Day 10 - May 15 - Priznen and beyond

 At my hotel La Villa, I slept really well and got a nice breakfast with sunshine.

First itinerary was a bit of sight-seeing in Gjakova, was impressed by the town. There was an old bazaar, even though it was closed on a Sunday, I really liked the ancient shop-fronts. In the middle was a beautiful mosque, which the caretaker opened for me. A number of inviting cafes were also to be found - with not too many folks in them, probably still asleep.

Starting the ride, I found some old stone bridges next to ter main road, with many arches, built hundreds of years ago by the Ottomans..

I was surrounded by snowcapped peaks

I eventually I reached Prizren. If I thought Gjakova was a nice city, Prizren capped it...in the middle, there is a river crossed by many small bridges, many built centuries ago, with a huge pedestrian zone with cafes full of people. The town is crowned by a large castle. There are mosques and orthodox churches. This was my highlight of all the cities I have visited on this trip.

Still, I did not stay all too long, as there was a mighty climb ahead of me. It was a hot-hot day and soon I was climbing up a steep road. According to my map, it was 20 km of uphill - not incorrect, just that the going eased off after rhe first half (until then I suffered...). From the switchback, I had a distant ariael view of Prizren.

Riding on a mountain plateau, I reached the city of Dragash and got a nice dinner, with the plan of moving on. Well, that was the plan, but then I felt so comfortable with my full belly that I booked a hotel room for twenty Euros and made an early stop. It was only 76 km that day, but it was a very nice one for sure...