Vuk Skopje

... I can actually forgive the place for being this butt ugly since it was completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1963. So the Skopjeites, or whatever they are called, couldn't control the destruction but could do little against Tito who sent in his best rebuilders to turn Skopje into a museum of ugly concrete communist architecture. Doesn't that seem to be a theme throughout the former Yugoslavia? I don't even think this place would even ...

... your best shot anyway- oh, and you're fat". Not really a confidence building prayer. I carried on up the road until I came to Skopjes former train station, well, what was left of it. If you walk around to the side of it you will see a lot of the building is missing, it is almost as though someone cut through it like a really ugly wedding cake. It was destroyed in the earthquake that tore most of the city down in 1963. The clock at the front of the building ...

... which is located in the Feudal Tower, because it was closed. They did have posted her Oath, which really hits hard of how we are supposed to act towards each other and just be ourselves. After a day of going from place to place to place, we went back to the house to rest. Sashe came home and we went to have a drink with Marija's father. We met Zoran and Nelie at 'Martini" in Leptokarija. We didn't stay long because Zoran wanted ...

Leaving our firm French friends in Dubrovnik was strange. Having spent the whole tour of Hrvatska with the duo, we had almost forgotten what it was like to have the burden of heavy bags upon our backs. We quickly remembered. We have forbidden ourselves the use of any public transport during this trip: no buses, no taxis, no trains... nothing except good old shanks' pony - we ride him a lot - or a motor vehicle that does not belong to us. Due to this rule, we had ...

The last two days were quite eventful. First, yesterday: The shoot was stressful. We screwed around alot and didnt do too much. I had a new 2nd AC. His name was Boyan. He is ok I guess but he doesnt know anything. I feel like I spent half of ever day training a new AC. Look how exicted he looks. We did blow up a guy at the end of the day though. Not too much to write home about, the pictures say it all. I love ...

... makes them irresistible when I travel. Eventually, I manage to make it back to the main square and procure directions from a trio of friendly taxi drivers. The mosque, built in 1459 with money from two women, Mensure and Hurshida, who are buried on the grounds, is one of the finest pieces of Islamic architecture in the Balkans. The exterior is a mixture of wood and painted while plaster, and the courtyard is filled with men ...

... On Saturday there was an open day in the school of Tolerance, where they have both Macedonian, Albanian and Turkish pupils. it was really nice there but of course the school works with the international money ( in this case Swedish and American). Those grant programs in order to establish the civil society in Macedonia are a bit sad, because great deal of the money seem to just go somewhere, without real monitoring. Some of the projects are for sure great, such as ...

... and many different ways to worship god. As a result, the people of Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia, etc. have traditionally had some difficulties living under the same umbrella. Most people recognize many of these regions from the wars that raged here in the 1990s, when it seems that all sides involved committed horrible crimes to the extent of mass executions and genocides. Everyone recalls the name of Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic (who happened to ...

The train station at Thessaloniki was deserted as I got my ticket for Skopje. I was able to find two Canadians who were trying to get to France via the Balkans, and had to inform them that they needed visas for Macedonia. They decided to see if they could get through the border anyway, which an hour after leaving Salonika proved impossible. It is nice to know that sometimes Americans are held in higher esteem than other countries, a ...

... of chess with one of his subordinates while being s**ved with tea from a big pot.He was the first link in the chain of command down which we would now pass,and we couldn't do anything or go anywh**e without his p**mission. Beds w**e found for us in a monast**y building that had been conv**ted into a barracks.For some reason,M and Hans shared a double,while I was in the next room.Conditions w**e spartan,but acceptable. Just before we turned in,M suddenly ...