Ohrid: A lake & a town in Macedonia.

Ohrid, a town of about 60,000 sits on Lake Ohrid which shares a border with Albania. It's a hill town full of churches, with good trails connecting them.

Pedestrian Ohrid.

Old cars and old churches.

This was an old fort which they are restoring. Great views.

Old cars with obscenities.

I walked along the water here back to town.

Church of St. Sophia.

Stuga, the town next door. I went here with the girl who I am rooming with is an Australian who has lived in NYC for 20 years. We are having a great time. Now I want to move to NYC.

The Ancient Theatre.

Lake Ohrid is always misty like this...

There are snapdragons everywhere. I think this is the birthplace of them!

Coffee on the lake.

Weirdest McD's I've seen. I did not partake in the splendors inside.

I wonder what these chairs are for...

These guys were SQUEEZED onto this bench.

A gift from who else, but the Danish!

I love Gnomes!

Macedonia in a nutshell

I walked around old town today with a couple guys from my hostel. We stopped in the Museum of Contemporary Art, which was atop a hill behind a castle. The building looked unkempt and uninviting from the outside, but inside was clean modernity. After wandering past the art, I spotted a bathroom, and decided to make use (bathrooms are not so ubiquitous in Europe as elsewhere). The bathroom was tidy as well, with all the modern western amenities installed (toilet paper & paper towel holders, toilets), but all completely empty and missing toilet seats. They'd built the infrastructure but couldn't maintain the finances to keep it up.

Three Month Vacation, Day 1: Skopje

Skopje is crumbling and constructing at the same time. (Like me.) Maybe that's why I like Eastern Europe countries so much.

An onslaught of emotions assault a person embarking on an extended holiday, especially in conjunction with an international move and job erasure. The last month was not fun with daily surprises associated with my move. But less than twenty-four hours from my departure, it all feels to be in the distant past. New horizons beckon, and worries have been lifted.

I arose late and breakfasted with several other hostelers from around the world. A communal feast and travel talk lifts all spirits. Plus, tips from fellow travelers are generally better than any travel book's advice. I felt instantly at home- lifting any residual anxieties I had regarding my choice to travel again for an extended time.

However, I made an error in packing. It's hot and humid, and some of my German clothing are a bit much, so I took a special trip to the post office. Well, two trips- one to find it, and one to mail the clothes. I don't mind going on odd errands as such, because it's usually a cultural experience as well. This was no different.

The woman behind the counter didn't speak English, but several of the people who were there did, and kept helping. One man even came outside and gave me more instructions in his broken English. It was heartwarming. Later when I returned, the counter lady smiled and packed up my things into a small box that she had behind the counter. About $30 later, I was 5lbs lighter, and feeling happy at the experience.

So here I am at day one again, feeling good and ready for the road ahead.

The post office. I could not see it even when it was right in front of me.

Excellent sugar-free coffee. (They just whipped the milk/creme.)

The package to America.

The longest ash ever on that lady.