One of the reasons I decided to come to Kosovo is to travel. So I'm trying to not waste any time doing just that. In two weeks I'll be in the air and on the way to Spain. Not exactly the first place I thought I would go while I'm here but the opportunity presented itself so off I go!
My friend Danny from Sam Houston is headed over there for a 12-day vacation which will include (for him, not me) the running of the bulls in Pamplona. Hopefully he won't get gored. I have Friday July 4 off already so I'm taking that Thursday as well as the Monday off to fly over.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday I went up to Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, to take a look around NATO Headquarters. The excuse for going was that we had to get some face time with some US personnel up there since I'm new but it was really just an excuse to get off Camp Bondsteel so I could get a look at the surrounding area. The NATO base, which is called Film City, has soldiers from all the NATO and affiliated countries taking part in KFOR and is a much more civilized setup than what we have here on Bondsteel. We have a Taco Bell, Burger King, and Anthony's Pizza. They have a full service Thai restaurant, a German restaurant, an Italian restaurant, two pubs that actually serve alcohol (which is not allowed on Bondsteel), a tailor, and numerous other places to spend money. If I ever come back to Kosovo after this year, that's where I need to work.
The ride up there and back was pretty nice. The roads suck but the countryside is very pretty and there's new construction of businesses and homes everywhere. There's a lot of money pouring into Kosovo and it is easy to see. The drive to Pristina is mostly through the middle of a wide valley but there's green rolling hills on each side. It's hard to believe a genocide was taking place here not even 10 years ago. Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera and so do not have any pictures. That's something I'll get to soon though.
2 comments:
Dearest Coleman - I really enjoyed your posting. It was so interesting to hear more about the country and I am so glad you will get to travel and visit with a friend! We have a big convention this weekend. I have been working 'til 7 and 8 every night. I will be glad when it is over. Michael Steele, former Lieutenant Gov. of Maryland is the keynote. Steph knows him and actually, I think that Todd has met him so I hope that I can meet him, too. We can't wait to see some pictures! Love you so much! Aunt Marti
brother,
are you not fast enough to run with the bulls yourself? what is the point of being able to leg press half a ton, if you can't out run a bull that weighs half that?
Post a Comment