2013-03-07 - 2013-03-09 - Macedonia & Kosovo
Who wouldn't want to spend 48 hours (give or take) in Macedonia with a brief sojourn in to Kosovo? Whoever it is, it isn't me.
So we arrive in Skopje and find our place pretty easily which is a room above a pizza restaurant, grab a bite and head out. It's already fairly late so it's just a bit of orientation and wandering. Went to a bar renowned for having monkey nuts on the tables and that revelled in patrons eating and discarding the shells on the floor. At least that's what t'internets said. For somewhere with that rep it was remarkably well swept.
Friday arrived and we head off for Kosovo and more specifically Pristina.
A fairly long mini-bus ride where the driver seemed to be delivering the weekly shopping to the border patrol guards. A wander around the town and stop to eat something... don't know what it was but similar to a kebab really and a beer and it was basically time to come back.
The residing memory of going from one to the other was how the money each was being given was being differently used. Skopje was preparing to be a European Capital of Culture and blowing its load on absurd looking buildings in preparation whilst a mere stones throw away there were very poor looking areas. Kosovo, obviously, was rebuilding but nothing we passed through felt as poor as some areas of Skopje we saw. The money was also being spent on hotels and business and it felt a very different place on a very different path.
More Skopje wandering and then we do our best to not look totally out of place in some "clubby" type place. I'm not sure I succeeded... and I'm damn sure John didn't. But we stuck with it till the wee small hours and then had precious little kip before the flight back.
You could wonder why we bothered but it's two more countries ticked off. Would definitely go back but loiter a little more... I think both have more to offer... unsurprisingly.
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