Elke and I arrived in Pristina mid morning, it was cold and we sought out the hostel to drop our things. We began exploring the city and the military presence was just as I had heard. I saw NATO troops with Italian, Belgium and American insignias on their arms. They march up and down the streets patrolling in pairs and threes.
If you are unfamiliar with Kosovo it is a newly formed state championed by Bill Clinton and Tony Blair. During the late 90s tension rose between the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (which between the 15th-19th century was the heart of the Albanian independence movement against the Ottomans) and Serbian Yugoslavia. Serbia's systematic ethnic cleansing of the Albanian populace in the region began. NATO responded by bombing the capital, Belgrade and forcing out the Yugoslavian army. Kosovo was annexed from Yugoslavia and established for the citizens with NATO on a peacekeeping mission. It is now recognised by 111 UN member states and declared independence in 2008. It is also a candidate for accession to the European Union and has already adopted its currency. With IMF recognition and international backing there is new economic promise. It was a turbulent region for some time but from what I have seen the terror has passed. That said, officially Serbia does not recognise it as a sovereign state.
This is the National Library of Kosovo, sadly some argue the exterior is one of the least attractive buildings in the world. Inside the lobby you can find the Newborn American Corner with dedications to Bill Clinton who is seen almost as a hero by many. There is even a statue of him on Bill Clinton Boulevard.
During the night the temperature plummeted and I could feel the cold in my bones; I'm glad there were no other guests as I took the duvets off the other beds and had a stack of four, finally I was warm.