Something nice to say about Prishtina

I have often been a bit harsh about Prishtina. It is too easy to do. Prishtina is such an obvious target for criticism, that it almost becomes cheap. So let's look on the bright side. Today I am feeling in good spirits. Possibly this is because I will be getting away from Prishtina in a few days time. Very definitely it is because I will be getting away from a job I have not enjoyed and a boss I have not got on with. But I also find myself feeling more positive about Prishtina.

It's a nice spring day. Arriving at my office (not to work, it's Sunday, and I was just there to fetch the car), there was a man across the street sweeping up the dust and muck in the gutter. Now that is a step forward. One of the worst things about Prishtina in summer, when it is hot and dry, is the dust swirling around, getting in your eyes, making them sting, and in your throat, making you cough. But now they're cleaning the street. That is a novelty, and very welcome. I think this town is getting better. Another surprise this spring is the sprouting, here and there, of little patches of garden, tended lawns and flower beds. Someone is trying to make the town look prettier. Someone is trying to encourage a new spirit of civic pride among the citizens of Pishtina. Perhaps they might even stop chucking rubbish about.

And there are nice things to do. It's good to be able to say that there are even some things which are really good. For example, Prishtina boasts a really cool cafe, Strip Depo. The quirky decor, with the hotch-potch of furniture, the absence of any sense of theme in the eclectic choice of pictures adorning the walls, it all seems great fun. The music's good too. At one time this was a favoured haunt for younger Prishtina intellectual types, but its popularity has spread much wider now. No point in going in the middle of the day, when it's heaving with people, but in early evening, it's a pleasant place to relax in a deep armchair, with a coffee and a fresh orange juice.

Today I had a walk and lunch (trout with grilled courgettes and carrots and a Greek salad, washed down with Peja beer) at Germia. Loads of people out enjoying the sun and the fresh air away from the town, children running about, screaming with pleasure in the spring warmth. It could be a park anywhere in Europe. Prishtina is coming on. Yes, there is plenty to complain about. Hardly surprising in a place that was recently one of the poorest, least developed backwaters of Europe, suffering under the heal of an Apartheid-like regime. It's all too easy to look on the bad side. But things are getting better. Someone once divided Eastern Europe into the "Europe of Hope", and the "Europe of No-Hope". Kosovo is now part of the "Europe of Hope".

Back in Skopje

Last weekend I was in Skopje again. Beautiful spring sunshine, sitting outside cafes and restaurants with friends, great. Skopje must be one of the most underrated cities in Europe. It's not one of the most beautiful cities, it's true. The rebuilding after the 1963 earthquake was typical of the era and of the grey communist regime that undertook it. But it's full of life. It just feels good to be there. I've always enjoyed myself in Skopje, ever since my first, brief, crazy visit in 1988. Some cities seem to have a spirit about them, an energy. Skopje has that.

There may be worse things than 60s communist greyness. Apparently, the latest government plan for poking the Greeks in the eye is to build a huge statue of Alexander the Great on the main square. Apart from the fact that baiting a more powerful and influential neighbour is daft, I fear it will be one more step in the determined effort to turn Skopje into the capital of kitsch. The ghastly Mother Teresa memorial house is one example (Mother Teresa was a native of Skopje).

Mother Theresa Memorial House, Skopje

What kind of architectural mishmash is that? Then there are the ridiculous little statues sprouting around the town centre. Skopje risks becoming a laughingstock. In one previous job, we had an office competition to see who could bring back the most kitsch souvenir from their holidays. I fear Skopje might become a kind of mecca for kitsch aficionados.

A week in Macedonia

A week in Macedonia (as an election observer) was such a pleasant interlude. It just has so many nice things that one struggles to find in Kosovo. Within minutes of arriving, I am drinking Skopsko with an old friend in the Cuban bar, eating hot buffalo wings and a rocket and parmesan salad. Just normal nice things, in a pleasant atmosphere. The city is so much cleaner than Prishtina. Why cannot city governments in Kosovo manage to provide such basic services when everywhere else in the region can? In Skopje I feel relaxed and contented in a way that I never do in Prishtina, where life always seems to be about endurance, devoid of pleasure.

There are, of course, some negative aspects. The temporary metal wall along the river embankment, blocking off the views for all the riverside cafes (including the Cuban bar) is an eyesore. It's to enable trucks to drive along to a building site on the edge of the main square. New buildings on the square fill people with apprehension. Do the construction tycoons care about the aesthetics of the square? It is not the most beautiful square, it must be acknowledged. But it is a lively central space, a focus for the city. Will they improve it, or spoil it, as they have already spoiled the old bridge?

And then there was Ohrid and Struga. Deep snow, blocked roads and soggy feet. And then spring sunshine, lunch by the lakeside and a stroll through the old town of Ohrid, with snow-capped mountains in the distance. What a scene, what a rest for the mind.