Monday, March 9, 2009

Saturday stroll in the Center


A side view of the new monument.

Arianna with "The Golden Cat"

"The Glitzy Girl"


The new Mother Teresa Monument


Saturday we decided to head into the center to purchase new shoes for Arianna. Amazingly, her feet have grown so fast that she is now wearing the same size as me and therefore has laid claim to my favorite sneakers. To reclaim my shoes, I had to find new ones for her, and since it was such a lovely day, we went shopping. We actually found a decent pair rather quickly, thank goodness. Several months ago when searching for dress shoes for Alina, we were forced to pay the equivalent of $20 for some hideous black sparkly flats that I absolutely hate!!! Arianna lucked out and found some cool shoes for a good price.

On the way back to the parking lot at Ramstor, I snapped of few photos of things that I find interesting. A while back, I posted a photo of the Mother Teresa statue and I mentioned that they were constructing a monument in her honor. Well, it is complete and it is a very interesting architectural structure. I especially like the images of the doves on the front of the building and the beautiful wooden door at the gate. Another newer statue of Mother Teresa is placed on the side of the building, though the original remains too. Unfortunately, the descriptive plaque has already been "tagged" by grafitti artists in true Macedonian style. It is a neat place and someday we will venture up to the top balcony and maybe inside...difficult with a stroller unfortunately.

The other photos are of a couple of sculptures that have recently appeared in the city center. A while back, (uh-oh sounding repetitive) the Ministry of Culture announced the commissioning of a number of sculptures to be placed throughout the center. This move really annoyed many people who thought that public funds should be spent on more important needs, and frankly I agree. It is silly to waste money on art when people are starving and begging on the streets, but I do understand the motives in some small way. The pieces actually do attract a lot of attention and I always see tourists and Macedonians alike posing for photos next to them. I have included photos of two of the sculptures that I pass regularly.

Another interesting observation from our stroll: the upcoming election is gaining momentum and candidates have set up a number of campaign offices in the center. They are brightly decorated and attract attention with loud music and video. I was going to snap some photos but wasn't sure how well that would be received!

Just a typical day out in Skopje!

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