Turena Skopje

... from across Europe, but primarily from the Balkans.

Very pooped from all our travels, we went back to the room and crashed for a few hours. We awoke not really feeling hungry, but feeling like something a bit out of the ordinary. In the guidebook we found info on an interesting tea house that seemed near the hotel. We set out and quickly found the New Age Teahouse. We sat outside on oversized chairs and tried to order. Of course the menu was only in ...

... towards the city centre. The traffic here seems slightly less insane than that in Tirana- they even stop at traffic lights. That was a point in favour of Skopje. My mood picked up even more than I spotted an Irish pub in the shadow of the Holiday Inn. I love Irish pubs. Whether you want a pint or just to hide from nationalists, they're great. I carried on down the street, following the river until I reached Plostad Makedonija (which I assume is Macedonia ...

... Sharska Pleskavica. The hamburger was very large and had bits of yellow cheese cooked in it. It was very delicous! I also tried an Ajduchki Kebap. I liked the hamburger better. With our bellies stuffed, we continued back to our path of homeward bound. One stop we had made was at a roadside market of fruits and vegetables. It is a tradition for them to stop at this particular market when they pass. The prices are high and they didn't ...

... parking lot of the mall. Inside looked like a typical mall, only I couldn't read any of the signs. We walked around just mostly window shopping, then we went to one of the shops that served ice cream. This time I chose 2 flavors, Chilega and Snickers. Chilega was a cherry flavored with chocolate bar pieces in it and the Snickers, well need explaining??!! I also got a glass of Boza, some sort of drink... they would ...

lots of almosts: 17th: shot a big scene with alot of extras. 100s of kids and some guns. Somer performances. Heres a photo that really doesnt show anything but i like it. pretty standard stuff for here. Got way too much sun though, and I may be more tan than I have ever been ien my life. Love my cowboy hat though. We had a minor tradgedy with the makeup guy. He is this super nice italian ...

... Kale, the old city fort, rising on a hill above Carsija. They afford good views of the rest of Skopje, but I am wary of two men who seem to be lingering around me in the all-but deserted place, and don't stay long. I've had no threats to my safety so far this trip, and the men are probably fine, but it's always better to go with your gut in such matters. Back at the hostel, I recruit two Kiwis (New Zealanders, the first I've met this trip, oddly ...

... Albanian girls Lorena, Alma and Anola. if somebody wants to dye her/his hair (and also the walls of the bathroom) or go to try on ridicilous clothes or to talk bad German, ask us. :) Claire and me would be also ready to practice our Swedish, anytime. Here in Struga nothing and everything has been going on. Last week the Muslim population celebrated bairam and also i was invited to eat baklava (+ one of those over-sweet Turkish cakes) to my workmate Lume's home to ...

... to be as happy and energetic as I was there. But I forgot that this environment is totally different -and I'm different in different places. It always works like that. Now I'm finally getting more of the positive energy back, but I won't have anymore overdose of it. I didn't come here to have fun, but of course it is important to feel comfortable. And now I'm starting to feel. Like Barbara said, life has anyhow all the colours of the rainbow, and we have to live through ...

... better had I not been forced to stay in the HI "hostel", which actually was a hotel except they could put anyone into the twin rooms. This led to perhaps one of the most disturbing experiences of my life, as upon entering my room I was greeted by a rather large Danish gentleman, dressed in nothing but a very small pair of white pants. The place did have better rooms than most hostels, I suppose, but what do I need an en-suite room, free breakfast or TV for? Kind of defeats ...

... the back of a horse drawn cart.Many thousands of people w**e now refugees,but oth**s remained in rebel t**ritory,which had been subjected to heavy shelling recently and fears w**e growing for their welfare.Not that this both**ed the Macedonian police and army.When I tried to visit Skopje's hilltop castle,for old time's sake,I found it closed to tourists,and occupied by Gov**nment forces,who w**e extremely suspicious of anyone who came close.Obviously they ...