No, these are not the names of a pair of lovers (although the names are lovely enough, they could be). Skopsko beer is some of the best beer I've had in a long time (not to mention its 7.5% alcohol level), and I've been happily having at least one every day, and sometimes for lunch AND dinner. My South Beach diet went out the window for the duration of this trip, and I'm not at all unhappy about it, although when I get home, it's back on the wagon.We will finish up the conference tomorrow (Thursday) by compressing a bunch of stuff so that we can make a field trip to Ohrid. This city of 3,000 churches is located on the edge of the largest tectonic lake in Macedonia, a lake that has been here since the Ice Age. I found this wonderful website about Ohrid. From the site:
According to the myths and legends [Ohrid] was built during the times of other classical civilizations such as Phoenicia and Troy in the 2nd millennium B.C. Whatever the actuality is, Ohrid was and is a secret and sacred land. It is a city where mysterious royal golden masks have been found, where the Goddess of destiny, Isis, used to have her cult, where grandiose basilicas were built as Christianity evolved, where the famous scholars Sts. Clement and Naum founded one of the first universities of Europe.We will travel there on Friday, all of the workshop participants, and I'm really looking forward to it, although our flight out of here at 6:30 am on Saturday will make me a tired puppy by the time I return to Bellingham. It's a three-hour trip to Ohrid into the mountains and three hours back. We are going to leave at 6:00 am and return by 6:00 pm.
I forgot my camera when I went out yesterday (because I was busy downloading pictures and left it in my room) but it was raining anyway so it wasn't really critical. Tomorrow!
Sounds like the week is grinding to a halt and yes, you will be tired. However, you have had a rich experience, by the sound of it and lots more to tell us when you get home.
ReplyDeleteTake care.
Blessings, Star
Wow, the photos on that Ohrid web site are gorgeous. Have a wonderful time on your Friday field trip!
ReplyDeleteStar, you are a blessing in yourself! Thank you for letting me know you are reading this blog, and that it holds interest for you. It's 3:00 am and I can' sleep, but your comment has given me a lot of pleasure. Blessings back to you.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Buz! I plan to have a great time, since I'm awake in the middle of the night, it's great to have communication with my favorite brother to entertain me.
ReplyDeleteYou are blowing me away with your blogs, DJan. I am having difficulty with time management and internet connectivity, up here in Belgium and the Netherlands. Am very much enjoying reading about your travels. Maybe we'll meet up in some airport, both of us stranded or diverted. Better yet, let's meet up for a beer somewhere in the States.
ReplyDeleteBlue skies!