Whirlwind introduction to Macedonia!

Osman and Nimet picked us up at the border promptly at noon in their black Toyota Highlander.  It was great to see them.  I actually didn’t know Nimet very well previously; I had mostly worked with Osman at his store, the European Gourmet Bakery – a really fun side job that I had for a couple of years (2006-2008) until it went out of business. They treated us like royalty while we were with them for 24 hours!  And we were able to experience quite a bit of Macedonia in that time.  Our first stop was the resort town of Struga, at the very northern tip of beautiful Lake Ohrid.  Lake Ohrid is pretty big; 18 miles from North to South, and 945 feet deep. It boasts flora and fauna that are, apparently, unique to it – among these are two types of trout and two species of eel.  It was made a UNESCO heritage site in 1980.

Anya’s two goals in visiting Macedonia were to take a dip in the lake and to visit Skopje, the capital city.  So we packed our swim suits, just in case.  I definitely wanted to visit Skopje too, but felt it was best to go with the flow and do whatever our hosts wanted to do.  Well, as soon as they picked us up, Nimet said, “Let’s go into Struga and go to the beach!”    Yay!  So off we went and “crashed” the private beach of Struga’s principal hotel, the Drim Hotel, named after the Drim (pronounced “dream”) River, which flows from the lake, eventually crosses into Albania, and empties into the Adriatic Sea.  The day was beautiful; perfect for swimming and lying out a bit.  Hundreds of Macedonians agreed with us!  After a couple hours there, we piled back in the car and headed farther down the lake a ways, to the town of Ohrid.  Ohrid is a very charming town, has several churches and mosques, and has a fun market (selling traditional food stuffs as well as souvenirs) and quaint pedestrian street with shops ranging from clothing to jewelry to souvenirs, etc.  We spent the rest of the afternoon there. The city is known for its connection to Saint Clement, a medieval (9^th century) Bulgarian scholar.  It is also known for its “pearls,” created from the scales of the Plasica fish. Apparently the method and “recipe” for making these pearls are a secret family tradition.  Along the pedestrian street we saw lots of fancy dresses and children's outfits for sale too, and photo studios featuring pictures of young boys dressed up in fancy white costumes, fur-lined white capes & hats, etc.  Nimet and Osman explained that these boys are Muslim, and go through a rite of passage at the age of around 11 or 12 -- circumcision.  Ouch!  Whatever happened to a quick little procedure at the hospital at birth??  Well, apparently a part of the tradition is for the boy to remember it... yes, I'm sure he will!

Beach crashers - Christina with Nimet

Anya checking out pottery

In Ohrid... approaching the lake & St. Clement

Although there had been talk of spending the night on the lake, at this point the executive decision was made to make the three-hour drive back to Skopje for the night, stopping along the way for dinner.  Anya and I would take a bus back down to Struga the next day and meet up with our taxi driver.  Fine by me!  It’s just difficult to describe travel in the Balkans.  With no major highways, a road trip can be a lot of fun, especially when you’re experiencing scenery for the first time.  Everywhere we looked, there were beautiful, craggy mountains on every side and lush, green forests – more so than in Albania.  I have heard, and I don’t know if it’s true, that Albania’s dictator, Hoxha, had many of the mountains and hills along the roads stripped of vegetation, for a dual purpose:  to quickly spot any invaders, as well as to target unhappy Albanians attempting to flee the country.  Consequently, in the past 20 years, the landscape hasn’t had a chance to fully recover.  In any case, Macedonia is much greener than Albania.  At the top of the main mountain lying between the lake and Skopje, we stopped at a very popular rest stop – tour buses and cars were pulled over along the side of the road.  We were all hungry, and while we didn’t want to spoil dinner, Osman (the baker!) made a beeline to a little shop that was selling all kinds of baked goods, particularly a Macedonian specialty called “Burek” (pronounced “Boo-rek”), a deep fried yeast bread that is sometimes filled with cheese and other fillings.  We bought several of these large, oblong creations, and couldn’t resist ripping off pieces of the warm, golden, slightly stretchy goodness.  I’m trying to think of something that resembles it in American cuisine but there is nothing… in Albania, they have ‘burek’ too, but it is not nearly as good, but in Russia, there is a bread called “Cheburek.”  Anya and I agreed that this Macedonian bread had the same melt-in-your-mouth consistency and flavor as the Russian version.  We were definitely in danger of losing our appetites for dinner!!  But Osman and Nimet had something very special in mind, so we did our best to restrain ourselves… along the way, as we descended the mountain, we noticed more and more little stands  at the side of the road displaying the word “MED.”  Honey!  Rows and rows of varying shades of amber-colored jars glowing in the evening sunlight captivated me, and so we stopped at one stand and bought ourselves a jar of dark honey… the seller was trying to tell us what kind of flower it was from, but we couldn’t understand him L.

On to the restaurant… but first, near the town of Gostivar, a visit to Vrutok Gorge – the source of Macedonia’s largest river. The Vardar River, which first flows North to Skopje, then turns south into Greece and empties eventually into the Aegean Sea a bit West of Thessaloniki.  A beautiful little Orthodox church stands near the source, and the narrow stream has been turned into a tasteful destination:  it flows down a series of steps into pools of water stocked with trout; along one side is a restaurant with outdoor seating where you can borrow a net and catch your own dinner!  The place was pretty crowded, so we stopped at another restaurant, almost just as charming, that had the same theme of catching your own dinner.  Nimet, Anya and I shared one fish, while Osman tackled another on his own.  Needless to say, we were stuffed!!  It was 10 pm before we reached Skopje, and had a good night’s rest in my friends' home after an eventful day.

Our honey man

At the headwaters of the mighty Varda River

Catching dinner!

The following morning – Sunday – breakfast in the garden followed by a stroll through downtown Skopje, and the old town.  Admittedly, there is much of interest that we didn’t see due to lack of time, but the Old Bazaar, called Kapan An, was right in the center of the old town.  Built in the 15^th century by Isa-Beg Isakovic, the ruler of Skopje, it was a major trading destination and also had 44 rooms on its upper levels for guests and traders with their caravans. I was fascinated by the intricate masonry and architecture, and despite the tranquility of this Sunday morning, tried to imagine the bustling activity of 700 years ago…   Oh, and Alexander the Great is a big deal here too.  As a matter of fact, he is called "Alexander Makedonskii" in this part of the world... and the country of Greece doesn't much like it that the country of Macedonia  (formally called the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia or FYROM for short, since Greece won't give Macedonia the right to be just plain "Macedonia") claims him too...

Our hospitable hosts

The ubiquitous Alexander the Great

Justinian - 6th century Roman/Byzantine Emperor

Entering Kapan An (Old Bazaar)

Inside Kapan An

Love this stone work!

We also visited Skopje’s new bazaars – one where fresh fruits/vegetables, meat and dairy, as well as household goods, are sold – and anther, the “Women’s Bazaar,” where brides come to do their shopping for their wedding day.  Brightly colored, sequined dresses, some contemporary, and others traditional Macedonian or Albanian in design; shoes that would captivate Imelda Marcos for days, and costume jewelry.  With all of my craning to take in everything hanging in booths between narrow walkways and suspended from above, I’m surprised I didn’t end up with a stiff neck!

Ooh la la...

Traditional Albanian party get-ups

This whirlwind tour of Skopje was abbreviated by the need to catch a bus back to Struga, so we could make it back to the border to meet Imer at the designated time of 6:00 p.m.  Osman and Nimet waved us off at the bus station, and we settled in to our seats at the very front of the bus, where we enjoyed a great view of the mountains and forests, the honey stands and the rest stop at the top of the mountain (no stop for more burek!! L), and back down to Struga.  With a bit of time to kill before catching a taxi to the border, Anya and I had a bite to eat at café and then made our way back to the Drim Hotel where we enjoyed the view of the beach while eating ice cream.  Then back to the border, where our passports were exit stamped, and at 6:00 sharp came out on the Albanian side, where our faithful driver was waiting for us in his yellow Mercedes.  Back in Tirana by 9:00!

Goodbye to Skopje!