First of all, I feel as though it is my duty to report on the music in the Western Balkans. It is terrible, and I am not kidding. Between the classy mix of Celine Dion and 50-cent that was common in Sarajevo to Frank Sinatra in Mostar to the Beach Boys in Budva, the music has at least been interesting and a great topic for conversation. Its not so much that the music is terrible, but all entirely out of place. In Sarajevo for example, the City Pub, which we often frequented, loved playing Celine Dion. The Viennese Café across the street played movie soundtracks (including Titanic). A restaurant where we ate for lunch enjoyed instrumental versions of many classic rock songs. In Banja Luka, I don’t actually remember hearing any music, but that’s because I have blocked out most of those rainy two days. Mostar was full of Frank Sinatra, house music, and Bob Marley. Budva was all BGs, Beach Boys and Lou Bega. The Balkans has produced a number of singers (I have a few examples now) that have decent music, why these establishments insist on broadcasting old American hits is beyond me.
Next, I have endured two more long bus rides since you last heard from me – from Mostar to Budva, Montenegro and from Budva to Pristina, Kosovo (with a pit-stop of sorts in the Montenegran Parliament in Podorica). While the bus rides have been fair, the views have been stunning. Most of the roads on which we travel parallel a river, so there is almost always a beautiful view of white stone mountains, bright green shrubbery and forestry and bright blue/turquoise water. Unfortunately, it has been raining for most of the rides, but at least the weather erases all desire to be outside while we are “safely” in the hands of our bus driver. I say “safely” because they have all (we have had 3) been pretty risky drivers and usually enjoy speeding down mountain roads and have no problem passing cars on said mountain roads. We have spent a lot of time touring around the Western Balkans.
If Mostar was the most beautiful city so far, Budva was certainly the most tourist-driven and fat. At the Bellevue Hotel of the Iberostar Hotel Group, we were treated to all-inclusive buffet-style meals (and drinks) with two pools and a beach section. Even though it cost two euro when the pool chairs were free, I quickly made my way onto the pebbly beach of the Adriatic Sea. Becici Beach, although a very beautiful beach, does not hold a rock to the serenity at Serifos. The multiple beach-front hotels try to cram as many bodies onto beach chairs as possible. While the result on the sand was less than desirable, the view was a breathtaking mix of sea and mountains and the water was cool and refreshing. At night, after full stomachs and free entertainment (including America’s disappointing football loss to Brasil), a small group would take a taxi into Budva. Both nights we sat at the “Garden Caffe,” which boasted live music the first night we were there. The bar café also had special visitors from hedgehog-porcupines, the first time I believe that I have ever seen such an animal in the “wild.”
While Becici beach was fun while it lasted, I was glad to leave the plastic-Disney-world resort even if it meant the beginning of the nine-hour ride to Pristina. We stopped in Podorica for a briefing with the OSCE mission in Montenegro for Parliamentary Development, and after a tour of the Parliamentary building and chambers we got back on the bus. After we missed the border control into Serbia (the route we were taking required a more indirect path) we took a quick U-Turn to hopefully right our wrong, it was more difficult than it seemed it should be.
My first view of Kosovo was a KFOR (Kosovo Force) military base at the border line between Serbia and Kosovo (Serbia has not recognized Kosovo as an independent state) followed by road blockades. After a mix of beautiful lakes, bombed buildings, obscene amounts of garbage, industrial agriculture, factories, stray dogs, UNHCR tents, Portugal’s military base, cemeteries, and a giant poster of Bill Clinton we finally made it into Pristina.
I don’t have much of a feel for the city yet because we’ve only been here for five hours, but I have already realized that while the country does use the Euro, prices are not EU prices. A cappuccino was only one euro, for example, cheaper than most places in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Also, the music scene is a little more up to date – I have already heard some Flo Rida and Beyonce, not to say that it is more tolerable, but at least not thirty years old!
That’s all I have for now, Tuesday starts the next round of meetings and hopefully less confusion!
In love,
Lauren
No comments:
Post a Comment