The Little Spot No-one Has Noticed Prishtina

Prishtina is quite the capital: busy, crowded, with on-going traffic jams. During summer, which can be quite hot and bothersome it is almost impossible to find a shaded spot to recuperate that is not a restaurant, bar, cafe, or patisserie. I hear the city park is not bad, although it is not good either; not a place I go to. Germia, the national park, is a bit of a drive. So, where to go?

Flanked by the city stadium, tucked behind the Kafet e Vogla street, near “Tiffany’s” restaurant, opposite the nursery, is a mini green spot, probably the smallest (almost) organised place in Prishtina. Not many people know about it despite passing it by on a daily basis. It is a non-destination. It's a mini-oasis where it should not really be, and those who notice it are caught by surprise.

There are a couple of fruit-bearing trees, providing much-needed shade during the summer, although no one could tell me what they are called. The fruit they produce is also unlike what I had previously seen: longish, almost avocado-sized fruit, with short fleshy “spikes” protruding throughout.

The seating area is small and quaint, and that is exactly why I like it. You may not be attracted to visit the place itself, it is somehow "just there". However, if you combine it with a leisurely lunch at “Tiffany’s” and a visit to the Independence House of Kosovo, situated just opposite, you already have organized yourself a happy afternoon.