Cairo-Our First Day: April 28, 2012

Dan and I had made arrangements to visit many of our Egyptian friends.  Today, we were scheduled to visit with our friends Gamal and Zizi and their boys.  Since we were meeting Gamal at his shop near the Citadel we visited the Citadel first.

The above photo is of the dome of the Muhammad Ali Mosque.  It's architecture is Ottoman and inside it always feels so peaceful and cool.  Visitors come just to sit and enjoy the space.

The Fountain at Muhammed Ali Mosque

The Citadel didn't have many foreign visitors today, but there were some Egyptian visitors.  An Egyptian man asked me to take a photo of his children and the beautiful young women in these photos wanted to take photos of me with them.  After that they posed for us.  The Egyptians we met at the Citadel were friendly and welcoming.  Several asked where we were from and thanked us for coming to Egypt.  It reminded us of how we were welcomed by Egyptians in November 1990 during Operation Desert Shield.  

We met up with Gamal at his shop and then we all went to his home in his son Basel's car. Basel, a new driver, has had his car for 3 months--that's about how long he has been driving, too.

At Gamal's house, Dan and Gamal played chess.  This time Gamal won.  Basel said that during the revolution when there was no work, he and his father would play chess for hours each day.  It shows.  Zizi and Gamal fixed an Egyptian feast of grilled chicken, kofte, salad, tahina, rice and baladi bread.  We ate too much although Zizi wasn't satisfied insisting that we keep eating, and eating, and eating.  Their other son, Mohanad, was in classes at Cairo University so we missed him.

Gamal, Dan, Basel, Zizi, and Ragi

One of the consequences since the revolution is that the police have virtually disappeared. The police force still has not returned to its pre-revolution presence.  On August 30, 2011, Ragi was caught in the middle of a fight between two gangs.  People were running away but he was not able to run fast enough. His hand and wrist were injured after he put is left arm up to shield his head from the beating.  A few months ago he had surgery to repair the nerve damage, and it seems that his hand will recover normal movement.

After dinner, Basel drove us to Zamalek in his red Ford.

After eating that large meal, we met Ghada and her husband Gamal for yet another meal. This time we had a little bit more control over what went into our mouths.

Detour to Istanbul: April 27, 2012

Last night we made our way to Macedonia's Alexander the Great Airport for our flight to Cairo.  It was actually two flights: Skopje-Istanbul and Istanbul-Cairo.  We had about 90 minutes between flights and they were both Turkish Air so we didn't anticipate any problems.  How silly of us!  Our Turkish Air flight to Istanbul left very late because the Turkish Air flight we were to take arrived in Skopje very late.  We arrived in Istanbul after 12:30 a.m. which was after our connecting flight had already left.

The Turkish Air Transit Desk was overwhelmed with passengers with the same problem--missed connections to all parts of the world.  When we finally got our turn, we gave the Turkish Air employee our information; she told us to take a seat across the terminal from her desk.  We waited and waited, and we watched new waves of disgruntled passengers queue up or usually just mob the Turkish Air Transit Desk.  Finally, feeling forgotten, we got back in line.  After quite a bit of waiting, we were finally rebooked on an afternoon flight and sent to Turkish Air's Hotel Desk.  To get to the Hotel Desk, we had to buy a visa ($20 each) so we could leave the airport.  At the Hotel Desk, we waited some more with other delayed passengers.  Finally, our names were called, and we boarded a shuttle bus to a "5-star hotel" somewhere in greater Istanbul.

Around 3:30 or 4:00 a.m. we arrived at our hotel which was at least 45 minutes from the airport.  We checked in, and I asked for and was given a toothbrush and toothpaste.  Because our carry-on bags consist of camera equipment and our laptop, we had no other toiletries or clothing other than what was on our backs.

This morning we woke to a beautiful view of the Sea of Marmara.  Our room was very nice and the bed was two king sized beds.  We have no idea where we were.

Turkish Air told us a shuttle bus would pick us up at 11:00 for our 2:00 flight.  We waited.  The shuttle bus finally showed up about 11:30, but it was a van not a bus.  Once the other passengers got in with their bags, there was no room for us.  The driver said he'd call another van for us.  Again, we waited.  Finally fearing that we would miss yet another plane, we took a taxi to the airport.  Our flight was left late so our worries were for naught.

Our baggage did not arrive with us at the Cairo Airport.  Egypt Air filled out reports for the missing luggage and they paid us a "baggage delay" allowance of 200 EGP ($33 USD).

One thing that did work well was our Cairo hotel, the Hotel Longchamps.  We asked for a driver to meet us at the airport, and he was there with a sign.  He had a nice car with air conditioning and whisked us to the hotel.  Our room was serene and quiet.  After checking in we went in search of a change of clothing.  It was lovely to be back in Zamalek.

We each bought a shirt and I found a pair of denim capris.  After dinner at Abou El Cid Restaurant, we found The Body Shop recently opened in Zamalek on 26th July, and I bought makeup.  Interestingly,  there are several new shops in Zamalek opened post revolution.  There is a fancy cupcake shop (Nola's Cupcakes) on Brazil St and a Gourmet Food Shop with Australian beef and Norwegian Salmon.  And, some of the old shops have remodeled their old spaces.

One False Step: April 22, 2012

Dan's first training class of Macedonian defense attorneys began on Friday, and today was the last day of the 3-day course.  On Friday, I took photos of his distinguished visitors, the US Ambassador to Macedonia and the President of the Macedonia Bar Association, welcoming the students.  Yesterday, I picked up trash.  Today, I walked to City Park to take photos of trees for the Digital Photography School assignment: Landscape with trees.

The weather was beautiful and I walked all over the park taking photos of trees, shadows, the stream and the small pond.  I planned to return in the late afternoon when the light was better and golden.

I took the above photo from a small bridge over the stream, and I was thinking about how to shoot the next photo while I took my next step.  My next step was a big one.  I hadn't noticed that a plank in the bridge was missing because I was not watching where I was walking.

My foot fell exactly where the plank was missing, and the gap was just big enough for my foot to fall through twisting all the ligaments and tendons in my foot as my toe scraped past the other plank.  So, my right leg went all the way through and I was stopped by my left hip.  I lay there assessing the pain I was feeling with conflicting hopes: 1) hoping someone would come and help me and 2) hoping that no one saw me go down.  No one came.

Eventually, I was able to pull my leg out of the hole and rest on my back for a while.  I was quite deep into the park which meant I was also quite far from a taxi stand.  I limped, limped, limped out of the park, got a taxi, and limped back to our apartment to get ice on the sprain. When Dan got home, he went to the pharmacy and got a compression bandage. There is a fair amount of bruising and swelling around my right foot and ankle and a large bruise on my left hip, but I will survive.  My camera was unharmed.

Earth Day Celebration in Skopje

Earth Day is actually the 22nd, but today in Skopje a small group of people picked up trash on Mount Vodno to help clean up this part of the earth.  It was a small gesture as Skopje and Macedonia as a whole has a huge trash problem.  Trash is everywhere.  When I take photos I must look through the viewfinder very carefully to make sure there is no visible trash.

The pedestrian street is very clean but it is always on show.  The City Park and Mt. Vodno have trash everywhere.  Yes, there are trash cans, but people either don't use them or they do and no one bothers to empty the full containers.  Eventually, the wind blows the overflowing trash into the bushes, trees, and river.  The trash issue is much worse in smaller cities with plastic bottles clogging up the streams.

The effort today was more of a token gesture to get press coverage and plant a seed about not littering.

US Ambassador to Macedonia

The results after just 45 minutes

One of the Skopje mayors made an appearance at the trash pickup.  Four press cameras huddled around him and when there was a piece of white paper next to the trail, all four cameramen focused their lenses on him picking up trash.

There are recycling bins for paper and plastic.  The paper seems to just get wet and eventually is transferred to the trash bins.  The Roma people make daily rounds to pick up the plastic bottles for recycling.  Glass and aluminum is not recycled.  There are battery bins in the larger grocery stores, but no one here recycles used batteries. I've been told that the batteries are trucked to Austria for recycling.  Landfills are almost nonexistent in Macedonia so the garbage is mostly dumped along the roads and rivers.

Our friend Angel who was our guide to Matka Canyon and to Prilep said we don't need signs to get around.  He said to just follow the trash and we'll be on the right path.

Macedonia is too beautiful to trash.  Maybe this small effort will pay off someday.

I'm an Illegal Alien; I'm an American in Macedonia

Dan and I arrived in Macedonia on Jan 12 with the belief that if we left the country every 90 days, we could maintain our legal status in Macedonia.  Last week we learned we were wrong because about three years ago, Macedonia changed their laws to comply with EU requirements.  Now visitors can remain in Macedonia without a visa for only 90 days of 180 days.  Subtracting my time outside of Macedonia, yesterday I became an illegal alien.  Dan becomes an illegal alien next week.

Dan's Macedonian lawyer has advised us that since he is in the process of securing a work visa that we should be okay.  But, that is only his word.  We are worried that when we go to Cairo, Egypt, at the end of the month, we will either be thrown out of Macedonia or not be allowed to re-enter Macedonia as we have over stayed our non-visa status.

We've had varying stories about what happens when you overstay.  Some people have received reprimands at the border but been allowed to enter while others have been refused entry.

At least now we can have a Plan B in place for Kali Cat should we not be allowed to return to Macedonia.

Today, Monday, was a holiday for Easter Sunday.  Dan didn't have to work so he joined the Monday hike.  We hiked about two hours across and up to middle Vodno making a loop to return to the start.  The weather was beautiful while we were hiking.  The slope of the mountain is covered with small gardens, orchards, and vineyards.  Despite the weather, yellow forsythia and wild plum and apple trees covered with white blossoms said it was truly Spring.

We felt the first sprinkles as we returned to our apartment.  The rest of the day was mostly gray with intermittent rain.

Easter Weekend in Ohrid--Easter Sunday

Despite our best intentions, last night we did not go to the midnight mass to celebrate Easter. The weather took a turn for the worst and not only was it rainy, but it was also windy.  We went to sleep instead.  This morning, the weather conditions are the same.  We packed up, said goodbye to our host (who also did not attend midnight mass), and left Ohrid behind.  As we crossed the first mountain pass, the weather became much drier and sunnier.

Village of Novo Selo between Ohrid and Skopje 

Since it was so early and we had a car, we located the old stone aqueduct that resides just outside of Skopje.  The neglected aqueduct with 55 surviving arches sits in a field near an army base.  It was probably built in the Ottoman period during the 16th century to feed Skopje's many Turkish baths.

Then, we went back to our Skopje apartment to see how Kali Cat fared with her new cat sitter.  I was referred to her new cat sitter by a young lady who works at our local pet supply store.  Anita is a university student studying Philosophy.  She is lovely. When we first got home we couldn't find Kali Cat and had begun to worry when I finally spotted her on a dining room chair behind the table cloth.  When she had been found, she got off the chair and hid under the bed. We were a little worried that perhaps the cat sitter had not been nice to her.

I called Anita to tell her we were back, and she came by shortly to drop of the key and get paid. Anita wanted to see Kali Cat so I took her into the bedroom where Kali Cat was sitting on the window sill.  Anita reached out her hand toward Kali and Kali licked her fingers. So, Kali liked her cat sitter after all; she was just mad at us.

Anita brought colored eggs as gifts for Dan and me and she made a toy for Kali.

On Easter Day the one who is able to smash his/her egg into the most other eggs without cracking the shell will have good luck the rest of the year.

Easter Weekend in Ohrid--Saturday

View from our room at Grebnos Stone House Apartments

Saturday in Ohrid began with sun and no wind but with ominous clouds threatening above.   We continued our walking tour of the old city seeing more noteworthy churches.  Most of the noteworthy churches for which visitors must pay an admission fee, feel cold and unused.  They are more like museums.

We visited St. Sophia a cathedral built in the 11th century.  During the Ottoman Empire, the church was converted into a mosque and then it became a warehouse.  In 1912 it was returned to it's status as a church.  In making it into a mosque the 11th-century frescos were covered with whitewash.  In the 20th century, the whitewash was carefully removed and the rare 11th-century frescos uncovered.  The interior is cavernous, austere, and cold.

Early 11th C Church of Sveti Sophia

Besides the church we went to on Good Friday evening, our favorite church was Sv. Jovan Kaneo.  The 13th C church sits on a rocky outcropping high above the lake.

We took photos from every angle and just enjoyed being there.  The sun was mostly out and the sky was fabulously photogenic.  The cliffside was covered with wildflowers and blooming mustard and two white swans swam by the churches coastline.  It was like a fairy tale.  Finally, we went inside the church.  I gave the church custodian a 1000 MKD bill for our 100 MKD each admission.  He gave me 700 MKD in change because that was all he had.  To make up for the short, he offered us candles, and he gave us a tour in French of the small interior.  Strangely, that while I'm not able to speak French, I can understand it pretty well.  At the end of the tour, he gave both of us a small glass of rakija.

Wood-carved Iconostasis at Sv. Jovan Kaneo

Custodian at Sv Jovan Kaneo

Our next stop was the museum housed in the 19th-century Robev house. The collection isn't very interesting, but the house is a beautiful example of 19th-century Macedonia architecture. The three-story wooden structure has been well renovated. The house, actually two houses side by side, was built by two brothers.  Each brother hired a different master builder and forbade the masters to confer with each other. The original structure was divided into two houses by a center wall. The third floor was not divided and both families shared this room. The ceiling of the third floor is embellished with a wood-carving in the shape of a medallion. The furnishings in the room are original and were also carved by master carvers in Ohrid.

Some of the shops in the new town sell decorative wood carvings, but we didn't see any pieces that compare to the skill of the 19th-century artisans who made the furnishings in the Robev house museum.

Studio of an Ohrid Woodcarver

The Muslim (Turkish and/or Albanian) neighborhood is at the far end of the Tourist Street.  

A few mosques and the outdoor market are in this neighborhood. Our guidebook didn't provide any details about the mosques so we picked an interesting looking one (Ali Pasha's Mosque) to enter. The structure is a round shape dome with a rather austere interior.  A group of kids were practicing music and singing inside during our visit.

Turkish Coffee Delivery

Our last church of the day was the renovated and heavily modified St. Kliment at Plaošnik. The renovation was completed in 2002 and the church is located next to the site of Kliment's monastery school from AD893.  Kliment or Clement is the patron saint of Ohrid. He arrived in Ohrid in the 9th century. The site chosen by Kliment for his monastery school/church was the site of a 5th century church. Kliment's monastery classes were taught in Slavic.

St. Kliment at Plaošnik

The area around the current church is the site of an extensive archaeological dig. This church also commands a beautiful view of the lake.  

A century after Kliment, Tsar Samoil moved the capital of his empire to Ohrid.  His fortress remains high above the old city of Ohrid.  

Yes, it's spring.