I prefer Tibia Air, myself

We smiled when we saw this travel agency, Fibula Air, in Skopje.

I wonder if it's especially popular with skeletons.

The cats and dogs of Skopje

In Skopje, there are many loose cats and dogs wandering the streets. Some of the dogs have a yellow tag in their ear; this means that they are being monitored by the government and have received vaccinations.

Wild kitty

Talking to some locals, we found out that they have been bitten by the animals on the street. D said that he was walking along and a dog, unprovoked, ran up and bit him on the leg! I asked him if he had to get rabies shots afterward. He said no, because the dog was tested and didn't have rabies. I wondered how on earth he would know. After he was bitten, he captured the dog and took him to the vet! It was both funny and awful at the same time. I'm not sure that I personally would want to try to round up a feral dog who had just bitten me!

I asked why the animals weren't rounded up and taken to a shelter. I was told that it's an animals' rights issue and people are sensitive about such things happening. Instead, the government monitors some of the animals for sickness. They must fend for themselves in the food department.

Since I like to think about things from all angles, here are other thoughts about the situation:

-Is it "humane" for animals to wander around with no set food supply, and to get sick (not all of them were tagged as being immunized) and/or get hit by vehicles?
-Is it a matter of public health to worry about randomly being bitten/attacked by the feral animals? I heard from several people that they were bitten, unprovoked.
-What about the animals breeding and creating more feral animals?

Those are all tough questions, for sure.

Some animals receive basic care from residents. For example, in the Old Bazaar, one merchant had a sweet set-up for the street kitties to take a nap in front of his store:

Skopje: more weird mannequins!

On vacations, some people collect things. Maybe the vacationer picks up a magnet from the location or even worse, a t-shirt with the name of the location. In the past, I would buy a Christmas ornament from the places I visited. Then I was honest with myself and realized that as long as I had Moo (or any cat, for that matter), I would probably never have a Christmas tree because cats can be jerkfaces.

Instead, I find myself collecting memories and pictures of oddities on my trips. First it started with taking pictures of roadside candy machines, in all of their desolate, sugary solitary life. Then I started taking pictures of depictions of Church figures holding buildings. Now I'm also taking pictures of weird mannequins after a Strasbourg trip with my cousins.

During the Skopje (Macedonia) trip, I saw more weird mannequins. What's up with beaten-up mannequins with creepy facial "hair"? Do they get in fights at night when no one is looking, then try to fix it up by drawing on themselves with permanent markers?

Super alarming dude with Magic Markered facial hair!

Justin Bieber, in mannequin form, beaten up then with fake eyelashes added.

More creepy facial hair.

Macedonia trip: hiking to Mt. Vodno

Last weekend, my friend C and I took a flight after work to Skopje, Macedonia. It was a fantastic trip as Skopje is interesting in its own right, but even better because we were able to hang out with locals. C had studied in Skopje earlier in her academic career so we met up with her friends she made from the first trip, and even friends of her friends.

After our bleary (and somewhat scary) flight that brought us in at an alarmingly early time on Saturday morning, we woke up and prepared for a hike. C's friend had hooked us up with one of her own friends who would take us to Mount Vodno, located on the south side of Skopje. He drove us to a midpoint on the mountain (thank goodness! the mountain is 1,066 meters tall!) and we began our hike there. It was a nice area, complete with picnic areas, a snack stand, and the entrance to the gondola to ride up and down the mountain.

Even better yet? He gave me a trekking/hiking pole to borrow. I see Germans using them all the time, even on flat surfaces, but have never used one myself. I was wondering if it was just an elderly German lady thing (but kudos for them for rocking out at a good clip on the paths!). During this hike, I was introduced to how useful these poles (or pole, in this case) are. I wasn't really in prime hiking shape (or any shape at all) since I was restricted on physical activity in April. Mr. Hiking Pole definitely made the hike easier as I used him to help propel me up the mountain. I'm now on the lookout for a set of poles for myself.

The trek up the mountain was brisk, mostly because my counterparts were quite fit. I didn't lag too far behind but did need several breaks to catch my breath. We took the trail that our guide considered to be medium in difficulty. There were many bits where we had to trek up what could be washed out areas with loose rocks. I guess a weekend warrior (aka someone who's not super fit) could do the hike easily enough, but the trail is a little rough. Another option is to hike up the winding, paved road to the top.

Our scramble up the mountain was rewarded by a stop at hut at the summit. In the hut, one can buy drinks and snacks or even bring one's own, and sit at wooden tables and benches. The view is wonderful!

There is also a giant cross, named the Millennium Cross. I have heard that one can take an elevator to the top but we didn't take part in that. At the bottom of the cross, there's a cement pad that's painted to look like the Macedonian flag (red background, with a funky yellow sun).

At the base of the cross C played "Spot the German," which is easy enough. Basically, if anyone is wearing Jack Wolfskin clothing, it's highly likely the person is either German or lives there. The woman we met is actually Macedonian, but she lives and works somewhat near us in Germany. We had a nice chat in German as she doesn't speak English. I wish that I were in that situation more often, where the other person doesn't speak English, so I'd be forced to speak more German. Otherwise I'm so lazy about it. No wonder why my German isn't taking off like I'd like it to!

Soon after it was time to get back down the mountain. I suggested taking the gondolas. It was really inexpensive at about 100 denars per person (less than $2) and the view was great.

Creepy bunny head wants you to brush your teeth

During our Skopje trip, there was a marathon downtown. Various sponsors had booths and I found this booth particularly interesting and possibly frightening to small children.

It was a toothpaste booth with "dentists" (or those impersonating them) and a giant rabbit head glaring menacingly from the booth, all while possibly infringing copyright. Or, maybe the woman wearing the costume just removed the head for some fresh air. Maybe it's open to interpretation.

Prepared in a Mexican way

While dining at the restaurant in Macedonia, we noticed some cute ways of translating things into English.

For example, a Mexican-inspired dish was described as being "prepared in a Mexican way." I was imagining the cooks wearing sombreros and playing mariachi music; it made me smile.

The problems of reflexive verbs, as seen in Macedonia

This past weekend, a friend and I took a trip to Skopje, Macedonia for a whirlwind weekend trip. We left on Friday evening and by the time our final flight arrived in Skopje, we were both tired and a bit out of it after our full work day.

When I saw the sign below, I had to read it several times. I kept thinking that I was tired so I wasn't reading it correctly. I finally realized that the sign was wrong and had a fit of giggles. It highlights how difficult reflexive verbs and pronouns can be to get right!