A picture of my boys!

As promised to Grandma, here is a photo of the boys taken on Daddy's birthday. Unfortunately, the typical teenager never wants to accompany us on most of our adventures, so photos of him are lacking on this blog.

Strolling Along the Vardar

This morning, as usual, I was having trouble getting motivated. I did dust, clean the mirrors on our shoe closets (I absolutely adore these, but they are always smudged), clean one bathroom, start a load of laundry, and empty the dishwasher. Vacuuming and mopping got put on hold as the lure of the computer was too great. I sat down to read my email and received a phone call from a friend inviting me to join her for a stroll along the Vardar. The two of us recently lamented that we need to get out an exercise more often, so she thought of me to accompany her on a long walk with her beagle.

Before coming to Skopje, one thing that I found really appealing on the www.realpostreports.com description of the city was the existence of a well developed walking/biking path along the Vardar. I actually had imagined what it would look like and envisioned myself wasting hours exploring the riverside. I love to walk, so this was perfect. Actually, you can access part of the path just a couple blocks from our home, so it is inconceivable that I haven't taken advantage of the opportunity yet. I guess I have just been afraid to do it alone. The thought of being harassed by Roma children following me and begging didn't seem relaxing at all. Not to mention the fact that they have become seriously aggressive in recent weeks. A number of people I know have been accosted lately, and it has been reported that some have even been robbed. Safety first is my motto and I have avoided walking along the river up to this point.

Today, however, I nervously accepted the invite and ventured out with my friend and had a lovely time. The weather was gorgeous, just chilly enough to keep you comfy, and the sun was shining warmly in the sky. We decided to start out near the school and surprisingly, the route was very well-kept and much nicer than I had expected. Numerous people were out and about rollerblading, biking, collecting plastic bottles, and strolling with their kids. It felt very safe due to the company of all the other sun-seekers and we were able to get lost in conversation instead of worrying about who might be approaching us. We strolled for about an hour and the steady movement sent Collier right to sleep. It was a really nice way to start the day and it certainly motivated me to get up and get busy....unfortunately not to vacuum..lol.

Treska Recreation Center

The girls with the beautiful view behind them.

One of the many rundown restaurant/snack areas.


Arianna in front of the dilapidated pools.





After our walk near Matka, we stopped at the Treska Recreation Center before returning home. It is a large man-made lake that was created by a company in New Jersey many years ago to provide a resort like refuge for families. There is a huge lake with cement beach areas, pebble beach areas, several restaurants, camping areas, basketball courts, soccer pitches, and childrens' pools. There are fountains dotting the path surrounding the lake and several trees lining the route. Caravans and cabins parked at the opposite end of the lake suggest that people still use the facility.

Unfortunately, it has not been maintained and is in a terrible state, which is truly a shame. Signs warn visitors not to swim. The pools are crumbling and littered with trash. The basketball hoops are rusted and broken. The windows on most of the snack bars and changing rooms are shattered. Dozens of posts stick out of the ground, probably remnants of a large deck or stage long destroyed. I have heard wonderful stories of how beautiful the place used to be and was so disappointed to see that it has fallen into such disrepair. Our neighbor told us of how they celebrated her wedding there and how lovely it was. Now it is just a sad reminder of what seems to be the Macedonian way....tremendous potential for beauty, but no one interested in promoting or maintaining it. Apparently, the filters that keep the lake clean were no longer available or too costly, so they just let it go and the rest of the facilities have followed suit. I read in the Bradt guide that the center was a haven for Albanian families and I have to wonder if that is one reason why little effort was made to maintain it. I am sure in it's heyday the center was breathtaking and a real gem for families seeking fun in the sun. It broke my heart to see such a great place in ruins and such an opportunity wasted. Hopefully, someday a wise European investor will once again see the potential and restore the site to it's previous glory.

We still enjoyed walking the length of the lake and admiring the breathtaking views of the mountains surrounding the valley. It was amazing how small Mt. Vodno looked compared to the peaks around the Treska River/Matka area. The Millenium cross sat so much lower than those peaks and it really put some perspective on the size of the mountains for us. I wish I had my better camera so I could show you....maybe if there's a next time, although I doubt it...too depressing.

Matka

Layers of rock on the side of the mountain at Matka.


A view along side the river.



Yesterday we decided to take advantage of the lovely weather once again and ventured out to try and find Lake Matka. Lake Matka is a man-made lake that was created to aid in the production of electric power and is located about 17km from Skopje. Supposedly, the lake has stunning views and is surrounded by a number of old churches and monasteries that are worth visiting. We probably should have asked someone how to find them before going, because we never made it any further than the HydroElectric Plant at the dam. Apparently, the lake is beyond there, but we weren't sure how to access it.

We did enjoy a lovely walk along the path to the dam, accompanied by some sweet little dogs who walked along side us. The mountains were beautiful and it was interesting to see all the layers of rock comprising the vertical formations. On the side on the mountain, we noticed a Macedonian woman walking with a herd of goats, presumably to the green pastures on the other side of the river. It was a really touching scene and she traversed the steep path as if she had done it thousands of times before. It was a nice stroll next to the babbling river and the air was fresh and clean!

Later in the evening I did some research on the area and found some specific directions to the lake and the churches, so we'll try again on another sunny day!

Visit to the Zoo and Museum of Natural History

Today was such a lovely day that we decided to get outdoors for a little while. Though we find the zoo a bit depressing, the kids really enjoy it, so we went for a visit. It was quite crowded with local families taking advantage of the nice weather. We saw bears today that we somehow missed on our previous visit, and we enjoyed watching zookeepers feed the hippos. The hippos just sat there with their mouths wide open waiting for the fruit to land inside...it was pretty funny. Arianna took lots of photos, some of which you can see above.

Today we also checked out the Museum of Natural History, which was very nice and had plenty of interesting exhibits. It was very cold inside though! The temperature outdoors was in the low 50's, and I think it was probably half that in the museum! I'm sure that in the summer it is the complete opposite though. Aside from two other families, we had the whole place to ourselves and Collier really enjoyed running from display to display. The girls especially liked all the animal exhibits and found it very informative. I am sure we will visit again soon.

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