Browsing Through the Balkans: Albania, North Macedonia & Kosovo

It's been a while since Bryan and I have written a blog together! As a reminder, Katie's writing will look like this, while Bryan's will look like this! We hope you enjoy hearing both our perspectives!

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On the evening of October 10, Bryan and I took off to Sevilla Airport for another long weekend in a new country, but this time we were off to the far side of Eastern Europe! Over Columbus Day Weekend, we also discovered new lands in the Balkan countries of Albania, North Macedonia, and Kosovo!

The Balkans are a collection of 14 countries in southeastern Europe on the Balkan Peninsula, situated between the Adriatic, Aegean, Black, and Ionian Seas: Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and the European portion of Turkey!

For those of you whose eyes glossed over reading Bryan's list, here's a visual to help: the Balkans are all those countries below Hungary and down to Greece! For this trip, we are visiting three of the smaller ones: Albania, North Macedonia, and Kosovo!

But you know how our travels go. I book cheap flights that leave after Bryan and I work full days...and that sometimes means overnights in airports. Bryan and I enjoyed a restful sleep on an airport cafe booth in Rome's airport after landing at almost 1 am.

Friday, October 11: Tirana, Albania

Tirana International Airport: Aeroporti Ndërkombëtar i Tiranës “Nënë Tereza”

After a short nap, we gathered our backpacks and stopped in our Priority Lounge (thanks AmericanExpress!) for a coffee and to change clothes before making our final flight to Tirana, Albania! As you can tell, our airport bench nap wasn't fulfilling enough, so B caught some extra snoozes on our short flight across the Adriatic Sea.

Center Boutique Hotel

Upon landing at the airport, we realized that our phone plan didn't work...we knew we were traveling outside of the EU, but we didn't put two and two together until we needed Google Maps to help us get to our hotel...

With a little bit of luck and a lot of data charges to our phone plan, we found only two options: a public bus or a taxi. We went with the cheaper bus option!

Libraria Adrion Bookstore

Little did we know that the 30-minute bus ride would turn into an almost 2-hour ride in traffic. This trip was not off to a good start! A lack of sleep, no cell service, and an extended bus ride...hopefully things improve from here!

And you know they did when we stumbled on an Albanian bookstore on our way to the hotel! That makes language number 21 for our Harry Potter book collection!

Cooking Class - Go as Local

With not much time to spare, we dropped our bags at the hotel and then rushed, through the rain, to our Albanian cooking class! Even with a rough start to our day, this cooking class was a highlight of the entire trip! Sindi taught us how to make several dishes while supplying us with unlimited wine from her family's northern Albanian vineyard!

We began by donning our aprons and filling our glasses before learning how to make a traditional appetizer with cottage cheese and tomatoes.

All the while, our dinner was starting on the stovetop! Sindi taught us the lengthy process of making Tave Kosi, a traditional Albanian dish with yogurt, butter, beef (normally lamb), and spices. We diced, we spiced, and we tasted as we went and, I have to say, we did a phenomenal job!

While the main dish was in the oven, we continued our meal prep by making Lakror me 2 Pete, a spinach and cottage cheese pie, that would pair with the rest of our meal. Bryan and I kneaded away at our dough and chopped our spinach well!

Our last food prep item required an extra glass of wine. For dessert, we prepped a traditional cookie recipe, Sheqerpare. Topped with a walnut, these cookies were baked and then finished off with a pour-over of cinnamon syrup. Oh yeah, they were good!

Eventually, our hard work paid off and it was time to enjoy the fruits of our labor! Sindi kept an eye on the last few items in the oven while we dug in and devoured our feast! The food was amazing, but our cooking group was a fun group as well! A father and son from Switzerland, a couple from the UK, and two fellow American girls stationed in northern Italy made up our cooking-mates! We enjoyed chatting together while eating (and drinking!)

After eating our weight in traditional Albanian food, it was time for some sightseeing!

GuruWalk: Tirana Free Walking Tour

Bryan here! Even though we were exhausted after another night sleeping in an airport, we wanted to spend our only full day in Albania filled to the brim! This evening, Katie booked us a free walking tour around old town Tirana, the heart of the capital city. At 6:30 pm we met with our tour guide, Sabian, and only one other traveler. I guess the tour groups are much smaller when you visit countries outside the "normal" tourist locations! (We count that as a big win!)

Before this trip, Katie and I knew nothing about Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, or any of the Balkan States. This isn't considered a "touristy" area of the world, but it's rich in history and culture! Over the next couple of days, we were sure to ask our tour guides plenty of questions about Albania and many of the other Balkan nations, and left with a larger world-view of the Balkan countries.

Et'hem Bej Mosque: Xhamia Et'hem Bej

Our meeting point and first stop for the tour was Et'hem Bej Mosque, a beautiful mosque built in the late 1700s by the Ottoman Empire. Its doors were closed for over 40 years during Communist rule but reopened in 1991 after the fall of the regime.

Resurrection of Christ Orthodox Cathedral: Katedralja Ortodokse 'Ngjallja e Krishtit'

Our next stop on the tour is the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral. Completed in 2012, it is the largest Eastern Orthodox Church in Albania and one of the largest in the Balkans.

Independence Memorial

Up next was the Independence Memorial; completed in 2012, it signifies Albania's 100 years of independence. In 1912, Albania gained its independence from the Ottoman Empire (aka the Turks.) The symbol on the memorial is the same as the one on the Albanian national flag: a double-headed eagle, which is the symbol of ethnic Albanians. (Yes, Albanian is an ethnic group as well as a country. More about this later!)

This double-headed eagle symbol dates back to 1443 when Skanderbeg, an Albanian military hero who led the defense against the Ottomans, adopted it for his battle flag. You can see a statue of him on a horse pictured below in the middle of Tirana's main town square.

Pyramid of Tirana: Piramida e Tiranës

The Pyramid of Tirana was built in 1988 as a museum to memorialize Enver Hoxha, the Communist Leader of Albania from 1945 to 1985. After the fall of Communism, the Pyramid was repurposed. Throughout the 90s, it was used as a conference center and later as a NATO base in 1999 during the Kosovo War. It fell into disrepair for more than a decade until it was refurbished and reopened in 2023 as a creative technologies center. These "creative technologies companies" are Balkan upstarts that hope to one day compete with Google and Microsoft.

Namazgah Mosque: Xhamia e Namazgjasë

Now Katie and I find out why our 30 minute ride into town took 2 hours earlier this morning; the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was visiting Tirana for the grand opening of the Namazgah Mosque, which was funded by the Turkish government. We later learned that Turkey funds a lot of Islamic work in the Balkans, as. away to keep their foot in the door and show face.

Katie and I had the opportunity to visit the mosque during our walking tour, making us some of the first guests to enter. That's right: the mosque opened to the public TODAY. One of the things I found very intriguing about Tirana is that there are Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Protestants, and Muslims all living and worshiping in harmony within the city. There's no violence or tension between the different religious groups, just people practicing their faith peacefully.

By the end of our walking tour, we were beat! We know how to pack a day full to make the most of our time in a country but that normally leads to a crash and burn at night, and that's exactly what happened! Day one in Albania: check!

October 12: North Macedonia

On Saturday morning, Katie and I were picked up by Daniel, our private tour guide who took us to North Macedonia & Kosovo over the next two days. When planning this trip, we knew we were limited on our time in these countries, so we wanted to make the most of it with a true local to show us around and teach us about life in the Balkans. Daniel was the perfect fit: 25 years old, born in a nearby town in Albania, and studied Balkan history for his college education.

As we made our way towards the North Macedonian border, one of the first questions we asked Daniel was why the country is called North Macedonia, when there is no South Macedonia. This led to a much deeper explanation than expected:

North Macedonia was originally named just "Macedonia," but Greece had some issues with this since the original "ancient Macedonians" were Greek. Since Greece is part of the European Union, they have a loud voice when it comes to the Balkan countries. If North Macedonia ever wanted Greece's approval for entry into the EU, which they would need, Greece wanted them to change their name. Thus, "Macedonia" became "North Macedonia," since they are north of the OG Macedonians. (Petty, right!?)

We also learned that North Macedonia has its own unique language (Macedonian), uses a Cyrillic script (a similar script to Russian), and has its own currency (Denar).

Kompleksi Nogu

But before we crossed into North Macedonia, we watched a beautiful sunrise before grabbing a quick breakfast at Kompleksi Nogu, a tiny Albanian restaurant filled with locals. Again, we were thankful for Daniel as he helped us order a traditional breakfast of rice and yogurt!

Ura e Bushtricës

Back on the road, we were stunned at the beautiful landscape of Albania's mountain range. Daniel taught us that many of the Balkan country lines were drawn using the mountain ranges- including the border of North Macedonia and Albania. To reach the border, we had to cross the tallest bridge in Albania, Ura e Bushtricës, which was built by communists as a showcase of engineering power.

Border Crossing Qafë Thanë - Republic of Albania

And then we made it to the border! We haven't crossed many country lines in a car, (actually only Portugal, Gibraltar and Slovakia) so this is an exciting trek! The best part was that we got a North Macedonian stamp in our passports! (Commercial break: why the heck are countries not giving stamps anymore!? Electronic customs? No thank you! I want a freaking stamp- why else did I get the extra pages in my passport?! Rant over.)

Ohrid, North Macedonia: Охрид, северна Македонија

By mid-morning we made it to my favorite city from the weekend: Ohrid. Pronounced like you have something stuck in your throat, "Ock-h-rid" was a stunningly beautiful lake-side town.

Ancient Macedonian Theatre of Ohrid: Антички македонски театар од Охрид

We parked at the top of the hill and began our descent into Ohrid, where we passed an Ancient Macedonian Theatre. As we talked with Daniel, it made sense to see a traditional stone theater in the city's limits. Greek theaters may be the most notable, but with all the wars, disagreements, and political strife between the Balkan countries, it's no wonder their cultures overlap like this!

Daniel also taught us a little bit about traditional Balkan house structures. (This man knew everything!) Because the Balkans are located so close to a fault line, the entire peninsula faces massive earthquakes. To combat the constant struggles, ancient stone houses were built with thick wooden planks every 5 meters in the building's structure. These wooden planks help absorb the shocks and prevent the entire house from collapsing. You can see a traditional house in the first photo below with the planks visible!

Church of Saint John the Theologian: Црква Свети Јован Богослов

As we rounded the corner Bryan and I stopped in our tracks as we looked out at the most picture-perfect scenery. Below us, overlooking Охридско Езеро (Ohrid Lake,) was a 13th-century Albanian church, Church of Saint John the Theologian. The small church's brickwork was an artistic combination of cement and bricklaying. The patterns swirled around the building and held a contrast with the natural beauty of the lake behind it.

We haven't visited Italy's Lake Como yet, but I don't think it will beat this view. Especially since we were the only tourists here; not a single person bumped us, no TikTokers blocked the view with dumb dances, no Instagram stars posing in the best photo spots- nothing. Just quiet, peaceful beauty.

Places like this are why we travel. Let's be real- until a few months ago, I had never heard of North Macedonia, let alone the tiny town of Ohrid. But the sight was worth the long trek to get here. It was breathtaking!

Did I take too many pictures on that hillside? Maybe. But I don't regret it!

Church of Saint Sophia: Црква Св. Софија

As we made our way along the lake and into town, we reached the Church of Saint Sophia. Daniel taught us that, like much of Europe, Balkan churches were known to build on top of older church sites. At this particular church, we could look down from a viewing platform and see the cornerstones of the first church from the eighth century.

National Workshop For Handmade Paper Ljupcho Panevski: Национална работилница за рачна изработка на хартија Охрид

We popped into the National Workshop for Handmade Paper, where the owner, Ljupcho Panevski, makes his living as a papermaker. My favorite part was seeing him use an original Gutenberg's press to "print" artwork, which he sells in his shop. That's right: the Gutenberg Press is from the 15th century and is still working! It was amazing!

You know Bryan and I love to collect artwork, but since these weren't watercolors, we opted out. But man, it was a cool process to witness!

Robevci Family House: Куќата на Робевци

Our journey continued down the narrow streets of Ohrid. We saw several of the Macedonian "upside down houses," that the town is famous for. (Well famous across the Balkans at least!) These houses started as one-story homes, but as the family's wealth grew, they expanded vertically and horizontally. Each level of these homes is wider and taller than the last, giving them the name of "upside down houses."

Restaurant Aleksandrija: Ресторан Александрија

We had some free time in Ohrid, of which Bryan and I spent at a lake-front restaurant enjoying a drink and sharing a salad! This is what vacation is supposed to look like!

Mavrovo National Park: Национален Парк Маврово

We stopped in a local bakery on our way to the car and split a minced meat pastry called a Burek. Did we know what we ordered? No. Were we happy with our mystery purchase? Yes!

Then we continued our journey through Mavrovo National Park towards North Macedonia's capital city, Skopje.

Skopje, North Macedonia: Скопје, Северна Македонија

After a two-hour journey north to the capital city, we finally made it to Skopje (pronounced "scope-ee-yah").

Hotel Premium: Хотел „Премиум“

We made it to town and had a few quiet minutes at our hotel before our afternoon walking tour of Skopje. Upon walking in our room, we heard the familiar sounds of the Islamic call to prayer. Check out the video below to see the sights and sounds of Skopje from our hotel window!

Skopje Fortress: Скопска тврдина Кале

Constructed in the late 900s by the First Bulgarian Empire, the Skopje Fortress today provides great overhead views of both Old Town & downtown Skopje.

Mustafa Paša: Мустафа паша Џамија

I know you might be thinking, "ugh, another mosque," or, "ugh, another church," when you read our blogs. Trust us, we think it too. Sometimes we just have to take a step back and think about how amazing it is to see some of these places.

Although not one of the most stunning mosques we've ever seen, this place was built in 1492. That's the same year Columbus sailed to the Americas, so Happy Columbus Day (or Indigenous Peoples Day) I guess!

Macedonia Square: Плоштад Македонија

After making our way down from the fortress and the mosque, we found ourselves in Macedonia Square. Daniel told us that most locals find Macedonia Square incredibly tacky with its Baroque-style architecture and huge bronze statues, sticking out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the downtown area. Two such statues that stand in Macedonia Square are of Philip II and his son, Alexander the Great; the North Macedonians are really leaning into their ancient Macedon heritage.

Alexander III of Macedonia

Philip II of Macedonia

Memorial Plaque of Mother Teresa: Спомен плоча на Мајка Тереза

Just a few blocks from Macedonia Square is the Memorial Plaque and Museum of Mother Teresa. Daniel informed us that Mother Teresa, who was canonized in 2016, was born in Ottoman-controlled Skopje to an Albanian family.

Now, like me, you may be confused by that statement; she was born to an Albanian family in present-day North Macedonia, but I thought Albanians were people who lived in Albania. When we asked Daniel about this, he informed us that being Albanian is its own ethnicity, as is being Serbian, Bulgarian, or Greek.

Daniel explained that following the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the new country lines were drawn and many ethnic Albanians found themselves living outside of Albania. As you can probably deduce, the Albanians were not included in that meeting to draw the lines. Today, ethnic Albanians are found in southern Montenegro, Macedonia, Kosovo, northern Greece and Albania.

This was a pretty informative part of the tour because Katie and I had no idea that Mother Teresa was from North Macedonia or that being Albanian was its own ethnicity. The things we learn!

Literatura.mk Bookstore: Литература.мк

As our walking tour with Daniel came to an end, we had one final place we had to visit: a bookstore! With Daniel's help, we found Literatura.mk Bookstore and bought our 22nd copy of Harry Potter in Macedonian!

Doner Hamza: Донер „Хамза“

Before calling it a night, we did a little more exploring on our own and then grabbed a bite at a local kabab restaurant. Daniel had told us that the Balkans are known for good kebabs and he wasn't wrong! Our wraps were delicious and left us in a food coma for the night!

October 13: Kosovo

Border Crossing- Republic of North Macedonia: Граничен премин „Блаце” - Република Северна Македонија

Our morning started early, yet again, so we could make the most out of our time! Daniel explained the hostility between Serbia and Kosovo as we waited in line to cross into Kosovo.

Kosovo unilaterally declared itself as an independent state in 2008 from Serbia and today is recognized by 104 of the 193 member nations of the UN. Daniel informed us that in order for Kosovo to be recognized as a sovereign nation by the UN, it must first receive 9 out of 15 votes of approval from the UN Security Council, provided that none of the five permanent members of the council have voted against the proposal. The five permanent members of the Council are China, France, Russia, the UK, and the USA; presently, China and Russia have disapproved of Kosovo's application to the UN, due to their close ties with Serbia. As it stands, Kovoso is not recognized as an independent nation by the UN, and may never gain such recognition.

Conflict is not unknown to this region; in the early 1990s, the Yugoslav Wars broke out as member states of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (now Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo, and N. Macedonia) began to fight for their independence.

Once Serbia was granted independence, Kosovo continued to fight for its own separate independence leading to the Kosovo War in 1998. The premise behind the war is that the population of Kosovo is 96% ethnic Albanian and less than 4% ethnic Serbian. Eventually, NATO intervened and the conflict ended in 1999.

Following Kosovo's declaration of independence, hostilities have flared between them and Serbia. To this day, no one is allowed to cross the border between Serbia and Kosovo. As of our visit, the only way in or out of Kosovo is through North Macedonia, Montenegro, or Albania.

Prishtinë, Kosovo: Приштина

After the 1.5-hour trip from Skopje, we made it to Kosovo's capital of Prishtinë (pronounced Prish-tuh-nuh).

Sheshi "Skënderbeu", Prishtinë

After parking the car, our first stop on our short walking tour was a statue of Skanderbeg, the Albanian hero whose statue we saw the other day on our walking tour in Tirana. If you look to the right of the nameplate below, you'll see a strange outline of what appears to be a country. Daniel informed us that this is not considered politically correct, because this is a representation of a "Greater Albania." He said that this "country" would constitute over half of Montenegro, all of Kosovo and Albania, half of North Macedonia, and a piece of northern Greece, where there are large portions of ethnic Albanians living today. Again, Daniel's local knowledge helped educate us on the constant ethnic and border disagreements of these Balkan countries.

Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa: Katedralja Nënë Tereza

Our next stop was the Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa. The coolest part of this church was seeing the stained glass of Mother Teresa with her halo, depicting her as a canonized Saint.

The Great Mosque & Clock-tower: Xhamia e Madhe & Sahatkulla

As we made the short walk up the street, we were followed by a pack of stray dogs that were eager for pets and attention! One thing the Balkans do better than America is in their care for stray animals! All dogs and cats in this region are spayed/neutered and colorful tags hang from their ears symbolizing their latest vaccination date.

Then we made it to The Great Mosque of Prishtinë. Again, it's fascinating to me that with all the conflict between ethnic groups in the Balkans, there is peace between the various religions in this area.

MISSINI Sweets

After walking around this small capital city, we made a short stop at Missini Sweets for a bite to eat! Daniel came to the rescue with food recommendations, which Bryan and I decided to split a sandwich and enjoy some coffee!

Bill Clinton Statue

As we were departing the city, we drove on Bill Clinton Blvd and passed an 11-foot-high statue of the former President. Bill Clinton was the most outspoken leader for NATO intervention during the Kosovo War and even visited the country in November 1999. The statue was unveiled in 2009 during a ceremony marking the 10-year-anniversary of the President's visit. Clinton even returned to the country for that 2009 unveiling ceremony.

Clinton may be notorious in the states for other things, but in Kosovo, he is seen as a hero! Daniel also told us it is common to meet "Bill Clintons" and George Bushs" from Kosovo: the people love him so much they have turned Bill Clinton into a popular Kosovonian name for babies!

Prizren, Kosovo: Призрен

Our final stop of the tour is Prizren, Kosovo, the second-largest city and the constitutionally-claimed historic capital of the country. Of note, the League of Prizren was formed within the city in 1878. It was established as an "Albanian nationalist organization" to resist the separation of ethnic Albanians. Remember the country outline on the Skanderbeg statue in Prishtinë? This group still fights for a "united Albania."

Sinan Pasha Mosque: Xhamia e Sinan Pashës

The Sinan Pasha Mosque was built in 1615 and is the largest mosque in Prizren. It was designed by the same architect that designed the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, which Katie and I visited back in August.

Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. George: СПЦ Саборни Храм Светог Ђорђа

Next was the Serbian Orthodox Church of St. George, which is a regular pilgrimage site for Serbs to visit! We were lucky to be able to enter the church, because Daniel even said that every time he's visited Prizren, the doors had never been opened. Daniel said that the church used to be filled with beautiful frescos, but many of them were destroyed during the Kosovo War.

Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour: Katedralja Katolike e Zojës Ndihmëtare

Originally built during the 4th century, this Catholic cathedral was much smaller and shows the spread of Christianity throughout the Eastern Roman Empire. Rebuilt in the 1870s, the original foundation of the 4th Century church can be seen on view below.

te Syla

With a short break for lunch, Katie and I enjoyed a mixed meat plate, a salad, and locally made wine and beer from Kosovo!

Rrapi mijëvjeçar i Prizrenit: Платан Цара Душана

As we walked back to the car, we stopped by a prominent maple tree that is well over 500 years old; it reminded Katie and I of the hollow tree behind the Takeo Shrine that we visited in Japan.

Border Crossing Morine(ALB) - Vermice(RKS): Vendkalimi kufitar Morinë (ALB) - Vërmicë (RKS)

Back in the car, we made the longest drive of the weekend back across the Albanian border and returned to Tirana. We enjoyed the pink sky as the sun set and we finished our journey at Hotel Egnatia. With an early flight in the morning, we thanked Daniel for an amazing journey and prepared ourselves for the trip back home.

October 14: Back Home

Tirana International Airport: Aeroporti Ndërkombëtar i Tiranës “Nënë Tereza”

The next morning went fast: we woke up and were in the lobby by 4:45 am awaiting our taxi to the airport. Since I had "built" us a connecting flight for this trip, we ended up back in Rome for a few hours before catching our final flight back to Sevilla.

Restaurante Arabesca

Normally this is where our trip ends, but "that's not all folks!"

Prior to leaving on our weekend adventure, I saw that some of our childhood friends were in southern Spain! After reaching out to Demion, I learned they would be in Sevilla when we landed- so we took that as a sign that we had to meet up!

We met Demion and Jon, alongside Lizzie and her husband, and a fellow friend from law school at Arabesca Restaurant! This meal was filled with laughter and plenty of reminiscing about our times at Northeast Elementary! I can tell you one thing: seeing old friends like Demion and Lizzie makes distance and time feel surreal!

And now that brings us to the end of this amazing weekend! So long Balkans! It won't be long until we are back!

--Bryan & Katie