy phone calls on the balcony (remember PichPich??), no loud music. But very good mood, relaxed and interesting people around, and good drinks of course. Cafe bucheron is best with rum but also works fine with Skanderbeu Cognac. I get into an interesting discussion with Mark fro Switzerland, about politics of course, again :) What a mess there was in the Balkans these last centuries and what a job it is to try solving some problems without adding new ones and still respecting peoples independence and culture. As we leave and head for a taxi to the club we relax and start talking about India and great trekking in Nepal (damn cant wait to get there! but no hurry everything in its time :))
The club is a long taxi ride out of city, filled with half foreigners from various organizations half well off locals. Like for example this girlfriend of Krshniks who recognizes me and gets little upset since i don't immediately. She surprises me as she tells me i was in HER restaurant. I give her more reasons to be upset replying i do remember now meeting her but not that she owns no restaurant, it is your fathers dear. She did a pretty good make up job since last time i have seen her and is hiding her youth (probably around 19) but surprisingly good looking. I have been here two days and already meet people in clubs... That is how small Pristine is, especially at nighttime. We party hard and long, when every one catches cabs back to the city, we hit the next door grizzly club with Nicola and a newly met volunteer, Greg. In the end, as we are leaving, he gets pick pocketed. Nothing to bad about it, he didn't loose much but gets a little upset for a while. And god did Nicola make me laugh tonight! especially as he wanted tto get of with Greg And then to his former apartment!

Next days are again all coffee, short walks out, a birthday super, birthday toast, birthday around the bars, bowling, blogging, talking, playing play station, looking for a ping pong place, laughing at last nights events, eating burek, Sujuk, pleskavica, chicken burgers and Salad of course ;) O and of course some nice local beer, Peja. Sundays very early bedtime is very welcome to end this weekend and start off fresh.

Rijeka with Dejan

The next day, i call Dejan, we meet after his day of work and go to his bosses place. Toma lives in a great house with superb view on the Rijeka bay. He and his wife Lana are parents of two recently borne twins, Max and Lu. Together with Dejan, they build very special parts for ships. And Lana who is a design teacher, designs interiors. They have a company named design Lab, you should check it out Erik for your boat! I ll give you their details if you want! Anyway, Lana designed the interior of their home and it feels very warm. We have a great meal of fish, a specialty, a stew of different fish and seafood with polenta. Delicious.

I had such a great time i didn't think of taking pictures of any of this...

The next day, Friday, we go to Zorans birthday, a nice party by the sea, next to the stadium. Music, vine and people from all over the place, including from Lausanne. Zoran is a film maker, and a pretty crazy guy!

Happy birth day Zoran!

Zoran s crazy car at the end of the night, begining of day. Siting one the road playing songs. Great night!

Connexions connexions

Apres un ptit dej' a l'auberge, je decide de reste un jour de plus et d'aller faire de l'escalade sur le mur que m'as indiquee la miss de l'office de tourisme. Mais aillant du mal a me remettre de hier, j'ai les jambe et la tete lourde ;) je decide de commence par envoyer 2 3 mail et passer un bout de la matine a lire "short cuts" dans le parc Tivoli. Une reponse rapide et tres plaisant d'Annabelle m'aprend que son pote Stephen est a Ljubljana! Petit monde :) Apres avoir passe quelques heures dans ce parc je me dirige vers le mur en flanant a travers la ville. Le mur est un vieux mur de l'epoque romaine (en fait j'en sais rien de quel epoque il est hehe). 2 3 metre de haut, parfait opur s'entrainer un peu et reveille ses muscles qui n'ont plus servi depui bien longtemps. Y'a 2 3 personne labas qui s'entrainent aussi et avec qui je fait rapidement connaisance. En plus d'avoir bon gout, un lieu alternatif tres correct,ils sont hyper symaps ces slovenes! Je fait donc la conaisance de Domec qui me parle de spot de grimpe dans le sud, une tour de roche, avec vue sur la mer. Il me dis que si il avait l'equipement il m'emenrais demain... domage. Le deuxieme me parle de sa formation de prof de sport et de son sport, le Kayak. Il me dis que si ce week end je viens par chez lui, a Bevec, il m'emene faire du kayak.

La journee commence bien! Je passe ensuite a la place central, dedie au poete le plus connnu de slovenue: Preseren ou j'ai rende vous avec Stephen. Il m'invite a manger italien, un vrai resto bien bon comme il faut on parle beaucoup de buisness, d'idees, de chefs... Sa compagnie a achete la filiale de mtv en slovenie. Ensuite on va boire des biere dans le quartier etudiant. Sebastien, j'ai peut etre trouve un investiseur pour vous... j'ai rien revele mais le domaine d'application et certain principes lui paraisent tres interesant. Vous etes les bienvenus a londre pour en parle avec son equipe! Heureusement l'equipe assise a cote de nous interomp notre trop serieuse discussion. Une fille particulierement arrache parmis eux nous interpelle, tres drole; ca decone sec! En fait parmis ces arraches, 2 3 organise les evenement de snowboard et les snow park en Slovenie. Du coup il sont ravis de se retrouve a la table du proprio de la chaine de tele pour faire un peu de promo.

Il se met a pleuvoire et faire assez froid, on rentre. Avant de se separer, Stephen me file encore le numero d'un colegue a Belgrad.

Connexions connexions.

Wien Stadt der begabten II.

Un autre surdoue de Vienne, Mr Hunderdwasser. Architecte un peu philosophe, dans un mouvement contraire, original, il met du vert (du vrai vert, des arbres quoi) et des couleurs dans ses batiments. Des forme un peu moins geometrique et plus arondies.

Et la nouvelle generation de surdouees aussi s'affaire, nottament lors de bonne rigolade avec les jeunes etudiants dans les maison d'etudiant et avec les arrache du coin (on a rencontre un cuisto, lui par contre est completement illegal, mais tout aussi arrache que vous autre). Mais surtout dans une assos completement alternative de vienne> I:DA Idee directe Action un lieu ou Lena (qui te salue Gus d'ailleur) et ses potes s'affairent a creer un lieu alternatif pour la culture, l'information et une vie en societe differente, reele en fait. Superbe concert du Goat Orchestra, Marcel je leur ai filer le contact de sat, tout comme aux Yopla Guys d'ailleur :) Bon on a fini arraches et avec du chocolat partout.

Mmmm une fontaine de chocolat, c est bon mais ca tache....