Route in Serbia and Kosovo.
Coming to Serbia.
Short visit to Serbia, two and half hours and eleven kilometers. The road in the border zone runs through a very narrow pass with a couple of quite strict bends. It comes into my mind that this place has been easy to defend during the time when wars were fought with swords and sabers. And even later.
The road is still runing beside River Ibar, but now on the right side. Road sides are much cleaner here in Serbia. Just before you enter Kosovo the river becomes so wide that people can fish from small boats. On shores you can see small fishing huts.
River Ibar, Jezgroviće, Serbia.
Fishing huts, River Ibar, Jezgroviće, Serbia.
Coming to Kosovo.
On the Kosovo side, the River Ibar has small offshoots that are like closed bays during such shallow water. The situation in the spring is surely quite different, when snow is melting on the mountain slopes.
One of the sidebays of River Ibar.
Fisherman on the River Ibar.
Fisherman on the bank of River Ibar.
The road has been good, but after Mitrovica it begins to be so good that driving becomes almost dull. Terrain is flat. After Ferizaj, I come to the mountainous area again and there is the old road beside the new higway. I choose it.
Settlements between Mitrovica and Pristina, Kosovo.
There has been loose dogs on my way every now and then. They run after you and bark, when you pass them. It's annoying, but usually they give up pretty soon. It was night, when I was going through Ferizaj. A flock of dogs on outskirts of the town started to follow me. At first they stayed a little further away barking and growling. I could see some figures of them in the darkness. I started to push my bike, because there is no chance to drive away from them. They just get excited about it. Step by step they came closer. Couple of them were really big ones. Now I could see their teeth and eyes and they spread out on either side of the road trying to surround me. I had removed the metal warning flagpole of the trailer to defend myself. Pretty light equipment against a dozen of beasts. I was really scared and sure they will bite me badly. Luckily behind me came a car that drove beside me until the dogs gave up. I waved my hand to thank the driver and decided to camp in the first possible place, which was a backyard of a gas station.
The new highway, Kosovo.
A traffic sign that is not so common, at least in Finland.
