After traveling through the areas of northern Albania that I missed on my first trip, my buddy Erjan and I set off on a road trip to my 79th country, Kosovo! Come with us on our latest Balkan adventure: traveling to Kosovo, the land of music superstars Dua Lipa and Rita Ora!
Kosovo is the country where Dua Lipa has ancestry, as her parents were born there, while Rita Ora was born in Pristina (the current capital of Kosovo) back when it was part of Yugoslavia. Our adventure began in the city of Kukës, Albania, near the Albania-Kosovo border, on the afternoon of the third day of my trip.
Kosovo is the youngest country in Europe and became independent in 2008. I’ve been wanting to visit it for years! It’s my 79th nation and I can’t wait to explore it. Kosovo is also the country of Dua Lipa, one of the biggest music superstars on the planet, whose parents are from there, as well as Rita Ora. I’m going to explore it for 9 incredible days with my boy Erjan from Travel Media EU!
Erjan and I reached the border, masked up, and sailed through with our passports. We were both wearing our qeleshe hats, which are considered very patriotic in Kosovo. It’s a very mountainous country with small cities, hiking, and lots of history, including medieval cities, towns, and villages. We were going to do everything we could, from hiking to seeing Ottoman bridges to eat amazing food!
The people in Kosovo speak the Albanian language, and all the signs and advertisements are in Albanian. After some driving, we arrived in Brod, a small village of just over 1,500 people in southern Kosovo. It’s a big hiking and relaxation destination. We stopped at Arxhena Mountain Resort. It’s a big ski resort that has a funicular that takes you up the nearby mountain!
It’s a beautiful hotel with a stunning terrace with great views of the mountain. We checked in and headed to the funicular. As we rode up, I could see a little waterfall. It got colder as we headed up. It took 15 minutes to get to the top, where we had incredible views. From there, you can hike and ski.
We headed back down and saw a beautiful waterfall. I couldn’t wait to eat some Kosovar food! I imagined it would be similar to northern Albanian food: very meat- and dairy-rich. Back at the hotel, I visited the relax center, which has a sauna, a steam room, and two jacuzzis. They open in the winter when the hotel is at full occupancy. On the 4th floor are five suites, which have huge living rooms, a nice modern bathroom, and a spacious bedroom.
We passed through their outdoor terrace with old wood benches on our way to a room that serves as a mini ethnographic museum. There, you can see how Kosovar people used to live, including traditional clothing, how the room was set up, and more!
Then, I went to my room, 314. I had a nice bathroom, two beds, a heater, an office space, a flatscreen TV, and a balcony with a view of the slopes! Then, we went to eat! We started with some local raki in their massive dining area. We had some mushrooms, shopska salad (which I ate a lot of in Bulgaria), a creamy pepper tava, white and yellow cheeses, black olives, and more! I loved the mushrooms!
I also couldn’t get enough of the airy, crispy pita bread with the creamy cheese-and-pepper tava. It was excellent! The yellow cheese was similar to manchego, while the white was softer but similar in taste. The shredded cheese and tomatoes in the shopska salad were fantastic, too!
Our main course was pljeskavica (a Serbian hamburger patty stuffed with cheese) and veal and lamb kofta (meatballs) with cheese melted on top. The pljeskavica was so gooey and fresh. There were also boiled potatoes with creamy cheese, which were so soft and good! Then, we went to another room for dessert: some raki!
What an awesome way to end the third day of my trip! I have to thank my boy Erjan and my friends at Rental Car Albania for making this trip so much fun. Definitely book with them when you plan your trip to Albania or Kosovo!
I hope you liked coming with me to Kovoso, the land of Dua Lipa and Rita Ora! If you did, please give this video a thumbs up and leave a comment below. Also, please subscribe to my YouTube channel and click the notification bell so you don’t miss any of my travel/food adventures around the world!
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