Lucky us, we got to eat turkey for Thanksgiving. Not only that, we escaped the commercialism of Turkey Day where in E. Europe there's not a paper turkey in sight. We drove to Skopje, Macedonia to celebrate with another American couple and their 2 year old daughter. Ethan and Gabriel preferred standing on their heads (a new trick Billy just taught them) to eating. Most of the way down, we got to listen to Ethan and Gabriel playing a game they invented called the "Pass Gas" game. I'm not really sure what the rules are, but it has something to do with other cars on the road, and other things. How did I end up with three guys and a male cat?
Following Thanksgiving Day, where we reminisced about past Thanksgivings including a favorite of mine where Billy and I took a long, wintry bus ride north to spend it with Larry and Monica in Zalau, Romania, we drove the 2 hours southeast to Lake Ohrid. I've been hearing about Lake Ohrid since my Peace Corps days. The town is referred to as "the jewel in Macedonia's crown." And no wonder. We got there in the pouring rain. We found Ben Ten and Spider man umbrellas (no, for the boys) which made us all happy. The next day, the sun came out, colored the sky a deep blue, and allowed for pretty pictures of the red and yellow Macedonian flag above the fortress. The town is ancient, cobble stoned, steep-hilled, and scattered with 365 churches all tucked in between the roads, trees, old houses, markets, and shops.
We drove back to Skopje mid-afternoon, having previously arranged to meet my former host family along the highway (they assured us we would see their bright green car on the side of the road - and we did!) to have a meal at a roadside restaurant. We sat for a few hours eating fried trout, drinking beer, and catching up. Lots to be thankful for.
Following Thanksgiving Day, where we reminisced about past Thanksgivings including a favorite of mine where Billy and I took a long, wintry bus ride north to spend it with Larry and Monica in Zalau, Romania, we drove the 2 hours southeast to Lake Ohrid. I've been hearing about Lake Ohrid since my Peace Corps days. The town is referred to as "the jewel in Macedonia's crown." And no wonder. We got there in the pouring rain. We found Ben Ten and Spider man umbrellas (no, for the boys) which made us all happy. The next day, the sun came out, colored the sky a deep blue, and allowed for pretty pictures of the red and yellow Macedonian flag above the fortress. The town is ancient, cobble stoned, steep-hilled, and scattered with 365 churches all tucked in between the roads, trees, old houses, markets, and shops.
We drove back to Skopje mid-afternoon, having previously arranged to meet my former host family along the highway (they assured us we would see their bright green car on the side of the road - and we did!) to have a meal at a roadside restaurant. We sat for a few hours eating fried trout, drinking beer, and catching up. Lots to be thankful for.
1 comments:
I loved Ohrid! That was one of my favorite trips. The weather was kind of bad, as I remember, but that just made it seem so much more gothic and romantic.
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