Be Quiet in Sveti Jovan at Kaneo
It’s so quiet, I can hear people talking father up the hill. I strain to tune them out. Why? Because I am sitting on the precipice of Sveti Jovan at Kaneo, a tiny, beautiful 13th Century Orthodox Church perched on a cliff overlooking Lake Ohrid.
This location is spiritual even if you are an Atheist. Protruding out into the air above the tectonic lake, it unites man with nature in ways few places can. And brings you back to the struggles man has with her when from the left you hear church bells , while from the right, an imam’s call to noon prayer.
Read MoreOh Yeah, Let’s Go Lake Ohrid
It is a beautiful Al Gore Spring day in Macedonia and what better day-trip than a drive to the fabled Lake Ohrid. This tectonic lake is mentioned so often by Macedonians as the greatest tourist destination in the country that you start to wonder if there are any other destinations.
You also start to wonder if Lake Ohrid might be suffering from the over-hype common in small countries with not much going for them. Or in countries who might have the best in the region, but when compared on a global basis, pale.
The beaches of Yalta and Nungwe are the best two examples I can give. Both are over-hyped in their respective countries mainly because they are the best in the region. On a global basis, both are quite lacking.
Read MoreAl Gore Spring: Sunny Days in January
I am here a T-club, a too-hip outdoor café on Macedonia Boulevard, the see and be seen walking street in Skopje, and they should change the café’s name to T-shirt for it’s that warm today.
Do not tell me this is January, or that I should be shivering in wool and leather. Global warming is here and the Europeans, with their quick wit, are already calling warm winter days an “Al Gore Spring” after his movie.
Read MoreHello From A Smoking Hell
Over the past year, I’ve eagerly awaited Washington DC’s approaching non-smoking legislation. Smoke Free DC makes all indoor spaces, even bars and restaurants, smoke free establishments. Smokers are relegated to the streets, like the social lepers they are.
But before I could truly enjoy the wondrous clean air of a burning tobacco free city, I was hustled off to Macedonia and into my own personal hell. A thick, stinky hell of chain smokers.
See these two guys at the left? They sat next to me at a big table of people and chain smoked the entire party. And they were not alone. Seemingly, the entire country chain smoked. And I’m not talking about a cigarette here or there, or maybe two or three a day.
Read MoreWant a Social Life in Skopje? Live Alone!
In America, its odd to be living at home after you graduate from college. You better have a damn good explanation if you’re still eating Mom’s cooking if you’re old enough to drink her under the table.
Not so in many parts of the world. In many countries, and not just the religiously conservative states, children are expected to live at home until they are married. Sometimes even after that.
When talking with such people, they often cite economic reasons for still living at home. Reasons I think are bunk. I’ve gone over the math with them, and yes, the numbers prove me right – they could afford to live alone, or with housemates, if they so desired.