As the last of the snow disappears from the Balkan mountains, X and I headed off for a three day weekend to Mavrovo, Macedonia (UN staff in Kosovo had Friday off so that KFOR could prepare for Saturday's demonstration, which was held peacefully). We pulled into the Bistra hotel on the lake on Thursday evening and spent some time looking around at the stuffed owls, bear skins and other wild animals(killed and displayed in yet another attempt to prove man's strength over the beast).
On Friday the ski lifts were closed due to strong winds at the top of the mountain, so we drove to St. Jovan Bigorski monastery, and then on to the remote town of Debar.
The monastery is quite old and famous, but what impressed us was the 10 or so monks sweeping the stone walkway in silence. It was very clean, so we wondered if that was part of the daily regime. A few others appeared to be on trash duty, but as it is Macedonia, trash duty seems to be going to the side of the mountain and throwing the trash down the hill.
The drive was extremely impressive, the road flanked on both sides by snowcapped mountains and severe rock cliffs. Also impressive, the few houses and signs of life along the side of the road - it felt like the last frontier with an old inhabited train carriage on the side of the road, some kind of makeshift dog kennel with wild dogs, and a few dilapidated bridges.
Debar itself was nothing special, however, being so close to the Albanian border in a town so strategically important throughout the centuries added a mysterious aura about the place. There was a border crossing sign that looked like it was circa 1945 in 4 languages (French and German misspelled) surrounded by barbed wire and a crumbling observation tower.
A few meters from the sign, we saw large 'missile head'-shaped ...well, missile heads, and when we stopped to take a picture, two shepherds (yes, with wooden sticks and sheep galore) gave us very unwelcoming looks.
And then there was this palatial estate, perched atop an overlook above Debar lake. The whole place seemed slightly...strange.
On the way back to Mavrovo, we detoured to two abandoned Vlach villages, Gari and Tresonce. Along the way we ran into a herd of wild horses, who seem to roam free throughout the region between these 'ghost towns' and the higher mountains in the summertime.
At Gari, we were greeted by 3 wild dogs and an old man who was the only sign of remaining human life still living in the village. As I understand it, a few people come back for the summer months to these villages and to get married. The houses were just beautiful, and there was a stillness that was both soothing and nostalgic; my mind conjured up images of days gone by when a community of people lived together.
Back in Mavrovo, X and I spent 2 days skiing/snowboarding. There was not much snow, but it was a great atmosphere, very laid back and scenic. We saw some of the Macedonian ski team training, and also witnessed a kids racing event. With the exception of 3 ski lifts from the bottom of the mountain, all of the lifts in mid and top mountain are t-bar, with people skiing right down the centre of the lift while others go up. It's a bit dangerous, but more chaotic than anything else.
We're looking forward to returning to Mavrovo in the summer months when apparently you can rent bikes and horses on the top of the mountain to check out the abundant nature. And now, back to work!