Skopje day 3

---

I head out before work and have another go at getting fruit. I find the old bazaar and buy two oranges, two nectarines and some cherries. Back at the hostel I make an instant coffee and eat my cherries and work from the hostel room for the morning. The cherries are amazing again and I get a task done quite easily and the morning passes quickly. At lunch I change location heading back towards Macedonia Square to the bar we were at the night before. They recommend a flatbread which is okay but nothing special but I work and drink two cokes while getting my calls done. I catch up with Kerry and then around half six I head to the fortress. On my way I pass the corn seller from last night and give him his 100 dinars. He tries to give me a corn but I try to explain I owe him from last night. He doesn’t understand but eventually gets that the 100 is for him and gets all welled up. I genuinely think he gave me the corn with no expectation of getting the money back, it was just a genuinely kind gesture.

I head across the square and the stone bridge taking lots of photos of the hew, modern, white buildings and statues that wouldn’t be out of place in London or any European city. The fortress is up a small hill and takes around ten minutes to get there.

It is similar style to Prizren and Shkoder but much closer to town and with a lot more overgrown wild flowers and gardens around it. The guard tells me I have ten minutes till it closes so I make my way around taking pictures of all the viewpoints and the different battlements. It is very pretty and the views are lovely and ten minutes passes quickly. I head out into the car park taking pictures of the sports stadium where the sun is setting. I spot a really lovely bar which looks like it has stunning views for a sunset and I head in but it is completely empty and in the ten minutes I wander round taking pictures nobody comes to take my order so I leave again.

I head towards to mosque which is in beautiful gardens and completely deserted. I am pretty covered up today because of yesterday’s sunburn so I take a headscarf from the stand, take my shoes off and head inside. It is beautiful, especially the ceiling and it is very peaceful. I sit for a while then take some photos and head out. Paulina had said she paid to get in yesterday but there was nobody at all around while I was there. I head back out and back through old town. As I walk through a driveway that is being hosed I slip and fall. Another bruise to add, this one on my hip. That’s three falls this week and I think I might need to bin my comfy old flip flops and wear in my Birkenstocks. The roads are too uneven and the pavements too shiny. My legs are starting to look like I’ve been in an accident. I decide to buy an ice cream from one of the places on the square. The options are endless and I opt for kinder Bueno and take a seat. I plan to order a drink but I sit there for an hour and nobody comes so I head further down and order a cocktail in view of the fountain. I’m pretty sure my cocktail is a fruit juice but it’s really nice and refreshing.

The sun is pretty much down and I can hear the call to prayer from the mosque. I pay up and wander through the streets for a bit just enjoying the hustle. There is a restaurant that looks really busy so I pinpoint that to try and I really want to watch a sunset so I might try the empty bar again another night. I also need to try one or many of the ice cream and fruit concoctions. Lucky I’m here a week. I buy some Nescafe sachets from a shop and bless him the kid stopped me buying the expensive ones and shows me the ones half price instead. Genuine goodness and it’s so nice here. I still can’t put my finger on Macedonian culture, its not the la, la, la of Albania or the doof, doof of Kosovo but I love it anyway. I head back to the hostel and bed.

---