Hello and welcome to today's independent travel podcast with me, Simon Calder, Tuesday the 14th of April.

Travel Desk Tuesday and I'm glad to say that I have been traveling through Kosovo, which is Europe's youngest nation.

18 years ago, Kosovo declared independence from Serbia after years of turmoil following the

breakup of Yugoslavia. Serbia still regards Kosovo as part of its territory, but more

than 100 countries recognise the young nation.

I flew into the capital, Tristin, which sprawls considerably far for a city of under a quarter

of a million people.

It has a compact and walkable centre, and among the cultural highlights, is the ethnographic museum,

where I met curator Ilya Sopjana.

You began at this amazing project over 20 years ago.

It opened in 2006.

And what have you got here?

Here it was like a complex before, family complex until 1958. The family is to live here. It was a private complex but in this period like

many Albanian families have been deported Turkey. You're after Natural History Museum and it was in

function until 2000. Then 2000 till 2004, it was a period of restoration.

2006, we opened with colleagues to show the way of life in Kosovo, built exhibition in the

inside of the 18th century house and the 19th century. Now, some people may be a little confused

because you're talking about Albanian heritage, but we are in Kosovo. Tell me how the

two countries were. Yeah, we are 90% Albanians here and we used to be always majority. We are in

two, three, four countries separated Albanians because of the 1930s, it was the conference of London

when it was separated to United Albania. And 1912, Albania got independent. 1913, Kosovo, part of Macedonia, part of Greece, part of Serbia.

They left under the Serbian occupation.

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