Here is a little bit of European drama for you: Greece and Macedonia do not get along. A long time ago, the land that is now called Macedonia was partly land of Yugoslavia and partly land of Greece. After it became independent, it decided on the name Macedonia. The problem is that Macedonia has always been the name of the region that includes Thessaloniki in Greece. Greece doesn't think that Macedonia should use that name which is why they refer to it as FYROM, or Former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia. I won't even touch on the issue of Alexander the Great. Travel tip: just don't mention him in either country.
So, Jess and I have decided to do this blog a little differently. Being from an acronym country ourselves, we feel it is only fair to let the letters stand for something a little more interesting.
F: FOOD!! We ate for soooo cheap in FYROM. The last day we were there, we sat down to a fabulous lunch of grilled chicken, bread, and shopska salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, and a load of shredded white cheese similar to feta trumping the Greek salad in flavor). The meal cost us the equivalent of 10 Euro total.
FARMACY. It doesn't start with an F, but it sounds like it does, huh? I went to the pharmacy as soon as I got into Ohrid because my food poisoning symptoms were still hanging around. It was amazing; the doctor sold me two medications (cost under 4 Euro) that cleared me up quickly. Also, she suggested that Jess cook me boiled potatoes and noodles for a couple days. No tomatoe, no fruit, and no sugar. It was a boring couple days in my stomach, but I got through it and am finally back to normal.
Y: YOU have to take a taxi across the border to Greece. Because of the resentments, there is NO train or bus across the border from Macedonia to Greece. The best you can do it get to Bitola, a small town 15 minutes north of the border to Greece. Then go to tourist information, near the clock tower, and arrange to have a taxi take you to Greece. You can't just get any taxi because you have to find someone who can cross the EU border. We paid 20 Euro to get to Florina, which is 15 minutes south of the border in Greece. From there you can take a 5 Euro train to Thessaloniki. This information is more for other travelers, than our friends and family, but we had a hard time figuring it all out on our own.
R: RELAXATION. This isn't new to Jess and I but we were happy after the debacle in Montenegro and Albania to just hang out at Lake Ohrid and relax in the little town. We enjoyed swimming in fresh water for awhile, even though we don't float as well and our "on location work out videos" aren't as easy.
O: OUR space. Macedonia is pretty cheap, as we mentioned before. Also, we had a friend who was able to secure us a good price on accomidation. Therefore, we were able to have our own little apartment for five nights. We got our laundry done and then spread out our clothes on the shelves. After traveling for 3.5 months you can imagine the desire to not have to keep your stuff all packed up and everything out of the way. We got to live like we did as roommates in Seattle, more or less. Our friends Sanna and Panche were right upstairs, so it felt like we had friends in the neighborhood when they knocked on our door (OUR door!!). Coffee in the morning and bedtime whatever early hour we want it, that's what we like!!
M: MOUNT Baba. Baba means grandmother. While staying in Bitola, Jess and I took a cab up to the mountain and hiked the Rocky trail in Pelister National Park. It was really foggy that morning and nice and cool so we got in a good hike before it was too hot later in the day. The mountain is a ski resort in the winter so there were some lodges along the way and ski lifts. Jess has wanted to hike this whole trip, which isn't easy without a car to get to hiking places, so this was her big chance and she took full advantage of it.
MONTASARIES. Ohrid has a couple gorgeous monasteries. Jess and I found out they are even more beautiful from the water. We enjoyed watching the sunset from a rock just below the little church (different, I realize, from a monastery, but still...) and then swimming back in after it went down.
Maybe someday Macedonia and Greece will work it out, but until then, we will watch what we say about Alexander the Great!
