Prizren (Kosovo) | A Day at the Movies? - Day 164 & 165

 

The water level in the Prizren River has increased considerably since yesterday. The turbulent water rushes past me as I stand on the bridge in the rain.

Choosing to stay a few more nights in Prizren was a good decision. I like this city. When I woke up this morning, I could hear the heavy rain falling outside. I quickly check my phone and see that it calls for 100% rain for the next two days and the entire week. 

As I walk out of the hostel, I see Issey and the cleaning lady sitting across the street under an overhang, smoking cigarettes. Good morning! Wow! I think I am underdressed, I say. "Yes, it is very cold this morning," says Issey. So, I turn around and go back inside to grab another layer. The rain is falling so hard that I decided to add my rain paints and my long sleeve shirt under my rain jacket. 

The clouds are low, and the town has a somber feel this morning.

After breakfast, I head to the Old Theatre in town and find it closed and locked. Then I make my way to the Archeological Museum and find it locked up. Rats! I was also planning to go to Pejë (pey-yah) today, but when I remembered it was Sunday, So I decide to skip the 2-hour bus ride. I'll have to try tomorrow morning for the museum and theatre before we go up on the mountain. I think my day will be best spent doing some research.

When I wake up the following day, nothing has changed. The rain has not let up in volume or intensity. It falls steady and heavy. So, I walk to Gazza, the waffle restaurant near the Old Theatre. When I walk in, the young man behind the counter greets me in Albanian without looking up. "Oh, sorry. Hello again! I thought you were a local when I glanced at you and greeted you in Albanian. You look like one of us," he says, smiling. That's a big compliment. Thank you, I say. 

Due to the cloud cover, I can finally capture the old bridge and the Sinan Pasha Mosque from this angle.

This isn't the first time people have greeted me and mistaken me for a local. When I was in Spain, people frequently thought I was Spanish, even though I speak little Spanish. Then there was the time when I was in Finesterra I met an Italian woman who began speaking Italian with me." When I asked her to repeat it in English, she laughed. "My apologies she said. I thought you were Italian because of all the bright colors your wear. This is a very Italian look," she said. Is it how I look, behave, or possibly both that allow me to fit in as a local? I find it a bit odd, as I feel I stand out compared to the drab blue and black colors most people wear. As I reflect on my experiences I decide that is both how I look and how I behave. This makes me smile. A true Flaneur frequently gets mistaken as a local. It is the best way to travel and enjoy the local culture.

After breakfast, I find my way to the Old Theatre. Fantastic, it is open! "The Old Theatre is a crucial place for the community. I spent many days hanging out there when I was younger," Rita said a few days ago. Rita also laughed when I told her about the old Albanian I spent time with. "No one knows his real name because it is very complicated. We call him Dédé," she said.

Kevin, who's been working there for a year and a half, meets me at the door. "Come in. I'll show you around," he says. "The theatre was built in 1952 and has been a staple of this community for 70 years," he continues as he leads me into the seating area. The theatre serves as much more than a movie theatre. It is an important community center. There is even a stage below the screen. "The seats, the wooden beams on the ceiling, and the curved screen are original," Kevin says as he points to the beams in the ceiling. 

The theatre seats 250 people and shows movies twice weekly, on Wednesdays and Sundays. Behind the seats are four private suites. "These are special seating areas, but the view is not so good," he says. Above the suites is a balcony with additional seating. The facility is undergoing restoration and renovation. The main hall is cold and poorly insulated. In addition, noise from the cars passing by can also be heard. In addition to insulating the space, they will also add soundproofing to improve the experience for the audience.

Kevin leads me up to the dark balcony and then the projector room. "All films are 5 mm reels. We even have a projector that works by fire," he says as he lifts the side panel on the "fire projector." I have never seen anything like this. First, a small fire is lit, which causes the mechanisms to turn and advance the reels.

The other two projectors are closer to what I would expect, though they are dated. "None of our projectors work currently. Fixing them is very expensive. We will use them again after the restoration," says Kevin. I can understand why the cost is high. These must be 60 years old.

I follow Kevin downstairs, and he lifts a screen to reveal a board displaying show times. This is one of the original boards showing show times and costs from the 1950s. "Notice all the costs are in Dinar, the currency of the former Yugoslavia before the Euro," Kevin says while pointing to one of the tiles.

Outside there is another big screen and seating area used when the weather is better, usually in the summer. "We have had up to 700 people out here. This screen was built in 1959, 7 years after the theatre opened. They had the foresight to make the screen curved. Something that has only recently returned to the movie screens," Kevin says.

"This is a ticket for a movie in 1952," he says. The cost is 120 Dinars, the equivalent of 1.20 Euros. "The theatre is now managed by a Foundation and the Privatisation Agency of Kosovo. It is recognized as a cultural heritage site," says Kevin. As we wrap up, I thank Kevin for his time and the grand tour of an important cultural site you won't find in tourist guidebooks.

For dinner, I order a Greek Salad. I have had no shortage of cucumbers, tomatoes, and olives in my diet since being in the Balkans.

For the main course, grilled Levrek (sea bass). It is as good as I had with Laura at the Lagoon of Patok. It is a flavorful white flaky fish that is easy to eat as it has few bones. 

After my meal, I stop at a small pastry shop on the way back. As I have gotten older, I have developed a sweet tooth and enjoy a little sweetness after dinner. My grandpa, who also had a sweet tooth, used to tell me, "Eat till you are 90% full, then you always leave a little room for dessert." The pistachio and chocolate Baklava, and Boza are just what I needed. Baklava was one of the most popular pastries of the Ottoman Empire and is a flaky layered delight! This little morsel and my drink cost me 2.30 Euros.