The Traveling Is Over!!! Want a new blog to follow?
Hey everyone. I just want to take a second to thank all of you who followed my blog and joined me throughout my adventures through Eastern Europe. It means the world to me that you did (pun intended). But just because I’m home and back to my busy life at school doesn’t mean that my adventures stop. My photography is stronger than ever, and you can keep up with it on my other blog. Click here to check it out, and follow if you want to. I will not be posting any more to this blog, but it will always be here for the memories. Thank you all again, and see you on my other blog.
~Connor
P.S. If you want other ways to keep up with me, I am active on almost all social media platforms as well 🙂 Click the links to the right, or search for me using the following info:
My other blog – http://connorpmoriarty.wordpress.com/
Facebook – Connor Morarty
Twitter – ConnorPMoriarty
Instagram – ConnorPMoriarty
Flickr – SlidySwinger13
Here is a sample of my photos on my other blog. See you there!
One Last Trip – Lake Ohrid, Macedonia
As our final European trip of the summer, Tori and I made the wise decision to make a romantic couples getaway to the quaint Lake Ohrid in Macedonia. On paper this place looks like it could never compare to some of my other trips such as Budva, Montenegro and Dubrovnik, Croatia, but it pleasantly surprised us. Not only was Ohrid a short 3-4 hour drive from Prishtina (unlike the 10 hour ride to Budva/Dubrovnik) but it was absolutely stunning. It had the mountains and the crystal clear water that the west Balkan coast has, the only difference is you could see the other side of the body of water. This small and quiet town on the coast of the lake made for a perfect spot for the two of us. We loved the Adriatic, but it was nice to get away from the tourist hot-spots and buzz of those cities. Ohrid was peaceful, relaxing, and most importantly, cheap.
After the short (yet treacherous) bus ride through the typical Balkan mountains we checked into our hotel. Hotel Tino was the best place we could ask for: Small and friendly with a lake-view and a fancy restaurant. We could tell right away that this place would easily allow us to fulfill our plans for the weekend: relax. Every week and weekend thus far this summer has overflowed with work and travel and places to see and things to do. We wanted to get away from the group for a while and sit on our asses and do nothing. Ok, we did more than nothing, but you all know what I mean.
A rain storm over the lake
The five meals we had in Ohrid were all at our hotel restaurant. That’s how amazing it was. I don’t know if it was the large menu, the quartette in the corner, the perfectly prepared food, the dirt cheap prices, or a combination of them all, but we couldn’t get enough of the place. Each day we enjoyed fresh chicken or seafood salads for lunch, then pasta, protein and a local bottle of Cabernet for dinner. The staff was unbelievably friendly and hospitable, which may have been because of the tips we left, but they deserved it. Our overall experience at the hotel was perfect.
The fortress wall
Saturday was our main day to explore and do anything we wanted to. We walked into the city and down the main street. We stopped in stores and, of course, I bought Tori some Macedonian jewelry. We eventually found our way through the winding streets and hills to the Bulgarian fortress, built in the 4th century B.C. atop the hill overlooking the city. After walking along the castle walls we stumbled back down the trail we found ourselves face-to-face with a local man with the cliche captains hat on asking us if we wanted to take a boat ride. Of course! We hopped in the boat, just the three of us, and for 5 Euro each we drifted around the lake for 45 minutes. I had a view to remember, a nice glass of white wine in my hand, and a beautiful girl under my arm. It was the perfect scenario to end the day. Add a sunset behind the mountains and there is nothing else I could have asked for.
On the boat ride
Other than that, we spent our time wandering, laying down, watching movies, and any other relaxing thing you can think of. It was exactly what we wanted. Yes, we could have gone swimming or rented jet skis or gone hiking up the nearby mountains, but we had an image of a different kind of trip in mind. For the first time in 7 weeks we could do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted, without the overarching feeling of needing to meet up with people or wait for someone. It was just the two of us, and it was the best way we could have spent our last weekend in Europe together.
As always, you can view all of the pictures from the weekend under the photography tab at the top of the page.
Taking A Swing
I am now officially an international journalist! Click here to read my first story published for KosovaLive360.com about golf in Kosovo.
Weekend Trip to Dubrovnik
You Game of Thrones fans should recognize this pic…
This past weekend all 20 of us from Miami traveled to Dubrovnik, Croatia. The drive was almost identical to the one we made to Budva, Montenegro except we passed Budva and continued for about another 2 hours. I was skeptical that this place would compare to the paradise of Budva, but boy, was I pleasantly surprised! It was absolutely stunning. Even before I explored the city, I could tell by the looks of our hotel that we were going to have a nice and relaxing weekend. Our rooms were clean and overlooking the Adriatic. There was an indoor and outdoor pool again overlooking the sea. And there was our own beach in front of the hotel for us to use at our disposal. Add 5 included all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast and dinner, and this place was perfect.
Our hotel pool behind the beach.
The massive staircase leading down to the old town.
We used the first night to rest up from our mid-term week the preceded this trip. Between the lack of sleep and the 10 hour bus ride, we were dead. So we got up early the next morning to head to the old town of Dubrovnik to have a tour of the city. Now, if you ask people who know me, they will tell you that I hate guided tours of historical places more than anything in the world. But this city was so amazing that even I loved it. I don’t know if it was the limestone castle walls, the tight towering streets and alleys, or the views of the Adriatic port in every direction, but I couldn’t get enough of the place. The perfect July day and the good company of Tori and my friends just added to the enjoyment.
Just half-war up the mountain in the cable car…
After our tour, Tori and I decided to buy a couple tickets for a cable car that took us to the peak of the mountain that overlooks the city. While waiting in the massive line, we questioned if it was worth it, but when we got to the top we realized we would wait a lifetime in that line… The view had to be (I know I said this about Budva) the most breathtaking view I have ever seen. The castle surrounding the old city of Dubrovnik jetting into the Adriatic sea was in front of you, and the mountainous Croatian outback was behind you. I’ll let some pictures do the talking:
Selfie in the buggy.
So, just when we assumed our trip couldn’t get any better, we found something too awesome to pass up: dune buggy rental. That’s right, Tori and I hopped in a buggy and skirted across the Croatian mountains without a care in the world (Ok, she was freaking out, but that’s beside the point). The ride started at the top of the cable car, wound through the outback, and stopped at another breathtaking view of the Adriatic before heading back. That ride was definitely a one-in-a-lifetime experience, and I’m so thankful we took advantage of the opportunity.
All in all, this was a well-deserved excursion. Add hours of R&R at the beach and a couple of local beers to it and you get a perfect 3 days. I didn’t know it was possible, but it was harder to leave Dubrovnik than it was to leave Budva. I am so thankful to have the opportunities to travel to these amazing places. I don’t know if I will ever have the chance to come back, but Dubrovnik is definitely a place to put at the top of the list of places to return to.
If you want to see even more pictures from the trip, visit my “Photography” tab at the top of my blog.
The Racak Massacre: Meeting the people who lived through it
Racak, Shtime
Yesterday my friend, Emma, and I traveled to the Kosovar municipality called Shtime. If you didn’t tell me it is a short 20 minute drive from the lively capital of Prishtina, I wouldn’t believe you. I don’t know if it was the unpaved roads or the horse-drawn tractors being pulled across them, but I had no idea places like this existed so nearby to Prishtina. Those 30 miles separate a loud, energetic and innovative city from a unpopulated village stuck in the 20th century.
The Racak Massacre Memorial
We found ourselves in this unique place because of an assignment for our International Studies class. Our goal: travel to a municipality hit hard by the war of the 90s and interview locals who lived through it to get a picture of what happened. Unlike Prishtina, we knew very few people would speak English, so we brought our friend, Blerta, a Kosovar English major at the Prishtina University, to translate for us.
Our day began with a visit to the Racak Massacre Memorial. As the newest Kosovo memorial, it was erected in tribute to the dozens of Albanian citizens slaughtered by Serb forces in 1999. It was an eerie feeling being there. As I looked at the names of the dead, some as young as 14 years old, I thought about the fact that these people weren’t killed in an accident. They didn’t live full lives. They were brutally slaughtered by military forces on the ground where I was standing.
We walked down the adjacent road and approached the first man we saw. His name was Xheyxhet Mustafa and he lived through the massacre. Furthermore, two of his cousins were killed. Staying true to the level of hospitality Kosovars have, he invited us to his home to tell us stories and experiences from the war. After passing by a his barn, fire pit, garden and tractor we were at his house– a beautifully kept Ottoman-style house. The first thing he did: he went into his shed and brought out a 3-foot tall artillery casing from the war that he found in his yard. This is when I knew that not only did this man have the experiences we were interested in learning about, but that he would be willing to tell us.
3-foot tall artillery shell from the war that the Mustafa family found in their yard years ago.
When we entered the Mustafa house, we were greeted by their six children and their eldest children’s children. Family is important to this culture. When you turn 18 or 21, you don’t move out, you get married and help the household thrive.
We were equally bombarded with snacks and drinks. As the saying goes, the less you have the less you need to make you happy. These were the nicest people I have met in a while, probably living off a couple Euro a day, yet they were serving us all the food and drink in their cabinets. I was so grateful, and Emma and I definitely didn’t go hungry.
So we sat in their living room talking for hours with Xheyxhet and his wife, Memduhije. They told us and showed us everything we could ever ask for. Xheyxhet began by showing us pictures he had from that dark day in 1999 when his village was slaughtered. The pictures showed the mutilated bodies of his friends. We saw the broken bodies of his late next door neighbors. We saw the dozens of body bags lined up. We saw Xheyxhet’s cousins, one will a gaping hole in his face and one who had his beating heart ripped out of his still living body in an attempt to harvest his organs.
I didn’t eat much after that.
Words can’t describe the emotions I felt throughout these hours. We all have seen and heard stories that happen in times of darkness from our televisions, radios or newspapers. We know they are real, but they don’t feel real to us because of the distance between us. But as I sat in these people’s house and listened to them, I felt like one of them. I felt their pain, and I wanted to cry for their family six feet under ground because of what other people did to them.
“…This tragedy occurred on the morning of 15 January 199 when serbo-cetnik’s rabid beasts of paramilitary forces attacked the innocent and vulnerable people, where dozens were massacred; children, elderly people, and women, only because they were Albanian…”
What was most remarkable, though, was the positivity radiating from the room. I imagined this family to mourn and hang their heads while talking about the massacre. But they didn’t. They talked about it openly to complete strangers. They were happy that American students had found them, would listen to them, and were going to make their voices heard. They were even happier to know that they were telling us the truth, not the “truth” filtered through the media which is all us Americans are exposed to. To be honest, I think Xheyxhet wanted to learn more about us than we wanted to learn about him.
As you can imagine, we learned so much that day, and as I said above, words cannot describe it. So, I will include some quotes from Xheyxhet and his wife. I believe they capture the emotions much better than my recap. Enjoy.
“Before and during the war, it was a disaster here. Now we are free.”
“We will never leave here. We have too much history here. The memories won’t push us away.”
“I don’t hate the Serbs. I hate the governments and militaries that made this happen. Serbian citizens are the same as me.”
“Am I mad at the people who did this? No, they have to live knowing what they did.”
“We love Americans more than anything and we are so thankful for all you did for us here.”
“I have post traumatic stress disorder. I take pills for it. I see the doctor for it. I can’t get a job because of it. I am not stable because of it. Those people destroyed my life.”
“We became happy when the bombs started falling because that meant freedom was coming.”
“Massacres like this were planned for Fridays because internationals didn’t work on weekends and the Serbs could cover it up.”
“The dead gave their lives for the living people’s freedom.”
“My eyes hurt when I see Serbs.”
Me, Emma and the Mustafa Family
Istanbul
The Blue Mosque
Last weekend Tori and I met up with her sister, Emily, and Emily’s boyfriend, Matt in Istanbul, Turkey. This was the farthest East I have ever been, and it was definitely an experience. We hit all the main sightseeing spots (mosques, a cistern, bazaars, and more) and we even went on an afternoon cruise to the Asian side of the city. All in all, it was nice to get a change of scenery and go to a place as well known as Istanbul.
Selfie on the cruise.
Unfortunately, we didn’t like it very much. Don’t get me wrong, Istanbul is an amazing place with a history unlike any other. The places we visited were beautiful and I love that I can say that I have been to these places. The culture, though, didn’t jive well with us. Tori and I are not fans of big and populated places. New York City isn’t our favorite place and we both have dreams of living in a quiet suburb. While in Istanbul we didn’t just visit the tourist areas that everyone sees. We explored the depths of the city, including the places where just the locals go. It was a crowded, shoulder-to-shoulder experience with people badgering you about anything and everything in an unfamiliar language. We could not go anywhere without someone trying to take advantage of us Americans, and that is very unsettling. The place reeked of body odor, stale garbage and sea food that had been sitting in the hot sun all day. As the icing on top, it was one of the most expensive places I have ever visited.
But we did enjoy our time. The hotel we stayed in was a palace. It was the nicest hotel I have ever been in. The food was absolutely outstanding and we could stare at the rooftop views for hours (we actually did). The weather was gorgeous and my first taste of Turkish Delight was mouthwatering. Most importantly, the company was amazing. I don’t get to spend much time with Emily, and this was the first time I met Matt, so I really got to know them in a way I wouldn’t be able to if I went out to dinner with them once. We explored together, we tried new things together, and we got lost together. It was a beautiful bonding experience and I could not be happier that I was so lucky to get to go with them.
The most important part of the trip, of course, is that I got some photography. I didn’t have my camera out much, so the pictures are few and lacking in quality, but they represent our experiences fairly well. Scroll over some of the images to see the caption. Enjoy.
Prishtina Golf
One of the most fascinating aspects of the Prishtina Golf mini golf course is the design of the holes. Every hole on the course was based off of a famous hole from a famous course around the world. From Belgium to France to Scotland to the USA, each and every hole is about a 1:10 scale of the real hole. Below are some of the most famous examples.
Hole inspired by number 17 from Sawgrass
Hole inspired by number 14 “Long” from St. Andrews
Hole inspired by number 17 “Nandia” from Augusta National
Hole inspired by number 12 “Golden Bell” from Augusta National
Hole inspired by number 9 “End” from St. Andrews
Hole inspired by number 13 from Sawgrass
Hole inspired by number 9 “Carolina Cherry” from Augusta National
Hole inspired by number 5 “Magnolia” from Augusta National
Prishtina Golf
Golf is probably my favorite sport back home, so it’s fitting that my first story I would write for KosovaLive is about golf in Kosovo. I didn’t know anything about it except the fact that there isn’t any golf presence in Kosovo except for one small facility outside Prishtina. So the story I am writing is about golf in Kosovo, why there isn’t a larger presence here, and what can be done to expand golf farther into the Balkans.
So yesterday (Sunday) I went to the facility just outside of Prishtina with a man I met, Lavdim, who is running the show there. He drove me out to the facility for the day so I could play some golf, take pictures, talk with everybody, and watch a local mini golf tournament. I had an amazing time. Lavdim and everyone else there was so welcoming even though I wasn’t able to communicate much, I felt like I belonged. I played a found of mini golf with Lavdim, his friends, and the children, I had a nice lunch with them, I got to take some pictures, talk to some local people who were playing there, and watch the tournament. I got plenty of useful information for my story and I can’t wait to publish it later in the week.
Below are some pictures from the day. Later I will make a post about the golf course at the facility. It’s very special and you will see why when I post it.
Lavdim and I
One of the holes on the mini golf course
The overgrown driving range reflects the months of unpaid rent for the land. Unfortunately, Prishtina Golf may lose the driving range at the end of the summer.
This picture shows the priorities for the golfers. The mini golf is what is important to them. They would rather lose the driving range and keep the course maintained than put equal effort into both.
Day Trip to Prizren
Yesterday the entire MU group took a day trip to Prizren. This old city is known for its small businesses, museums, and historical monuments. Our first stop of the day was the Prizren Castle. Below you can see the view from this former Ottoman castle that sits on top of the hill to rule all of Prizren. We hiked up the mountain on an almost-paved path that gets almost 45 degrees at some points. Once we finally stood atop the destroyed walls the view almost knocked us off the edge. The pictures can do the describing for me…
The Prizren Castle overlooking the city.
Walking up to the castle.
The view from a guard tower. See other views in the gallery below.
Our next stop was the League of Prizren Museum. The museum was once Albanian homes but they were destroyed by NATO bombings in 1999. They were finally restored to as close to their original condition as possible. (I was not allowed to photograph)
Third was a famous Turkish Hamam. A hamam is a public bath, and this one was the most famous in Prizren. It was under construction to restore it, but we all got a good feeling of what it was once like. The innovation from the 1400s is unbelievable. We were able to see the tunnels that ran under the large bath that allowed steam to travel through and heat the bath. Google “Turkish Hamam” to get a feel of what it was like.
Next we stopped at the Sinan Pasha Mosque, the most important of all mosques in Prizren. It was the first mosque I have ever been in so it was exciting for me. The girls covered their hair and we all took off our shoes as we were blown away by the beauty. Prayer had just gotten out, so we got to see some locals doing their daily rituals. The mosque was built by the Ottomans with eggs and goat skin. The building was the biggest of its kind during the time it was built, and in order to achieve that feat the walls were built 2 meters thick. The pictures below show some of its beauty.
50+ windows line the walls and ceiling.
The separate worshiping area for the women is because of the pure, clean focus that needs to be achieved within the mosque. The segregation still raises some questions in my mind about how, in some ways humans are stuck in the traditions of hundreds of years ago.
The dome ceiling.
We finished the day by stopping at a Saraçhane Tekke. Basically this is a place for a denomination of Islam called Soshi to worship. Unfortunately we were not allowed in, but we got a feel from the outside. We got a view of the outside fountain as sen below.
A local Albanian man peers through a window of the Tekke. Inside this particular window is the mausoleum where bodies of the most important Tekke leaders rest. He struggled on his cain across the city to get just one peek of people so important to both his history and his religion.
All in all, besides the flash rain storm, the day was fun. We got to see this historic city all day and explore every nook and cranny. During our free time we did things such as explore the cobblestone streets and get a horse and carriage ride through the city. See all the pictures from the day in the gallery below, or in my photography tab.
My Internship
The Kosovalive.org newsroom where I will be spending my time.
I want to write a little about my internship after my first full week on the job before I get used to it and before I fall into the swing of things. That said, this post will most likely be a rant to clear my mind. I, and my classmates, have a lot to say on this subject, and we make sure we always say them over beers every night.
So as most of you know, I am writing for KosovaLive, a news agency stationed in Prishtina. The stories I am working on involve complex issues common to the nation and how they relate to and are impacted by its current state. Every day we have class from 8:00-noon, an hour break, then half the group goes to work at their internships at different NGOs, and the other half stay in the newsroom to write (that’s me). We spend 4 hours, 1:00-5:00, in the newsroom unless we don’t complete all our work for the day.
Beginning the second the clock strikes 1:00, we are pushed to get outside and interview people for our stories. Ask questions. Observe. Get the details. Find everyone who has a voice and hear their stories. When we get back from two hours of interviews we are asked what is next on our list of things to do. In the newsroom you don’t need a plan B and C, you need plans E F and G. If you aren’t writing your story or interviewing people, you are doing something wrong.
For lack of a better term, it’s a bitch. Its grueling work. Even worse, its frustrating. Journalists’ jobs are completely dependent upon other people helping them out. If your only source doesn’t get back to you, you’re dead in the water. It doesn’t make it much easier that we are in a reforming country and are seen as annoying American students. Out of the 50+ people we collectively contacted today, no more than 6 or 7 got back to us. How do you write a story this way?
I don’t know. And that’s why I am writing this blog. I have no idea how I am going to complete a story this week. I don’t know how I will survive 8 weeks of people turning me down and not understanding me. My hope is that in a couple weeks I look back to this post and laugh at how unnecessarily worried I was because I will be easily getting my work completed. If all of this works out, this will be the best summer of my life. I am an international journalist writing more complex stories than the actual news agency publishes. I am doing what I love to do, but right now I am frustrated. I want it to come easy to me so I know that I am good at what I do. I think it will come eventually, I just hope it’s soon.
Kosovo - A World Unwritten 
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