Once again, I missed a post as I was too tired yesterday to think or type. It is now 7:00pm after another day and I am sitting on the bed typing and trying to stay awake. This traveling is hard on a person!
Yesterday we travel from Skopje, North Macedonia to Prizren, Kosovo. Our main stop is lunch with Mel and a steep hike up a hill for the view. Murray and our guide hike up all the way and I go up about 3/4s. The view is down the valley between mountains and the village across the road. The mountains here are more rounded than in the Rockies. The trees cover much of the mountains, but there are some peaks that are above tree line. The trees are turning fall colours showing yellows and reds.
We arrive late at our hotel in Prizren and our guide is waiting for us. We dump our bags in our rooms and head out with the guide for a walk in the centre of the city. This fellow is very calm, conversational and doesn’t keep to the script. He answers our questions and we enjoy our tour with him. Another interesting fact:
There is an hamam, or Turkish bath, built in the 15th century. This one is unique as both women and men could use it at the same time. There are two separate entrances and spaces for each. A type of furnace heated the water and there were small skylights in the domes to bring in light.
Today is a day for an easy walk and lunch. We stroll along cobblestones then compact gravel, then forest path. Fruit trees and wild flowers and butterflies occupy us as we walk. The walk takes about two hours and we are ready for lunch when we return to the small town where we started.
Our guide asks if we would like to try soup from a small restaurant across the street. Of course, we say Yes! The place is small and L and I are the only women inside, the rest are men. Working men who have stopped for a cheap, filling, nutritious lunch. The soup is beef broth with pieces of beef, served with very delicious bread that is good for dunking. We pay 4 Euros ($6 Cdn) for a bowl. I notice the men also have two cabbage rolls in their soup. We eat and leave as it is a constant flow of diners in and out, so we do not want to take up a table for too long.
Murray and I then proceed to have some fun with some school kids. They are sitting on steps near where our van is parked. We decide to go talk to them and they get very excited as we get closer. A few of them speak English and tell us they are in grades 6, 8 and 9. One of them spots Murray’s camera and instantly he is taking their photos and having fun with them. One girl has a cell phone so she takes a photo of the view screen on the back of Murray’s camera. Lots of fun.
We have some down time today and it is needed. Tomorrow is Montenegro!