Outdoor spaces

It seems that every city I visit has some outdoor space - a city park with trees and walking paths for people to go, take a stroll, have a picnic, and just chill out surrounded by trees and quiet.  Pristina is no exception.  I spent the afternoon walking to the city park and taking a stroll.  It is a lovely refuge from the hustle-bustle and the street noise.  Of course there was a playground, and hearing the kids playing here like they do in playgrounds back home made me feel much more comfy in my new home.

After strolling around the park I walked (Pristina is infinitely walkable) to the Xhamia e Madhe - the Great Mosque (sometimes it is referred to as Xhamia e Mbretit - the King's Mosque or the Imperial Mosque), built in 1461.  Below are lots of pictures of the scenes:

Here is the entrance to the city park:

There are several basketball cages scattered throughout the park.  I'm kinda liking the cages that keep the basketball contained instead of escaping into traffic or someone's picnic.

Some lovely quiet walking paths:

Wherever you go there are always pigeons:

Here is the portico of the Mosque, showing the stunning artwork on the ceiling.  Without a drone and fancy camera it's hard to get a nice shot.  The Mosque is tightly surrounded by streets and other buildings.

This gives you an idea of the neighborhood.  It's basically the old town, complete with cobblestone streets and barely enough space for a car (although cars do wend their way through these streets). But here you can see the Mosque in the background.