October 4: Long Study Tour, Day 3

Today we drove an hour northwest to the city of Mitrovica, which is about as far north as we could travel without entering into a high tension area.  A few days before leaving for the study tour, we found out that tensions between the Serbian/Albanian populations in northern Kosovo were mounting and that some of the borders were being blockaded.  Fortunately, the rest of the country was safe (and both of our instructors used to be in the Danish military, having been stationed in Kosovo during the conflict, so we were definitely in good hands!!), but we just had to take precautions when traveling to Mitrovica in particular because it is further north and because it is a city that's divided on Serbian/Albanian lines.

On the way, we stopped at Gazimestan, which is the site of a medieval battlefield known as "Field of Blackbirds."  We climbed to the top of the monument there and had time for a few quality DIS photo-ops.

I swear there are boys in our class too..

Embracing all opportunities for the solo shot..

In the city, we visited the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) as well as the office of Community Building in Mitrovica, but I think the most striking part of the visit was walking to the Mitrovica Bridge, which divides the North (Serbian) part of the city from the Albanian section in the south.  As I said, just days before we arrived tension had been mounting, and the bridge itself was blocked with piles of sand and wood.  Standing around the bridge, there was a very eerie, strained energy, and there was both police and military presence.  One of our instructors went to ask if it would be possible for us to walk onto the bridge, and we were told that we couldn't all go as a group because it might be seen as a threat, but we could go in small groups of four.  Also, we couldn't take any pictures that included any of the military vehicles or the guards who were there.  We all took turns walking out onto the bridge up to the blockade.  It was definitely a memorable experience for me, because as much as I have learned about the conflict in Kosovo, nothing compares to actually being there to experience effects of that conflict.  It's something I don't think I'll ever really forget.

From our spot a little bit away from the bridge

On the bridge; Northern Mitrovica in the distance

After our day in Mitrovica, we headed back to Prishtina and had the rest of our evening free!  A few of us decided to go out for a nice "girls night" dinner- something that is quite an expensive venture in Copenhagen but pleasantly affordable in Kosovo!  Everything was delicious, our waiter was awesome, and afterwards, we met up with some other friends from our class and explored the city a bit.  It was a great way to unwind from a long, eventful day.

Miriam, Charlotte, Sarah, and me at dinner