Blogs from Skopje, Macedonia, Europe

Skopje I arrived in Skopje at around 11pm. I had written down where I was supposed to go, but had managed to loose the piece of paper. This turned out to be a big problem as the bus station didn't have any internet cafes. Eventually I managed to find a tourist agency with internet and managed to convince the reluctant and wary worker to let me use her internet, after our attempt at oral communication had failed. So I scribbled down the address again and then after failing in my attempt to find the hostel on foot, I hailed down a taxi driver who accepted the one or two remaining euros I had, even though it is not the currency in Macedonia. This only got me a skip, hop and a jump from the hostel however ... read more

Hey folks, I just spend the last month in Macedonia and Greece trying to understand what should be the name of what certain people call FYROM and others Macedonia. The Greek does not like that region a lot and could not stop debating as soon as you say the name Macedonia. In the country itself, must people have better things to talk of and some are making everything in their power to upset the Greek the most they can. Building an enormous statue of Alexander the Greet was a great way to do so... If you take out the politics (which is the main subject in that part of the world), you will discover an amazing country, full of stunning landscape, charming mix of culture. In Macedonia there is something for everyone. If you enjoy hiking ... read more

This is a strange point in my trip. With only ten hours left before our tear-filled departure from Skopje, nothing has sunken in yet; I am still reeling from thirty-three days in this wondrous southeastern European land, yet I must accept that it's almost over and that yes, I must leave it temporarily. Composing a well-written, clever summary of my last week and last impressions is the last thing on my mind! So without further ado, expect to hear more when I am back in America; I plan to seize my last precious hours here with my mind dressed in full carpe diem attire. Ciao!... read more

My Macedonian Blog: http://macedonia-blogs.blogspot.com/ ... read more

This was a tiring weekend! Sashka and her parents took me to two different monasteries in two days; I'll begin with Mavrovo. Yesterday we drove about an hour southwest of Skopje to Mavrovo, a village where most of the houses act as summer homes for those living in Skopje. The village is on a placid lake among the green mountains, and there are two other villages across the lake similar to the one we passed through. We stopped at a cafe to eat our breakfast, and I had a Turkish coffee, surprisingly. That prepared me for the twenty-minute drive through the winding mountains on a road wide enough for only one car, which means that one finds oneself in a predicament if one approaches a car coming from the opposite direction. Anybody who has traveled much ... read more

Whew! What a week! I have not been able to post here considering we have not been home most of the week. But onto the subject I have chosen... coffee. Before I arrived in Skopje, I was not much of a coffee drinker. In fact, I avoided it at all costs because it keeps me from sleeping if I drink it after noon. I think that has since changed. My first experience with Macedonian coffee was with the staple, Turkish coffee. One evening this week after, Wednesday I think, I joined Sashka's parents in drinking the daily after-dinner coffee. This stuff makes Starbucks coffee taste like darkened water. It is strong. Making it requires that one boil very fine coffee grounds with water and then serve it-- without any straining. I took mine with sugar, and ... read more

I finally have time to begin my blog! The four of us (Natalie, Sean, David, and I) arrived on Sunday afternoon. We each left with our families and I finally met Sashka and her parents. She lives in a house about ten minutes from the center of the city by bus. Her mother made chicken and potatoes for lunch, saying she would start making more traditional foods the next day. We began the meal with a toast, with the operative word being "na zdravye," meaning "cheers," but you also say that when you finish a meal. I have used that word many times so far. Her mother also makes the best lemonade all the time, adding oranges and grapefruit into the squeeze. That night Sashka took me to hang out with her friends at a cafe, ... read more

After about a week of fun in with Cvetko in Sofia I headed westwards to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The reason for the convoluted name is that Greece - good old fashioned nationalists that they are insist on it because they believe it implies territorial claims over Greek Macedonia - which they obtained in 1912 in a carve-up of Macedonia post defeat of the Ottoman Turks. I was headed to the capital of Skopje, about 220 kilometres away and after six uneventful hours on a bus and 1 easy border crossing later - I was there at the bus station. The ‘Tourist Information’ sign frustratingly only led to led to an empty room so I ignored all the cab drivers stood outside trying to rip me off and in the wilting heat (this blog ... read more