Orthodox Christmas Day: January 7, 2013

Today is Orthodox Christmas in Macedonia.  We woke to a cloudy day that turned into morning snow flurries.  It is also Monday which means there is a Monday hike and an excuse to delay our packing one more day.

Dan and I joined two friends, Tereza and Tiesja, and drove to St. Nikita Monastery to hike through the mostly abandoned village of Chucer in Skopska Crna Gora located a few miles northwest of Skopje.  When we arrived there was still a light dusting of snow covering the ground and rooftops making the landscape look like a Christmas card.

We found that while many of the structures are indeed ruins and uninhabitable, there were a few homes still occupied.

 Resident of Chucer Village

The village across from Sveti Nikita

Santa Claus is not part of Christmas here and once New Year's Day was celebrated, the Santa gang quickly disappeared from the central square.  On the night of 5 January, with a nod to a pagan past,  bonfires were lit.  

We missed the bonfires, but we didn't miss the next tradition which occurs very early on Christmas Eve (called Badnik) day.  Just before 8:00 a.m. on 6 January, our doorbell rang and we could hear people singing outside the door.  This is kind of the Christmas version of Halloween.  The people on the other side of the door have bags into which you should put money or food.  Not being prepared for this event and having mostly emptied our cupboards and refrigerator of food in preparation for our departure, we did the best we could.  A few dinar coins here and food there.  

Another tradition for Christmas Day is bread (pogatcha) that is baked with a coin inside.  The one who takes the piece of bread with the coin will have luck the rest of the year.  

Tomorrow, 8 January, is our last full day in Macedonia.  We have arranged for a van to pick up us, our 8 suitcases, and Kali Cat and transport us to Sofia where we will spend the night in a hotel before leaving the Balkans on 10 January.  

While I look forward to going home, it is always so hard to say goodbye to those who have given me their friendship.  I will miss my friends, and many things about life in Macedonia.

Ciao Ciao Makedonija!

Yet Another Kink in the Pursuit of a Visa: June 11, 2012

Dan just called me to report that the rental agreement I altered did not pass muster with two different notaries.  Not only must we have the rental agreement re-typed, our landlady must provide proof that she owns the apartment.  Now this last step seems like it should have nothing to do with our Visas, but that is the latest demand that we must meet.  So, our landlady must start her own bureaucratic nightmare to obtain a new certificate to prove she owns the property because the certificate must be less than 6 months old.  Why does where we live or how the property is owned make any difference to the Macedonian government or to our pursuit for a Visa?

On a much lighter note, this morning my IWA friends and I had another Monday Hike.  We went again to Matka Canyon and found the trailhead for the easier trail up to the Church of St. Nilola.  

The fastest way to the trailhead is across a small bridge over the kayak course and along some narrow concrete dams built in the River Treska.  That was an adventure in itself.  

On the other side of the River Treska, we met a very sweet little dog who hiked to the top and back with us and then just went back to where she lives in the forest.

Church of St. Nikola

The air was a little steamy from yesterday's heavy rain, but the trail was mostly shaded on the way up the mountain.  We had a picnic in this small covered terrace with a fabulous view of St. Andrea and the restaurant at Lake Matka.

This little dog was so nice.  Corby, Celia's dog, led the group, and this little female brought up the rear.  

Monday Hike: May 21, 2012

Since the first time I joined my new friends on Monday hikes, the hikes have continued uninterrupted.  Unfortunately our hiking guru, Lyubov, injured her knee forcing her to stop hiking for next several months.  This Monday was our group's first hike without Lyubov.  We took a new trail up Vodno that was marked with red and yellow trail markers (from the trailhead near the Swiss Residence to middle Vodno) and returned down.  The hike up was pretty steep in places as shown in the first photo.  At middle Vodno, we took a break for macchiatos.  The weather was gray, of course.  Despite the cool air, we sweated through the steep portions.

Anjeanette, Jasmina, and Viera

Macchiato Break

The trail down

Last night I met Olivera (my landlady) at the nearby Police Station to register my most recent entry into Macedonia.  All went well despite the fact that I have come and gone several times without re-registering since my initial registration when we moved into our apartment in January.  

Dan also found out that his Visa will be ready for pickup in Washington DC.  He will fly to DC on May 28 and return to Macedonia on June 1.