Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Photos from Villa Marija Winery




Though the Villa has fallen into a state of disrepair, there is hope for restoring it on the horizon, as UNESCO has expressed interest in assisting the effort.

These huge barrels came from the royal vineyards in Serbia and were made in the early 1930s. Each can hold up to 7000 liters of wine!

There were also plenty of smaller barrels and the aroma of the wine and the oak was strong.

Photos of Stobi





Wine and Love

Valentine's Day recently passed and here in Macedonia it has double importance, as it is also the celebration of St. Tripun, the patron saint of winemakers. Chris and I decided to take advantage of a tour being offered through the CLO in cooperation with GO Macedonia! It was titled the Wine and Love Tour. A description of the tour is available at the link below. Our bus left around 8am on Saturday morning and returned us to Skopje around 7pm. It was a very enjoyable trip full of you guessed it....Love and Wine.

As we coasted along on our comfy tour bus, we enjoyed fun conversation and listened to our tour guides historical information regarding the holiday. He explained that Feb. 14 was the day honoring St. Tripun, as well as St. Valentine, and how fitting it is that love and wine be celebrated together.

Our first stop was at Stobi, site of an ancient Roman city which has been amazingly preserved. Our bus was greeted by a sweet little street dog, who was very excited to see us and our sack lunches arrive. After a brief coffee stop and visit to the souvenir shop, we toured the site with the assistance of Stefanic, an enthusiastic and incredibly knowledgeable guide, who has worked at the site for 30 years. He insists that in a previous life he actually lived in Stobi, and that is why he knows such details about the daily lives of its inhabitants. He even serenaded us a bit as we sat in the remnants of the Theater. The site was absolutely breathtaking and I can't wait to take Christopher to see it. It is amazing that these structures from 2ND. century B.C. have survived all the seismic activity and harsh conditions in such good shape. Incredible mosaics lie covered with sand to protect them from the snow and cold. Intricate carvings decorate the massive stone columns and Rosetta stones. It is a wonderful window into the past. Sadly, most Macedonians don't seem to visit this place and the annual festivals held there are attended mostly by school children on field trips. We are looking forward to a return trip in the spring. The kids will love it.

Next, we headed South a bit to Negotino for the festival of Tripun. In the charming town square, numerous wineries had set up tasting tables where we sampled several different varieties. Some were good, some not so much, and some had really cute guys working them (according to a couple of our co-travelers). While we sampled the vino, we listened to traditional music and watched as young men and women donning traditional costume performed dances reflecting the pruning/picking of the grapevines. Artists proudly displayed their creations, and one actually had a painting of a dog like Yotee. We briefly considered buying it but decided there was not ample space on the bus to accommodate it's size. The atmosphere in the square was lovely, though it seemed to be full of mostly older gentlemen and I felt a bit out of place.

Our next stop was the Villa Marija Winery. We were told the story of how the King purchased the Villa and the winery for his wife Queen Marija upon the advice of many French experts who thought the location was perfect for producing wines. What a romantic gift! We then joined our guide for a tour of the cellars and a delicious lunch, with plenty of appropriate wines accompanying each course. It was a fun afternoon full of terrific conversation, lovely food, and tasty wine! The Villa Marija Chardonnay was my favorite, with the Cuvee coming in a close second. I highly recommend picking some up if you have the chance. It was very informative and fun and we each received a complimentary bottle of Vranec, made from a local grape variety, to take home with us.

After 4 hours at Villa Marija, we popped into another winery just up the hill, Popova Kula for a quick tasting and the chance to experience the incredible view from their tasting room. It was truly a lovely building with amazing vistas of the surrounding valley, but I was getting a bit sleepy from all that wine! The ride home was interesting, as many of our friends continued drinking wine and started to show signs of "tipsiness"..lol. I, unfortunately, had to drive home since our taxi never showed up in the morning and we were forced to drive to the bus rendez-vous point, so I abstained. It was a really enjoyable day and we had a great time. It was nice to do something special without the kids, and I have high hopes we can do this again!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Hometown Pride....Go Steelers!

As a "global nomad", I am not exactly sure where home is anymore, so I adhere to the "home is wherever my family is" policy. I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and lived there until I transferred to the main campus of Penn State, so I guess I consider myself a Pittsburgh girl. I haven't spent much time there since my mother passed away in 2001, only visiting twice for family reunions, but it still holds a special place in my heart. As a Pittsburgh girl, I am an avid, scratch that, fanatical Steelers fan!!! I carry my Terrible Towel from post to post and wave it proudly. I love the NFL. I follow it closely and each year I create my own fantasy leagues. It is my raison d'etre from August to February. The kids know that Sundays are for football and they leave me alone to watch. Heaven forbid we should ever find ourselves at a post that doesn't have AFN or a good satellite network that shows the NFL games! I'd go crazy.

As you know, the Superbowl was Feb. 1st and I am thrilled and honored to say that the Steelers are the world champion winners! The first NFL team to win 6 Superbowls...truly an historic feat! Although the vibe is certainly different, the ritual of watching the "big game" is necessary. Even though the game kicks off at 12:30a.m., you have to have party food and beer....at least a little, if only to help keep you awake. In previous years, we have spent Superbowl Sunday at the Marine house and everyone brought tons of food that no one ate. Who wants to eat nachos, wings, burgers, and potato skins in the middle of the night? When watching at home, I keep it simple. Three years ago, when the Steelers won the Superbowl, Chris was at a training conference in Warsaw. I kept Christopher up all night watching the game with me...you can't watch alone. We were so excited to be able to watch together this year, even though we had hoped for a Philly/Pittsburgh match up, the chance to share the experience was great! I was absolutely exhausted on Monday and Chris had to work, but it was worth it. If we were in Pittsburgh, it would have been quite a party and the kids would have had a 2 hour delay on Monday. Chris would have called off work. You make sacrifices being overseas, but fortunately missing the Superbowl doesn't have to be one of them...yet. I'll miss the homecoming parade and all the festivities, but at least I got to experience the victory. Call me one seriously proud Pittsburgh girl!!! Party on Pittsburgh!!!