Prishtina in sunshine

It is a cold, clear day in Prishtina, the bright sunshine sparkling on the snow. Young men are out on Mother Theresa Boulevard with shovels, breaking up the hard-packed ice and piling it in heaps on the side of the road. Broken steps hidden by snow have become slopes for children to slide down, or for adults to fall down. The book sellers are at their usual place near the Hotel Grand, in the sunshine, which, though bright, does little to cut through the chill. The little tables with cigarettes and mobile phone scratch cards for sale line some streets, but many of the sellers are not to be seen, presumably escaping the chill and watching from nearby cafés.

Prishtina continues to change at a startling pace. Pedestrians only now on Mother Theresa, the city centre begins to show some potential to be almost attractive. Lots of new cafes are packed with Prishtina's smart young things, dressed to the nines, staying for hours, drinking just one coffee, and smoking lots of cigarettes. The dwindling numbers of internationals congregate in their favoured pubs and restaurants. Gleaming new buildings tower over the city, either mocking the shabbiness of the streets below, or holding out a bright perspective for the future, depending on one's level of optimism.

For all its enduring grubbiness, Prishtina has an optimistic feel. It is a city and a country on the move. Though still poor, the proliferation of new buildings, the breakneck expansion of the city's boundaries, the upgraded highways, all speak of a brighter future. No doubt there is plenty of dissatisfaction. The young men hanging around with nothing to do, the youngsters reduced to hawking cigarettes in the cafes, point to the poverty and lack of opportunity that afflict many. There are still frequent power cuts, and the water goes off every night. Frustration at the challenges of realising Kosovo's independence still threatens to boil over into anger and violence. Yet this is the capital city of a new country. A long-held dream for Kosovo's Albanians has been realised. For now, it still seems that the hardship is worth it.