Macedonia, part II – Skopje (ii)

There isn't much to say about this entry. I am writing it from London, I'd forgotten how much I missed London, but I'm still a bit closer - okay, very much closer - to what I want, than I was previously.

I haven't edited these pics because the weather I got in Skopje was really good. It was swelteringly hot, actually, but it does make the photos look nice. I got awful weather towards the end of my trip which made the pictures look all gloomy, and no amount of retouching can do anything for dismal weather.

Macedonia, part I – Skopje (i)

Skopje city centre

I’m going to go all out and say it, I found this country shabby, hot, dusty and uninspiring. I spent a week here in total and was bored out of my skull by the time I bussed to Kosovo. I think quick traveling suits my personality much better after all; I can’t take my time and travel slowly because I’ll be bored out of my mind. I spent 4 nights in Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, and then another 3 nights in Ohrid, supposedly the pearl of Macedonia, although I preferred Skopje a little bit more – at least there was actually something to do in Skopje and the restaurants in that extremely boring capital city were at least a little nicer and cheaper, surprisingly – and there were slightly more people there than there were in Ohrid. But no matter. Should also mention that I’m writing this aboard a Heathrow bound flight from Dublin that arrives in 25 mins, well the flight takes 55 mins anyway, and I’m enjoying a Gordon’s pink gin and tonic as I write this. I may have found my favourite mixed drink now, and it’s pretty refreshing – it’s not white Russian, it’s not Jake, it doesn’t taste of my early twenties, but as I like to tell other people, we need and want different things at different stages of our lives. Right now I’m happy, I’m in a space in which I feel comfortable, I have good alcohol with me, I’m doing one of my favourite activities, which is writing, I am en route to meet an old and dear friend, an epic NYE party is in the wings, and I’m content.

En route to Skopje

D gave me a lift from my hotel in Eindhoven to the airport, which I appreciated, as it meant that I wouldn’t have to squeeze and wake up at the crack of dawn for the bus, which I also did not care for, as there were too many negative memories associated with the Eindhoven airport bus for me. It was a good trip, and I got to the airport with minimum hassle – got myself a coffee, and then sailed through security, whilst texting my friends apprehensively – what if I got kidnapped in Macedonia? What if something bad happened to me there. Macedonia was such an unknown quality to me, no one I knew had ever been there before or even thought of going there, D – the other D, Sarajevo D – had scoffed at me for wanting to go there – and I had planned to go there in April before I let my heart override my mind, and let that plane ticket go to waste. But if anything I always end up getting what I want, and I wanted to go to Macedonia, and I did, eventually, although I ended up being pretty disappointed with it – suffice it to say that D actually was right about it for once. The only thing I really liked about it was the restaurants – I found a very good one in Skopje.

The surprisingly good soft ice

Lunch at the aptly named Carpe Diem, one of my favourite restaurants there

NL, part II - Amsterdam pllek and Eindhoven, and a lot of food

"I want to be free."

It was only three nights in total, I think, but it felt like much longer, and that was when I knew I absolutely had to leave. On the fourth day I suggested that we go to Den Haag again, upon A's invitation, and it's bittersweet knowing that our last full memory together was nice - we chilled out at A's and G's, sat around and watched random Netflix movies and talked a lot. It was nice but also very banal, at least for me, although he enjoyed it. He didn't know it was the last time. I wished it wasn't, but I knew it had to be. And just like that, this is the most personal blog entry I've ever written.

When I returned to Amsterdam on the flixbus I went to Shir, and immediately felt much better - this was the world I belonged to and felt at ease at. It was as if I had re-emerged from the subterranean world and was back in the light again. We walked and found a good Thai restaurant, and talked, and I told her about all that had happened, and asked her if I could crash at her place for a night, since I didn't want to go back to the underground ever again. She said yes of course. I went back with her to Utrecht and we sat there and talked some more, ate more food, drank coffee, and then she made up a bed for me and I slept peacefully till daybreak. I stopped to say goodbye to her, and then went off to catch my train back to Amsterdam Sloterdijk. I sat in Sloterdijk's Starbuck's and waited for my flixbus, texted D, more regrets were made, and then got on my bus to Eindhoven. He called me, and we talked, and I was actually already preparing to get off the bus and go to him, but paused for thought and decided it wouldn't be such a good idea after all, and just like that, I will never see him ever again.

Pllek - where Shir and me went to meet with her friends and colleagues.

After pllek, the Thai restaurant.

Shir's Utrecht flat.

Adios Utrecht..!

I miss these kinds of train stations

I met another D in Eindhoven and he showed me around the place and we had a fairly good time, although far too food was consumed. I discovered my love for white wine mussels and let him walk me around. Although he did show me a slightly better side of this city I had hitherto hated, I still don't think I'd be happy actually living here - it's very desolate and boring and industrial for the most part, and doesn't really vibe with me.

Spritz, which I just cannot take a shine to