Macedonia
Now things are going to
get interesting. If our lives had been well-organized before - a flight from
one place to another, accommodation by local colleagues, not much to trouble
our minds at all - then a whole new journey was ahead of us. Starting from buying
train tickets from Athens to Thessaloniki, which would have been easy before
thanks to Silvia’s knowledge of how to navigate a foreign online reservations’
site. This time all that could not be done, despite promises from certain sites
that we could buy tickets without leaving the hotel. It actually required going
to the train station, finding an ATM and getting cash, making it clear where we
wanted to go, and buying the physical tickets from an office. Oh well. On the
train we go. The girls are making faces. They don’t have the experience of a
Tallinn-Pihkva train ride, which became familiar to me during my university
studies as a last resort to get to school. In reality, the Tallinn-Pihkva train
was a lot worse but the girls are just too used to an easy life and clean
toilets. Both of them looked around with terror and declared they would not be
sleeping tonight, but keeping guard. Of what? I don’t even know, but they
failed.
Finally we reach
Thessaloniki. There is supposed to be a bus to Skopje somewhere. There is
supposed to be a bus station somewhere. The info box is closed. I ask a nice
young man in a uniform who seems kind and helpful but I can’t understand a word
he’s saying. Looks like he’s trying to send us to the other side of the
station. Is there a station there? A bus? Upon examination, I find nothing. At
that moment, I spot a taxi, but another woman is just about to take it. Still
the taxi driver turns to me - “Where?” Helplessly I try to explain “The bus”;
“Skopje”. He nods, declares he need 6 EUR for the ride and stuffs our bags in
the trunk. As we are driving somewhere, the car suddenly stops at an
intersection and we are told to get off. “Hotel, hotel. Bus, bus” he points to
the left. Along the pointed direction we go, in hopes of finding a bus to
Skopje. But there’s only parked, empty buses, a closed tourism bureau and a
café. It being 7 o’clock in the morning and everything else being closed, we
sit down at the café and eat a little, all the while trying to find a way to
get over the border. They know nothing at the hotel, the tourism bureau is
still closed and calling the number on the window is useless. In that time, the
café has gotten a few more customers. I ask if anyone speaks English. A man
kindly informs us that the bus to Skopje departs from the train station. In 20
minutes. I ask where we could find the nearest taxi but he only asks me why.
The train station is literally right behind the corner. So it is! After two
hours of moping around at a random café we are back at Thessaloniki train
station and realize the young man in a uniform was right about the place where
the buses are. Where the cunning taxi driver drove us around for 6 EUR is still
unclear.
Landscapes before the border
Getting over the border from Greece to Macedonia takes some time, because there’s a family sitting at the back of the tiny bus - an old lady, probably the aunt, a deaf mother and a little boy, maybe two years old. One of them doesn’t have their paperwork in order so they take turns to talk to the border guards, they call somewhere and there’s endless explaining, but finally they return to the bus and we can go on. Upon arrival at Skopje they we’re greeted by a young man, probably the father of the child, who hugged everyone tight and offered a very happy sight for us tired travellers. Oh, when were the times when I had to cross the border fearing my paperwork wouldn’t check out and if the border guard was in a good mood or if he’ll just yell at me for wasting his time. I couldn’t imagine such a thing today.
...and landscapes after the border
Still at the bus
station, happily in Skopje, we try to get wi-fi, but it’s not working. Instead
we decide to look around the city a little, as there’s still some time before
our bus to Ohrid.
Of course the first things we notice are dogs
Skopje is really
nice. One after another, glorious buildings grace the shores. Turns out they
are all new buildings, copying the old glory.
Last 4 - beautiful new buildings
A plaque in memory of Mother Theresa
Statues everywhere. The last one is of Alexander the Great
There’s a lot of
construction going on.
In the middle of the river are a few gigantic boats,
still to be completed, which will probably house cafés and restaurants in the
future.
Before heading back, we
grab a bite to eat and cannot believe it when we get lunch for 12 EUR. Three
meals, a wine and a beer. We have discovered a new paradise for backpackers.
A very chatty local lady
is sat beside me on the bus - a teacher. Her English is scanty, but with the
help of some German and Russian and phone calls to the daughter to ask about
this word or that word, I learn a lot about Macedonia. She says that there has
been construction lately, but a lot of the locals aren’t very fond of the new
projects for their lack of true Macedonian heritage. They have a lot of
Albanians and probably other Muslims, which pressure inside ties.
We pass a lot of great skiing resorts in the mountains.
We pass a lot of great skiing resorts in the mountains.
Landscapes on our way to Ohrid
As we reach Ohrid, it
has already gone dark and we get a taxi to take us to our accommodation. Which
turns out to be in the middle of the city, right next to the main square, and
is very small and cosy. A lovely but exclusively Macedonian speaking old lady
greets us, she calls the actual owner to confirm our reservation, who
apologizes for being in Skopje that day and gets help from a guy repairing his
car on the street, eventually we clarify everything.
Our home for the night is modest, but clean and comfortable and most importantly very inexpensive.
Right after the landlady has gone, we discover that the lamp in the bathroom has blown, but we find some candles in the room and they''ll do. Besides, it's more romantic this way.
We go for a walk, the
girls buy some earrings (Ohrid pearls), and do some grocery shopping.
The next morning I
set out early and alone. One of my favorite things to do when travelling is to
walk along the sea or a lake. It is a quiet Sunday morning. The streets are
empty. In a few hours they will be filled with many curious tourists. Those few
silent hours with street cleaners, snow sweepers on the mountain or by the
seaside where someone might be drawing patters in the sand or rearranging the
lounge chairs along the beach are what drive me to explore new unfamiliar
places.
Last 3 - morning views in Ohrid
The streets start to
get busy, it’s time to wake the girls and look for a place to get breakfast.
We go to the lake,
sit in the sun. Where else?
And then we walk, walk,
walk.
Up the hill and down the hill, to the lake once more...
(I really want to go
swimming but my clothes are now far away at the hotel),...
...up again, into little
churches (Orhid is said to have over 300 churches), ....
...to some ruins that have a
university next to them and back down again to the center of the city. I had
decided to not buy anything unless absolutely necessary but this time I can’t
help myself and purchase pearl earrings for my mother, aunt, and a bracelet
I’ll need in Munich.
Last 5 - we saw rabbits, cats and dogs.
In a church courtyard we notice a dog whose back was covered with something. We ask the local lady, who angrily slaps her hands and says that some drunk youths had poured paint over the dog. They thought it was horribly funny. The dog was still friendly and trusting despite its dreadful experience. Fortunately the paint had started to peel of already too. Still - what sort of people do this?
We didn't find a veterinary clinic. We asked passers-by who had a little white dog - they said there is one in the city but it's closed on Sundays. After hearing I was a veterinarian they asked me to look at the dogs eyes and give advice on the dog in general. In Macedonia this meeting was the only one that had something to do with veterinary medicine for me.
And thank god -
wi-fi! The girls eat cake and I calm my nerves with a glass of wine. Silvia
combs through every tripadvisor post ever made about getting to Montenegro from
Ohrid and makes countless phone calls but nothing seems to work. Finally we conclude:
Stuga is a town nearby
The busride from Ohrid
takes 20 min.
There is a bus
connection from Struga to Tirana.
From Tirana we somehow
have to get over the border to Montenegro.
The best way to do that
is to take a cab from Tirana. It will cost 120 EUR.
Alright, we have eaten our cake, drunk our wine
and made important decisions. We will have to go to Struga now. Then take the
nightbus to Tirana where there is no bus station and to not stand in the middle
of the road somewhere at 5 in the morning, call a cab to take us to Kotor. The
person we contact about the taxi is very forthcoming and speaks good English.
We agree to call when we get on the bus to Tirana so they’ll have time to drive
out and meet us there.
But first, a taxi to
get back to the hotel and gather our things. The driver drops us off at a
street next to the main bus station and tells us to wait there. Yes, there is a
sign with a bus on it, but it seems very fishy. It’s getting darker. The bus
isn’t coming. A car pulls up next to us. A man jumps out, calling “Struga!”
“What?” “Struga!!” he calls again, opens the trunk and stuffs our luggage
inside. “Struga. Bus..” we try to say. The man pats his old Opel and says
“Better bus. 15 denar.” We’re still a bit apprehensive but an old lady is
waving us inside from the back seat and saying “Struga, Struga!” comfortingly.
Oh well, in we go. Who knows if the bus is even coming and at what time. It
costs about the same. We try to converse in English but the driver laughs and
says “No English, no problem!” Okay.. I try to speak Russian to him and explain
Struga isn’t our real destination, but Tirana. He only says “Bus Tirana, stop
Struga. Petrol, petrol!” and calls a friend to ask about the bus to Tirana.
Very nice of him. Struga seems okay, at least as much as we can see in the
dark. The part of the city nearer to the bus station is a lot creepier and the
bus station itself is just a black hole. Not a soul to be seen. Not even a
light. So this is where we’re supposed to spend a couple of hours until
midnight when the bus arrives? And what if it doesn’t? 
We’re definitely not
staying here so we drive to a gas station. The people there act like they’ve
never even heard of Tirana before.
The taxi driver takes us back to an
intersection just next to the empty bus station. This is probably the highway
to Tirana and there probably is a bus at one moment here somewhere but we’re
not feeling so sure. “Bus Skopje Tirana. Stop Struga. OK?” the taxi driver says
as he tries to get in his car and leave.
You can tell by Maari's face that it's not OK.
We don’t want to stand here on
the side of the road in complete darkness to wait for a bus that might not even
come. Please take us back to the civilized world. Then we’ll decide if selling
our soul to the devil at an intersection is worth it. He has lost some of his
enthusiasm and sighs, then agrees to take us back to the city. “Restaurant
good” he shows us an empty place that, yes, seems to be a restaurant or more
importantly a relatively safe place to kill some time, drops us off and demands
3x50 denar (not 15 per person as promised) fleeing the scene quickly. We sit
down but we’re not feeling as hungry as we are scared, without a certain plan
and just terrified of Struga. Silvia makes a decision - we’ll spend the night
in Struga, wake up bright and early and check out the bus station once again.
Now to find a hotel. Everything is dark and shady. Our surroundings as well as our
future, it seems. A neon sign flashes HOTEL and we decide to try our luck. The
receptionist is a bit uninterested, but nice, she gives us a room. We crash
into our beds, to deep sleep, me not so much, because it seems our door cannot
be closed properly and someone strange comes into our room at night. Luckily
that was only a dream. In the morning Silvia calls the bus station. Yay! There
really is a bus to Tirana, in about an hour (the tripadvisors have already made
it clear the bus could be late a few hours). We decide to connect the
Montenegro taxi company on the bus.
Struga is quite nice in daylight.
The bus station
really is a bus station, it has a ticket office and everything! You can only pay
in cash but that was expected.
2 pictures of the bus station
The bus we’re waiting
for is picking up a few more people. I make conversation with a German couple
who is backpacking just like us. They say that we didn’t miss much not going to
Kosovo and that there is a bus from Tirana to Sköder, just on the border of
Montenegro. We make plans to get there together.
The bus to Tirana is
new an comfortable.
The ride is
uneventful save the unhappiest dog I’ve ever seen. I still think of him. And to
think there are many in similar conditions all over the world. We tend to
forget that in Northern and Western Europe
Tirana - as much as we
can see from the bus is pretty nice and modern. A lot of young people on the
streets.
We don’t have time for further exploration because the buss to Sköder is
said to leave very soon and we need to get a taxi. The German tourists get one
and us another. We then realize we only have Maari’s denaris so we scrape
together for 4 EUR and we end up getting to the bus before our friends thus
grabbing the last three seats. As we had no money, we couldn’t rejoice just
yet, but the nice driver told us we have to leave now and that we’ll pay once
we get to Sköder. Maari fought out the opportunity to run to the bathroom
before another bus ride, payed in denaris to the café owner and off we went.
What happened to the Germans - no idea.
Mountains, more
mountains, little towns, beautiful landscapes, two vet clinics but literally no
space to take photos, the bus was cramped.
After a few hours of
uncomfortable closeness with other passengers and we arrived in Sköder to pay
our debts and find a way to get to Montenegro. Everything goes easier than
expected. A young man named Nicola who we had just shared a bus with, pays for
us and helps us find an ATM and transport to Kotor. He speaks great English and
tells us his story - has been a tour guide since the age of 10, is now 20, will move
to Norway for a couple of months to his uncle’s house. Meanwhile a man has
appeared out of nowhere to offer to take us over the border. First to a town to catch a bus, eventually even to Kotor.
Before setting out on another long drive,
we take a break at a café.
The man treats us, because “Albanians are honest and
nice” as he doesn’t tire of repeating in broken English.
Then we start the
ride. Crossing the border is easy and further into Montenegro the landscapes
are absolutely beautiful.
The old car swivels on the roads, trudging on and on.
He asks about us and Estonia, makes conversation about his daughter and son,
shows us their pictures, one finger still on the wheel. Once again it’s
getting darker.
The seaside resorts are shining bright and beautiful, the most
amazing sunset in the background.
We could stay in the first beautiful town but
we’ve already booked a hotel which, judging from the rating and photos, would
be awful to lose, so we have no choice but to convince the driver to take us
all the way. And even though it didn’t exactly fit into his plans, he agreed,
and stepped on the gas. I prayed for the drive not to end with a collision on
the mountainside and Silvia later told us she had thought of a way to tie
herself to the seat so that she would have some chance of survival. We’re a
little worried the nice man has to drive the whole way back alone but he says
he’s used to it. It could be that the 80 EUR he made that night is great pay
for a taxi driver in Albania and he had deemed it worth the ride.
But finally - we’re
here. The old town of Kotor is truly something special. I’ve been to Dubrovnik
before, but this is something smaller and cosier. And the hotel really is
super. It’s a shame we only have one night here. We had thought we would arrive
in the morning but it’s good we even made it in the end. The room is not
available for another night but we are moved to a place nearby. One day is not
enough time for Kotor.
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