Sniper's Hill

Day 40 - Sarajevo, Bosnia:

Breakfast consisted of a hot dog and egg sandwich - not my favourite, but it did the trick. 

Most of us set out to the bird fountain down the hill in Old Town to meet a local guide for a morning walking tour at 10. The sky was clear blue and the sun already strong! I was thinking smart this morning and decided to pack my umbrella for shade and sunscreen with me in my backpack, which proved to be very handy later on. 

The walk took us though the old town and we saw several mosques, city hall, the Latin Bridge that Franz Ferdinand was assassinated on by a 17-year-old on June 28th, 1914, and all the old red roofed Turkish influenced buildings. We then crossed into new town or Novi Grad, and you could stand between the two and instantly see the difference. New town had different ground tiling and more modern and taller buildings. In the new town was saw the eternal flame which is dedicated to lost soldiers and the liberation from the Nazis in World War II. We also saw the outdoor market that sustained two major bombings during the Bosnian War - one in 1993 that killed 43 people and one in 1995 that killed 75 people. Both bombings happened on the exact same day, but three years apart. The last place we visited was the children's memorial for the 1,600 children that were killed during the siege of Sarajevo. So very sad. 

After the walk we had an hour and a half break before meeting at the bird bath again to go on the war tunnels tour. During the break I went and got a cappuccino and ate my leftover apple and potato chips with Katherine and Karrie. After that I broke off on my own and walked around old town and checked out all the stores and tried on some dresses, but with no luck. 

The war tunnels were something to see. Originally they were 800 meters underneath the airport and they would bring black market supplies into the city this way. Now you can only walk about 25 meters in the tunnels, however. It was blistering hot out while we were out by the airport (we took a bus there) and my umbrella came in handy for shade! We watched a movie with footage of gunfire and bombings from the Bosnian War in Sarajevo. It was chilling. 

From the war tunnels we went on to "Snipers Hill" and got great views of the city, which is also why it was Snipers Hill. From up in the hills you can see everywhere, and our guide told us that the guns they were using could shoot up to 8 kilometres in distance. Our guide was a military academy graduate whose father and grandfather had been in the war. He had also served two terms in Iraq - each 6 months long. 

We took roads we hadn't been on yet to get to snipers hill and ended up seeing apartment buildings that were worse hit than any of the others we had seen so far. It gave me goosebumps - especially after seeing the buildings in the video at the war tunnels getting bombed. As we passed through streets I was also thinking about all of the people we saw in the videos running as fast as they could through intersections trying to get to the other side while avoiding being shot. I simply can't imagine going through that. I'm very lucky to have been born in Canada. I'm very lucky to have family that hasn't lived through war, is healthy, and all together in the same place. So many locals I have talked to here are separated from their families, have horrible memories of the war, and live with a fear of uncertainty. 

The bus brought us back to old town, right behind city hall, and I decided to walk to the front of city hall and get a good look, as I had seen video footage at the war tunnels of the city hall building in flames after being hit by mortar. There I found a plaque that was commemorating the loss of the national and university library in the war. From there I continued walking though old town and when I passed the mosque I noticed it was prayer time. I stood behind the walls and peaked through and watched them pray while the Imam's voice rang through the speakers. They would stand up, bow half way down, and go down on their knees and put their head to the floor over and over and over. It was fascinating. It was also very interesting to see how much space the men got to pray (75% of the area available), compared to the women (25% roughly). 

From there I walked down to Logavina street, as I had read a Guardian article about a reporter during the time of the war that stayed with a family living on this street and reported from their point of view, more or less. The police station happened to be on this street as well.

Once back at the hotel finally, I freshened up to go out for dinner for John's birthday! At 7:15 we all met at the bird bath again and made our way across the river to the Sarajevo Brewery (where during the war many risked their lives and made the trek to get fresh water from the natural spring there). The brewery was very nice and dinner was quite good - as was the beer. 

Our leader, Brian, had kindly arranged a cake for John's birthday, so we all sang to him and got a piece for dessert. Unfortunately, Karren and I were unsure if anyone was going to get him a cake so earlier we had bought a piece for him as well from a bakery, so that went to waste. Oh well! 

After dinner a few of us walked back across the river into old town and made our way to the FIFA World Cup viewing tent to watch Costa Rica vs. Greece. We lasted until the first half was done and then all decided to call it a night. 

Latin bridge where Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in 1914:

100th anniversary:

Holes in the ground from mortar bombs are now filled with red paint and they call them Sarajevo roses:

Names of the 1,600 children killed between 1993-95:

Part of the children's memorial:

The famous Holiday Inn where many journalists stayed and reported from during the war (worth a google search):

War tunnel:

Heavily bombed buildings in the background of a mosque:

Snipers hill view:

City Hall (also worth doing a google search for before and after photos):

Afternoon prayer at the mosque:

Franz Ferdinand

Day 39 - Budva, Montenegro to Sarajevo, Bosnia:

This morning we left the lovely city of Budva and made our way to Sarajevo, Bosnia. Our first stop along the way was at the Ostrog Monastery, one of the most well known Serbian orthodox churches found almost vertical in mountain rock above the windy roads of Montenegro. It is a popular spot for pilgrimage and many hike up to camp over night there and rise early to get in line to pay their respects to the founding bishop. The bishop died in 1671 and is now enshrined there. He was known as a miracle worker so those with health problems go there to pray. The road to get there was extremely windy and narrow and could only fit one vehicle at a time in most places, so you can imagine how fun that was.

It was a very interesting experience. We took a van up to the top instead of hiking and we were still melting in the heat as we waited in line to go in. I can't imagine how all of those making the long hike up felt (and many were in their bare feet). I had to cover myself down to my knees and shoulders before entering, of course. I was the first in line of our group, and having no religious background I was nervous of what I was to do once I reached the priest and the coffin with the enshrined bishop. I watched what everyone else was doing however, and followed suit - which meant kissing the cross the priest held out for me and then bending down to kiss a framed picture of what I presume was Jesus, that was placed in the coffin. Then when exiting the little room filled with frescos, you were to respectfully walk out backwards (as well as when exiting the other doors). I loved just watching all those that had obviously travelled far to reach this monastery do their thing. They would touch and kiss any photo of any religious figure. 

After visiting the monastery we stopped at a place half way down the mountain for lunch. I had a Shopska salad and spinach pie. It was tasty. Then we were off to the border!

We stopped for gas shortly after and switched bus drivers there for whatever reason. Unfortunately our new driver wasn't as friendly as the other (he gave me yummy coconut flavoured gum!) and the new one seemed to be sleepy. As his yawns increased we decided to stop and grab a coffee for him at the next stop. It was a cute little lake village but unfortunately I missed the name of it (it was something like pluvzine). It wasn't long after leaving there that we began to drive into the best scenery we've had while on the road so far. The mountains were all around us and we were driving along a beautiful turquoise coloured lake - it reminded me of Lake Louise. Brian said we drove through the Pica Canyon and the Tara Canyon. 

Before hitting the border we came across a dam. It was a pretty impressive one so we stopped and took some photos. Everything went very smoothly at the Bosnian border. It was around the border that we passed through a rock slide that had recently occurred and covered the road. Luckily it was cleared already. 

We rolled into Sarajevo around 7:30pm, however soon noticed that there was something going on what with the police blocking all the main roads. We needed to get into Stari Grad (old town) where our hotel was, but it proved to be quite the challenge. Our driver went down a road the wrong way and a policeman called him out to see his license and registration. We thought he was going to get a ticket. Our poor driver started to go mad trying to find a way to our hotel. The traffic was just nuts because everyone was getting rerouted. We did eventually make it there however, and we gave the driver a nice tip for all the insanity he dealt with. 

During the drive through town we were able to see several mass graves up in the hills, all with the same white narrow headstones. It was quite chilling to see. After taking a closer look at the majority of the buildings we had passed while driving, it also became apparent that they had been riddled with bullets and many displayed evidence of where mortars had hit. There is a lot of patch work on many of the buildings due to damage obtained during the Bosnian war. It's amazing to see. The city is shaped like a bowl - surrounded by hills - which must've made it quite easy for the snipers to sit up in the hills and shoot down.

As it turned out, there was a reason why police were everywhere. June 28th is the 100th anniversary of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand on the Latin Bridge in Sarajevo, which sparked the First World War. There are concerts, speeches, and reenactments on the bridge taking place this evening. 

On our drive in I also noticed people lining up at different bakeries all over the place and I was wondering why they were doing that. Turns out it's for Ramadan and as it was sunset they were ending their period of fasting and were lining up for traditional bread that must be made at a certain time (according to someone I asked). I watched them wait in line while the call to prayer was heard in the background. Quite cool. 

As a group we set out to exchange money once we got into our nice new hotel and then it was dinner time. We walked deeper into old town past a couple of  mosques and the bird bath in one of the squares to our restaurant.  It was around 10:30 by the time we finished eating. I had yummy grilled tomato, onions and peppers that were stuffed with minced meat. 

I was so exhausted after dinner that it was straight back to the hotel and to bed for me.

Ostrog monastery in the Montenegro mountains:

A section of people camped out at the monastery:

Bells at the top of the monastery:

View while driving through Tara canyon:

Rock slide:

Made it to Sarajevo for dusk and found almost every building displaying evidence of the war:

Line up for bread as the days fasting comes to an end at sunset:

Bay of Kotor

Day 38 - Budva, Montenegro:

This morning we were up bright and early to catch the 8:30 am bus to the bay of Kotor. It was about a half hour drive on the public bus. Along the way i saw tons of olive trees. The bus had to go through a tunnel that lasted about a minute or so and there was no ventilation so it was completely filled with fumes. It was hard to breathe and definitely a safety hazard. Ah, Montenegro. 

Kotor was so beautiful. The bay was filled with boats and a huge cruise ship that had come from Barcelona. Stari Grad, or Old Town, had cobblestone paths winding in and out of red roofed old buildings and churches. It was filled with shops and cafés. There was a hike the top of the fortress that I wanted to do and as the day was only getting hotter and more and more tourists were pouring in, I wanted to get it done first. 

It took about an hour with several photo stops to get to the top. The views were breath taking. I have never been so sweaty before though. It was as if I had jumped into a lake (gross, I know). It was all worth it though! I brought a banana with me (life essentials) so I enjoyed that at the top and chugged my water.

On the way back down Karren and I were chatting away and she mentioned how Steve wanted to do a cruise. Several of the people from the cruise ship down below were doing the hike and one lady in particular was walking down in front of us. She was a hilarious Asian lady from L.A and immediately chimed in saying, "don't do it! This is the last cruise I will ever do. If there wasn't alcohol available I would jump overboard." I had a good laugh talking to her. 

At the bottom there was a fountain so I splashed water all over my face to cool down and dried off on my shirt. It was the one day I had put mascara on though and I had totally forgot so I had raccoon eyes and black spots on my shirt after that. Oops!

It was then gelato time! Well deserved, cold gelato. 

Quite a few of us ended up being together on the 12:45pm bus back to Budva. The driver was kind enough to drop us off right in front of our hotel. I hopped in the shower immediately before meeting up with Karren and Steve to hit the beach half an hour later.

The beach was very busy. We had to rent a bed and umbrella for 5 Euros an hour. We planned on only staying an hour, however. The beach was pretty rocky near the water but had sand under the umbrella areas. The water was perfect. Not too cold but refreshing enough. 

After the beach I went back and had yet another shower to rinse the salt water off and caught the end of the Djokovic match. Then I went and found myself a cafe to use the internet and get caffeinated. I was very sleepy and it was only around 3pm. The latte and cappuccino did the trick and woke me up. 

I met in Steve and Karren's room for wine and chocolate at 6. Barb, Joanne, Katherine, Brian, April, Jane, and karrie all came by too! 

Some of us headed out for a walk and late dinner around 7:30. First we strolled past the Old Town along a water side path and found a beautiful statue of a dancing lady. We sat there and enjoyed the view and sound of the waves. Around 8:30 we went to find a dinner spot. We found a perfect spot right along the water called The Fishermans's Pub. I had a yummy Shopska salad and sandwich. Then we went for another late night stroll along the water in the other direction. The night was just getting started so all the clubs had their music blasting and party lights going. It was a totally different atmosphere from the day time. It's a happening place!

Banana at the top:

Kotor view:

The Land of the Eagle

Day 37 - Budva, Montenegro:

I'm happy to say that we departed our Tirana Hotel Ferrari this morning. The gentleman that worked there were so kind and helpful and breakfast was delicious, I just wasn't a fan of our room. Half way through breakfast I decided to run across the street and buy a banana from a vendor. I haven't gone a day without a banana since being away from home! 

The group came up with the idea to do the wave while saying "yay!" the first time that our leader said "yay," in his little speeches he does on the bus. We anxiously waited for him to say it all morning (he often uses it), and he never did!

We made our way to Kruje, Albania, the former capital, for a stop along the way to Montenegro. We drove past the only airport in Albania on the way. It was extremely tiny and weird how we drove right through the airport to get there. 

Kruje was situated up in the mountains with a view looking down onto Tirana. We had a 3 hour stop there so some of us went into the Skanderbeg museum (the national hero of Albania that I mentioned in my last post). We had a guide as we went through and he was very knowledgeable. He explained the meaning behind the flag of Albania. It's a 2-headed eagle with one head facing east and one west - to Rome and to Constantinople. It also had something to do with the Skanderbeg family crest. 

Our guide also told us about how most Albanians speak Italian just as well as the Italians. There's a lot of Italian influence over here, including in the food! 

After the museum I walked through the old bazaar and took a look at some of the stuff being sold. They had a lot of really pretty knitted wool mitts and socks. I saw a ring I really loved but my finger was too fat to fit it on. 

Some of us met for lunch up at hotel panorama. I was feeling very faint and dizzy at this point. I think my blood sugar was really low. I ordered pasta and munched on delicious sourdough bread. It was sooo tasty. There were some important looking people sitting behind us. They may have been dignitaries or something - they were all dressed in suits and getting the best of service.

I still wasn't feeling 100% after lunch. I felt weak and shaky, so I slept most of the time on the bus. We stopped for a bit before the Montenegro border to grab a drink and go to the washroom. Poor Katherine was also feeling really sick at this point, but at a much worse level than I. I gave her some pills to take. 

You could tell the difference economically between Albania and Montenegro instantly upon entering Montenegro. The infrastructure was instantly better off. The views driving into Budva were so beautiful. We drove along the coastline and managed to stop for some photos along the way. 

The new hotel is quite nice. We're in a great part of town that's just minutes from the beach. It's a very touristy European city. Lots of expensive looking yachts parked in the marina. 

Once settled in we went for a walk into Stari Grad aka Old Town. It was beautiful inside there. It was right along the water and had some beautiful old churches inside. It was also full of shops and cafés. 

After our walk some of us went for dinner to catch the end of the US vs. Germany game. Germany pulled through and won 1-0. I had some yummy traditional minced meat rolls that came with fries and veggies. 

I stopped at the market on the way home and got some stuff, including ice cream for dessert. I was so tired that I went home and showered and passed out instantly. I wasn't feeling the best again.

Albanian flag in Kruje:

Adorable men that sat chatting and smoking and doing crossword puzzles in the afternoon:

Old Yugoslavian money:

Made it to Budva, Montenegro (so much more beautiful than this photo depicts, but more photos to come!):

Where Pizza Meets Baklava

Day 36 - Tirana, Albania:

We left our cute little apartment rooms this morning in Lake Ohrid. They had stocked our fridge full of more goodies the night before so for breakfast I had yummy muesli cereal with banana and a chocolate croissant. We also had stuff to make a sandwich so I decided to pack one for lunch since we were going to be on the road and wouldn't have time for lunch when we got to Tirana. 

It was only 45 minutes to the Albania border. The drive to the border was quite nice. We did some winding around the lake and there were poppies all along the road side. We soon found ourselves high up in the mountains on a very windy road. Some close calls near the edge as we passed other vehicles! Eeek! But our driver was very good, thankfully. 

We tried to watch a movie in Spanish on the bus to pass the time but gave up quickly. I ended up introducing the band Milky Chance (from Germany) to Amy during the ride and she loved them. 

Shortly after entering Albania we began noticing these cement little mushroom cap looking things scattered all over the mountains and areas in the towns we were passing. Turns out that they're old bomb bunkers from the communist era. It's rumoured that 700,000 were built at the time - 1 for every 4 people. 

We stopped at a coffee shop to have a washroom break before carrying on. I ordered a cappuccino and it was just steamed milk with a drop of coffee. This has become common when ordering cappuccinos or lattes now, so I've began to ask for lots of coffee and little milk. These guys need some barista training over here. 

We rolled into Tirana around 1pm and it was very obvious that we had just entered one of the poorest European countries. There were a lot more beggars on the streets, garbage everywhere, and ugly run down buildings from the communist era. But, I find beauty in the lesser countries because it's more of a culture shock and more of a learning experience. These are the places that usually have a lot of history and stories to tell. 

Upon arrival at our hotel (Hotel Ferrari) we received a welcome drink. I tried the local beer and it was delicious, just like the beer everywhere else has been. Jane and I got settled in our room, which can't even be compared to our last place. This place has gross red carpets and is the tiniest little room. We were afraid to touch the curtains. The bathroom was a whole other story. It was all blue and so dark that I couldn't shave my legs because I couldn't even see my legs haha. 

A man by the name of Alexander came and greeted us all at the hotel and then we set off for a 3 hour walking tour around the city with him. He was born and raised in Tirana and does tours for a living. He said the average salary there is $300 US and rent per month is on average $1200 US. Many families live together in order to afford to live. During the tour we saw the opera house in the main square, which was next to a mosque that we went into. The ladies all had to wear scarves and cover our heads. We all had to take our shoes off before stepping onto the carpet. We were shown where the Imam sits during the call to prayer which takes place 5 times a day facing Mecca. We also went up to the balcony where the women sit separately so that the men won't be tempted to stare at them during prayer. 

We were also shown the statue of Alexander Skanderbeg, a very important figure in Albanian history (Google it yourself as it's too much to write about!). He is considered their national hero after defending the region from the Ottoman Empire for 25 years. Our guide then showed us some old communist statues which are now covered and hiding behind the art gallery. 

There were signs saying "I love Cameria" all around the city so I asked Alexander about them and he said it was an area of Albania that suffered greatly from a genocide led by Greece. It was a forced expulsion of the Cham Albanians and Alex said that they are still at war with Greece today.

Another interesting thing Alex told us about during the tour was how a previous mayor decided to have all the buildings painted different colours and patterns within the city rather than keep them the awful grey cement associated with the communist era buildings. The mayor who had this done, is now the Albanian president. 

Along our walk we came to this run down and abandoned pyramid in the middle of a square. Turns out it was where a dictator wished to be immortalized so he built this pyramid. The Albanians don't know what to do with it now but rather than demolish it they feel they should keep it to recognize this part of their history. There was also a bell hanging by the pyramid that was made of melted bulled that children in the hills had found. Pretty neat.

The walk ended at the Tirana sky bar that does a full rotation every hour. We were meeting Brian, our leader, here for a drink at 6 pm but we had 45 minute to kill so we walked down the street to another bar and had a drink. It was so hot out and we were all sweaty and tired. I splashed my face in the washroom to cool me off and ordered a delicious OJ with Malibu rum (I don't know what came over me to think to order this). The waiters were all very flirty guys so when it came time for us to pay the bill they sent me to talk to them because some were paying in euros and others in the Albanian currency and we weren't sure if they would accept that. They did. 

Then it was back to the sky bar. The views were great up top and you could really see all of the coloured buildings. I had a glass of gross wine. From there we made our way to dinner which was consisted of a set menu.

The food was absolutely amazing. We had salads, grilled veggies, fried cheeses, spicy sausage in a tomato and pepper sauce, spicy cheese and bread, spinach pie, olives, and a platter of lamb, chicken, and pork. 

After dinner some of us gals decided to walk home. It was around 9pm and we were told it would take about 45 minutes. We did it in just under 45 minutes.

I got back and took a shower and had intentions to go down and watch some soccer, but I ended up falling asleep instead. It was a long day! 

Me at the mosque standing next to where the Imam goes up and sits:

Tirana, Albania:

Old bunkers from the communist era:

A shoe store on the sidewalk (quite common) - size 9 in the black ones please?:

Day on the Water

Day 35 - Lake Ohrid, Macedonia:

Croatia lost the game last night. It went quiet in the streets once the game ended, thankfully. I left to go to bed after the score was 3-0 for Mexico. 

Breakfast was in our fridge in the room for us to make ourselves this morning. I had bought some muesli to add milk to for myself and a banana to get some nutrition in there. Other than that there was bread, ham, and cheese, so I also ended up making a ham and cheese sandwich. It was pretty tasty. 

The group met up at 8:15 to walk over to the lake and hop on the boat for a day out on the water. I sunscreened the hell out of myself before leaving so I could bake in the sun all I wanted. I've lost my Greece tan so I have to work on my tan again. 

The boat was fairly small and simple. Drinks were included so right off the bat the captain of our private little boat was trying to get us drinking beer or wine. We declined at first and took it slow. 

The water was so clear and blue and the day so beautiful. It was a perfect 28 degrees. Our first stop was The Bay of Bones - an old pile-dwelling settlement that was discovered under water and reconstructed. It was fairly interesting and cool to walk around in and get an idea of what it was like. While wandering around there, I came across two little puppies sitting in the shade. I couldn't help but pick them up and snuggle with them. They were so adorable and I didn't want to leave them. 

Right after we left that area and were back on the boat the captain heard Katherine and I talking about how we had really bad garlic breath from last nights dinner. He said he had just the cure - a shot of local spirit of course - Raki. He poured us each one and we painfully took it. It didn't seem to help.

From there we stopped at a monastery along the water and walked around. Then it was off to a little fishing village for lunch. We enjoyed the delicious catch of the day from the lake. 

We were all dying to get in the water so we finished quickly and hopped back on the boat to go to a swimming spot. Karren and I were the first to jump in off the back of the boat as the others were concerned about how cold it was going to be. The water temperature was perfect to me - but I'm used to the Canadian lakes. 

After the swim Amy and I took full advantage of the roof of the boat and laid out there to dry and take in the sun. We took advantage of the wine and beer on the way back to shore. We ran them dry of wine. 

While sipping on our wine we chatted with the captain a bit and found out about his life a little. He seemed to be quite well off. His son and daughter both had their own apartments, as well as him. His kids were in university and he only works from March to November doing boat trips. Apparently he has also come up with two inventions (a rainbow cleaner?) that were bought out by Americans. He was a really nice guy and made sure we were all well taken care of. 

Once back on land I booked it to the market to buy some snacks for lunch tomorrow and then headed home to shower and repack my laundry that the hotel cleaned for me! I finally have clean clothes again! Yay!

I am now sitting in Karren and Steve's room partaking in our wine and chocolate pre-dinner routine with Kerry and Katherine. I've skipped dinner kind of tonight as I have a ton of fruit in the fridge to eat. At 9 we're all going to go out with Brian to watch some football. 

Tomorrow we're off to Albania! 

Katherine and I at the fortress at the Bay of Bones:

Puppies I found:

Our awesome captain trying to get us to drink:

And semi-succeeding - these are the anti-garlic shots of Raki:

Bay of Bones reconstructed huts:

Lunch:

Swim time:

Lakeside

Day 34 - Lake Ohrid, Macedonia:

It was an early morning. Breakfast was at 6:30 and consisted of a croissant, a boiled egg, and toast. I'm so sick of bread and bread and more bread, but of course I keep eating it. Taxis rolled up around 7:15 to take us all to the bus station. We left Skopje at 8am sharp and off we went to Lake Ohrid, Macedonia. 

At the 2 hour mark we stopped for apple strudel and a coffee. Sadly, they sold out of the infamous apple strudel right before I made it to the till to order so I got stuck with a greasy awful cheese pastry (more bread, yay). It was about another 2 hours until we made it to Lake Ohrid. I managed to sleep probably 75% of the whole trip, which is quite unusual. I'm not sure why I was so tired either. I have a new roomie now, Jane from Australia, and she's awesome. She's very quiet and considerate, so I slept like a baby last night. 

At first Lake Ohrid wasn't what I had expected and I think that's due to the impression I got of the lake and mountain landscape in Slovakia. It's less of a mountain getaway and more of a city on a lake - which is totally fine. It was a very hot sunshine filled day out today, and we took advantage of this right upon settling into our rooms. 

I quickly went and grabbed an orange from the supermarket before we all met at 1 for what was supposed to be a 3 hour walk and turned into 4 and a half hours - again, totally fine. Before setting off the call to prayer began right on the hour. About 33% of the Macedonian population is Muslim. It's a very interesting thing to hear. I quite like it - it's different.

Our walk was great. We saw churches along the lake, monastaries, amphitheatres, old town and new town, and more! My favourite part was when we walked along the water and came to this spot where all of the horoscope signs are posted and you're supposed to touch your sign and throw a coin into the lake over your shoulder while making a wish. I hope my wish comes true! 

Having gone for such a long walk in the sun, a drink stop along the lake was necessary. People were swimming in the water right out front our restaurant and I was so tempted to jump in and join them. I had a beer and a tomato and cucumber with cheese salad, also known as Shopska salad, and olives. It hit the spot. Steve ordered an Ohrid cake and it tasted like baklava in cake form - amazing.  

We also walked the walls along the fortress and got amazing views from the top. You can actually see Albania across the way. 75% of the lake is on the Macedonia side and 25% on the Albania side. 

Once back at the room I quickly showered before attending the traditional pre-dinner wine and chocolate. Macedonia has some very good wine! Then it was off to dinner. Dinner was down by the water and there was a band playing some traditional music while children danced on the grass. I indulged in chicken with cream sauce, grilled veggies, and rice. The Netherlands were playing Chile while we ate as the bars we passed were just packed with the colour orange. The Netherlands did win, 2-0. 

The girls and I walked back to the hotel along the main road with all of the shops and did some window shopping. Once back we ran into Brian who was keen on watching the 10pm game - Croatia vs. Mexico. He managed to convince us all to go down to the bar literally five steps away from where we're staying to watch it since it was filling up fast with excited Croatian fans and would be so loud we wouldn't be able to sleep anyways. I decided to post on here quickly first before going down to join them so that's where I'm headed now. 

We're all getting picked up at 8:15 tomorrow to spend the day out on a boat on the lake though so it won't be too late of a night!

Macedonia flag at top of fortress:

Lake Ohrid:

Kathryn and I in our more modest bottoms at the church:

Shade break on the steps:

Statues on Statues

Day 33 - Skopje, Macedonia:

Another travel day! We left this morning via private bus at 9am. I got up at 7 to go across to the food hall (like a massive food stall market) and grab some lunch stuff before departure. Breakfast was brought to our room again - delightful. 

The drive was about 4 hours total including border crossing time. Unfortunately our driver seemed to be very tired and his eyes kept shutting momentarily. It was freaking me out quite a bit as he liked to go pretty fast as well. Brian went up and sat next to him and turned up the music to keep him up. He also bought him two coffees to keep him going. 

We did make it safe and sound around 3ish. I've got a new roomie so we got settled in our room and then we were all off again for a walk in lovely Skopje, Macedonia. This place is so strange. It's a bit like a European Vegas. There are insane statues everywhere. Huge, elaborate statues surrounded by fountains with the whole Mirage fountain like effects going on. We tried to keep track of how many statues we saw and it was somewhere up in the hundreds. It is a poorer town however, and so it's strange to see this mix of areas where there has obviously been a lot of money put into and then there are poor children begging, garbage everywhere, and unfinished buildings as well. 

It was really hot out today - about 28. With all the rain we've been getting it's the hottest it's been in a while. Some of us split for lunch and a beer after the walk. I had a Greek salad. I miss the Greek food! The girls and I walked up to the fortress after that and walked along the wall - really nice views! 

I was a sweaty mess after that so it was time for a shower before dinner! Then of course we all met for our pre-dinner wine and chocolate. For din din I kind of took a gamble and went with a local random dish the server chose really, since I couldn't understand him. It turned out to be yum - chicken and pork sautéed with onions, peppers, and mushrooms with these sort of baked potato chips on the side. My tummy was feeling a little off all day so I had a coca-cola for the first time in years (other than mixed with rum of course) to help kill off any bad stuff. I learned this trick in Southeast Asia and it seemed to work, but perhaps it's more of a mental trick than anything. 

Tomorrow we have a really early morning since we're off to the lake for a couple of days. I'm extra excited for the lake because it's apparently a good place to do laundry for cheap so I've been holding off for quite some time now. 

I have no pictures to post from today sadly since I was having camera issues. I've got it all figured out for tomorrow, however! For fun, I will post a picture from back in Belgrade, Serbia of me drinking out of a natural spring fountain in the street:

I Want to Ride My Bicycle

Day 33 - Sofia, Bulgaria:

Today was both an awesome day and an awful day. It started with breakfast being delivered to the room at 8:30 - lovely. I got a warm croissant with butter and jam, a boiled egg, and some juice. I was still hungry though, so luckily I had a spare orange and some almonds in my bag! 

I still didn't have any of the local currency as the exchange place was closed the night before and I just used my card for dinner, so off I went to the exchange place again. Turns out it was still closed. Apparently weekends are the time when a lot of shops close, which is very inconvenient. I carried on with my search though because I really didn't want to withdraw more money, just wanted to exchange my Dinars from Serbia that I had left over. Eventually, with the help of others, we found a bank that exchanged some Euro so we had to settle for that for the time being. I wanted to make an 11am bike tour so there was no more time to waste.

The spot to meet for the tour was at the national theatre and it appeared that there was an Olympic Day event being held there. We saw a running of the torch and it being passed on to an Olympian. I'm not sure why this was taking place today, however. 

Our bike guide, Petur, took us to get our bikes (they all had cute little baskets, even though they were mountain bikes) and off we went. There was 6 of us doing the tour, so it was a good sized group. I was glad to find out that the bike ride was mostly through the huge parks they have all over the place. There were tons of little bike paths winding in and out of the park paths. They were a bit muddy due to the heavy rains Bulgaria has been getting, but that made it more fun. The day started off rainy. Yet the sun came out and it turned out to be a beautiful day! 

The awful part of the day happened near the beginning of the tour when I dropped my camera and broke the lens. It won't go back in anymore. I was really upset. Luckily I have a back up camera, but still really unfortunate. 

About half way through the bike ride Petur got a flat so we we stopped at a park that Petur said he goes to every day and we fed the birds and squirrels while we waited for a replacement bike to come. It was so fun. He gave us a handful of walnuts and did some bird calls and out came the nuthatches. They were so cute and would sit on your hand and eat away. I couldn't believe how big and green and lush the parks were. We never would've known they existed had we not done this bike tour. 

Throughout many of the parks there were promotion booths set up for different beverages so we made some stops to fuel up on freebies. The first was some thirst quenching fanta, followed by some cherry cider - the better of the two, for sure. 

We passed by a monument in which a piece of the Berlin Wall was situated and our guide asked us if we could guess what it was. I guessed it correctly first so I won a prize that consisted of some god awful rose perfume ha. 

After the awesome bike tour I went on a bit of a walk and got some stuff from the market for the bus ride tomorrow. Once back at the hotel I found out my rooms shower was out of commission so Steve and Karren kindly let me use the one in their room. Then some of us met for our traditional wine and chocolate before dinner in their room as well. 

Dinner was tasty. I had pork shank and it came with tasty grilled veggies and potatoes. From dinner a few of us went to a spot down the road to watch the Germany vs. Ghana football game for a bit. It was a bit chilly out so I had hot chocolate! 

Feeding the birds:

Chunk of Berlin Wall:

Fun ropes park we came across during bike tour:

Lion Territory

Day 32 - Nis, Serbia/Sofia, Bulgaria:

It was a pretty easy going morning as a private bus wasn't coming to get us until noon. I had bought some breakfast from the market the night before so that I could sleep in and enjoy breakfast in bed. I watched the news and then eventually made my way into the shower.

Noon rolled around faster than I had thought it would, and we were off! The scenery in the first hour or so was beautiful. We were winding through the Balkan mountains. The rivers we drove alongside all seemed to be rather high - likely due to the large amounts of rain the Balkans have been hit with. We were quickly out of the mountain range however, and then back to pretty flat land. 

The drive to the border of Bulgaria was a fairly quick one. We stopped at a truck stop to eat our lunch just before crossing. I had my first taste of peanut butter since leaving home! I made a banana and peanut butter sandwich at the hotel and brought it with me. It was heavenly.

Once into Bulgaria it was a little ways to the city of Sofia. We rolled in around 5pm and then once again, rushed off before getting settled to catch a free walking tour at 6. The guide of the tour was hilarious. He was a young university student in Eco-tourism and very enthusiastic. He showed us parliament and the changing of the guards, a synagogue, a mosque, an Orthodox Church, and a Catholic Church - all living in harmony with one another in such a small area (it can be done), as well as the Alexander Nevsky church that Sofia is known for, and St. Sofia church in which the city is named after. St. Sofia church was neat because the church bell is actually in the tree across from it rather than the top of the church. We were also shown the national theatre, and trees in which you find red and white bracelets hanging from the branches. From what I recall, people are given these bracelets and then not until they've seen a stork or something else they're unlikely to see, can they then take it off and tie it in the tree. Kind of interesting. 

The guide also told us about the importance of the lion in Sofia. Their currency is called the Lev, or the lion, and you can find many lion statues or references around the city, symbolizing strength and power. We saw many other things during the 3 hour tour! It was a good one.

We were starving once it ended so we all went for a late dinner and watched a bit of the Italy vs. whichever team it was. Then it was bed! 

Unfortunately, I dropped my camera the next day and it is now out of commission so I don't have any good photos to share for this post.

Entering Bulgaria:

Here is one of the synagogue from the hotel balcony:

Breakfast in bed:

Nis is Nice

Day 31 - Nis, Serbia:

We left Belgrade by public bus to Nis this morning at 8:30. We basically had the whole bus to ourselves though. The ride was about 4 hours long. Once we got there we quickly checked into our rooms and then went and got a quick lunch. 

Then it was off to the Red Cross (not affiliated with the Red Cross we know) concentration camp just outside of the main part of town. We had a private guide and he had quite the personality. It was like he was acting out what he was saying the whole time. The concentration camp in Nis is different in that an organized mass escape occurred on February 12th, 1942 in which 105 prisoners got away. However, as punishment 1100 prisoners were then executed by the Nazis. 

The guide showed us the barb wire crossed floors the prisoners were made to sleep on in the cells and the area of the original fence in which the prisoners escaped from. A bigger cement wall was built around the perimeter after the escape happened. We also saw the site of the executions. It was very grim. 

After the camp, some of us went to see the skull tower. The tower was made of skulls of the dead Serbs in a battle that took place in 1809 against the Turks. It was constructed to scare the others and show what they (the Turks) can do. 

Once done there, we decided to experiment with the public buses and asked a local girl how to get back to the fortress - which is near our hotel. She was a great help but couldn't understand why on earth we were visiting her hometown. Not a lot of tourists here, I suppose. 

We successfully made it back to the main square and from there I walked into the fortress to check it out. The view from the top was ok. Again it was a rather overcast day so you couldn't see very far. A lot of teens (aka youths - New Girl reference) were up there making out. It seemed like the hot spot. 

In between then and dinner I just hung out in the room and caught up on my CNN news. 

Dinner was amazing. We went for a set menu that included a delicious plate of cold meats, bread, cheeses and salads. Then we got some yummy chicken. There were these really hot raw green peppers that we ended up challenging each other to eat, but nobody succeeded. 

A couple of us went and found a nice outdoor bar that was playing the England vs. Uruguay game and we had a beer and watched. I'm really getting into this whole European football thing! It was a bit cold out while watching the game though so I made a hot cup of tea when I got back to the room before bed. 

Awful torture cell:

Red Cross concentration camp:

Part of the skull tower:

Nis fortress on a cloudy day:

Veggies! Yummmm:

Watching some football before bed: