Macedonia (Pictures)

Alright, so we made it to Olympia from Delphi after a crazy scenic ride along the seaside... As promised, here are some of the pictures I took while there.


First, we left DC and flew to Vienna, Austria which took about 8 hours... It was cloudy the whole time, so no ocean view, but I got to see the sun rise and set over Western Europe... It was so cool! I didn't fall asleep for the whole flight... And mind you there weren't many things to take picture of... but they had some good food...

 If you look in the bottom right, you will see the coast of Luxembourg on the English Channel.

 Sam & Me on the plane... Kevina featured in dead center...

This was the plane we took from Vienna to Skopje (The capitol of Macedonia)...

Macedonia

We got to Skopje and took a bus to through the city to the Old Bazaar District and had lunch in the Macedonian Kitchen. Afterwards, we toured the Bazaar on foot. I was crazy tired and sick of walking buy the time we were done. When we finally got to our hotel in Veles, I had been awake for more than 32 hours... gross.

 We ate inside the courtyard of an Inn originally built in the 16th Century.

 Above is the tower of the fortifications overlooking the town of Skopje built by the Turks over 400 years ago.

 This is the grave of a Christian who fought against Turkish rule. He was buried near the entrance to a 15th century Byzantine Church (which we weren't allowed to take photos in... Sad day) 

 This is a Mosque which is being renovated as a cultural site and not a functional mosque.

 This is the view of a Turkish Inn in the Bazaar

 Shots of the streets and Mosque from the Bazaar

This is the National Museum in Skopje

After Skopje, we drove 45 minutes to Veles where we stayed at the Hotel Romantique. Our hotel room had alot of mosquitoes when we first got inside, but we killed all of them... Go Team!

 The pool was really nice, I only sat on the edge and played cards with some folks while everyone else did their own thing...

 We were right by this huge lake, there was a dam at one side keeping the water back  

 We went to a restaurant in town called "Snoopy" (haha funny I know).... The food was actually really good... lots of meat and really good crepes...

 Me and Ambra

 (nice face)

 Mateo, Denise, Kevina

There was a huge soccer game going on while we were eating and everyone in the restaurant kept cheering... I sat underneath the TV to avoid it haha... 

Habitat for Humanity

Our whole purpose in Macedonia was to volunteer for Habitat on a building project. To ensure that we did our work and not just sit around and take pictures, we weren't allowed to bring our cameras till the last day... so I didn't get alot but the work we did was worth the sacrifice. I helped: dig post holes, paint railings, varnish wooden doors, paint, dig a drainage trench, clear gravel, prep a piece of ground for a side walk.... Tiring but so much fun...

 These are the apartments we worked on... Some of the families who will be living here actually came and helped on the site for a couple days. Only the mom spoke English but we were able to have a broken conversation and they all seemed really cool... the kids spoke English well and they were hilarious... 

This was my supervisory position... 

This is the view of Veles from the second floor of the apartments where we painted hand rails.

Popova Kula Winery

On the last day of the Habitat project, the Dorrances (who are the generous husband and wife who established the scholarship that covers my trip and my scholarship...) came to see us and brought some of their friends. They are the coolest people! And they're down to earth, in touch with the world around them.... which is always good.

We drove to a town about an hour from Veles called Popova Kula which means "Priests Tower" in Macedonian. On one of the hills, there was a huge vineyard and above that was the tower that had been converted into a winery. We had a tour, a wine tasting (which I didn't take part in...), and and dinner. Before we went on the tour we were invited to take part in a party that was going on and some of us joined in on a traditional Macedonian Dance.... I had fun lol

The Tower

 Cisterns where the wine ferments...

 Kegs that the wine is stored in to add flavor

 The view was incredible, it was jaw dropping.

This is Jackie Dorrance, primary donor and namesake of the scholarship. She ate dinner right next to me and gave me all sorts of tips on the best way to eat your food in Europe... Balsamic vinegar, olive oil, bread, and tomatoes are key...

I learned alot in Macedonia and had a blast! Hopefully the families will love their new homes and I'm sop grateful they let us come in and help build their homes.