Skopje, FYROM
We're still here in Macedonia, but we are packing our things to fly back to Istanbul and then on to Athens. Our time here has certainly been memorable. We were able to see what a country is like that has pulled themselves out from under the communists. Quite an eye-opener.
We started our first full day in Skopje with a tour of the city. Paige told us it would take about 3 hours (including lunch) just because there really isn't much to see around here. The highlights of the tour were the birthplace of Mother Theresa and the old roman fortress overlooking the city center.
We came along a street vendor who had some really amazing things for sale ... cheap! He was selling relics from the Nazi and Soviet eras as well as old coins from the time of Philip of Macedon. We really had to hold ourselves back and not spend too much money.
We did pick up a few things, and he was happy as he could be when we gave him the money. Money is interesting here. There are very few banks, and the people keep themselves to a cash economy. No one uses or accepts credit cards, and the one or two ATMs in the country are left unused, as people using them run the risk of having their credit card numbers stolen.
Saturday night we took drive around the mountain and had dinner at the house of some friends of my sister. They roast a suckling pig for us and laid out a feast of Macedonian cuisine. Most remarkable was the house they are building for themselves. It looks remarkably like a castle and, despite some serious architectural problems with the use of space, is quite awe-inspiring. We had a great time.
Sunday in Skopje is dead. Nothing is open, so we planned to spend a day sitting around the house and getting our fourth wind for the trip to Greece. However, Paige came up with the fantastic idea to drive south toward some roman ruins she has seen on various drives. So we set out.
The ancient town of Stobi was remarkable. Half excavated, the town is very cheap to visit, and none of the ruins (with the single exception of the basilica) are off-limits. We were touching mosaics that still donned the floors of the residences and climbing the walls of prisons, churches, and casinos. The theater was amazing.
That night we met up with one of Paige's co-workers and drove up the mountain to a restaurant that had a beautiful view over the city. We could recognize major buildings, areas with power outages, and so forth. The food was excellent, with the roast lamb simply melting in our mouths. They had to roll us out of that place.
We woke up yesterday planning to spend the greater part of the day at the city museum. When we arrived, however, the museum was closed. We were all disappointed, but we decided to relieve our pain at the local California-style restaurant. This place was ridiculous. They try to make California (read Mexican) food with local ingredients, and it just doesn't work very well. Colleen's "Nachos Grande" turned out to be Doritos with lettuce and melted goat cheese. Oh well, you can't blame them for trying.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing at the house. It was nice to have no agenda for a day, because our next few days are going to be very hectic.
We went out to dinner last night at the best restaurant we have visited in Macedonia. The food was mouth-watering, and it was the perfect place to end our visit.
On the way home, we stopped at the local Irish pub and I had my first taste of Guinness since leaving the states. It was fabulous. We chatted for a while with a boy named Samet, who is 12 years old and supports his family by selling chewing gum to people in the main square. He has been doing this for three years now (along with going to school) and has learned eight languages! He was moving from table to table switching languages with no problem at all. It was amazing. You have to remember, though, that the average income of a Macedonian family is $1500 per year, so selling gum can really get you places.
So this morning we leave Macedonia. Colleen is busy packing up some things that we are shipping back home, so I should go.
Hope everyone is doing well.
Paul and Colleen
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