View from balcony at Lake Ohrid conference to kick off the Balkans Regional Rule of Law Network.
My room at the conference. I have lived in MN too long. It is cold and there is no heat but I don't mind- it feels refreshing. The Serbian delegation is, however, beside themselves.
My balcony
Main shopping street in Ohrid
Lake Ohrid
Ohrid
Stopping for famous Macedonian snack on the way to Ohrid with Adem from Kosovo and Milan from Serbia. You eat the fried dough with pieces of goat cheese on top.
I arrive.
I am photographed on my balcony
I photograph Jesse and Ashley (our D.C. staff) on their adjoining balconies
Ohrid is famous for its churches
Panteleymon Church Ohrid
church mosaics from the Roman era
Peacocks- a symbol of immortality
Iconic scene of famous church in Ohrid
Two of the most famous musicians of the former Yugoslavia filming a video of their new song at Lake Ohrid
Greek tourists on boat ride. The Macedonians were happy to see that the Greeks would visit here - despite that Greece will not stamp the passports of Macedonians due to the "name" controversy.
Jesse and Milan about to jump into the lake despite that it is too cold to go in
Jesse and Ashley enter the water
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Jesse and Ashley "enjoying" a swim in water that is too cold to be swimming in
Milan dives in. This would prove unfortunate since he lost his wedding ring between the coldness of the water and his vigorous flaying movements
Milan, diving in and swimming furiously causing him to lose his engraved wedding ring. He would then spend the rest of the time afraid of what his wife would say since she told him specifically not to go swimming. It turned out okay since he was so cold after trying to repeatedly go in and find his ring and had to wear his winter coat to dinner and so his wife, was more concerned about his hypothermia rather than that he disobeyed orders.
Lord of the Rings
No ring.
ABA ROLI polar bear club. No one wants to join.
Adem who, upon seeing that Jesse, Ashley and Milan were in the water, immediately removed his shirt and to everyone's surprise jumped into the lake.
The towels are too small in size and quantity.
Ohrid
Greetings from Lake Ohrid
Ashley and I by the lake. Ashley spent two years in the Peace Corp 12 hours away from Vladivostok in an even more remote region where she had no heat or hot water for several months. It is hard to upset her.
On the way into town on the last night of the conference we called a taxi. During the ride we started to smell some smoke. Ashley, in the back with myself and Jesse started to complain. Jesse launched into a long explanation that in D.C. the new brakes on the metro trains give off a similar smell and sometimes a little smoke. Hmm- how intoxicated was she?? Katerina in the front, was assured by our driver that all was well. About a minute later, Ashley and I were enveloped in a fog of smoke and unable to breathe. We rolled down our windows and began yelling for the cab to stop while being ignored by Jesse and Katerina. The cab stopped. The driver went to the trunk, opened it and smoke billowed out. The cab was on fire. The driver said it was a loose connection and that it was now fine and we should get back in. Jesse said she saw "new smoke." I said, I have had several arson cases and fires can smoulder and I will not get back into the cab. We asked the driver to call us another cab. At first, he would not do so but then he saw we were not getting in and we had walked a little ways up the road. He came and joined us and.. lit up a cigarette. He thought it was quite funny. Macedonians love smoke. Macedonia, as previously noted, is a smoking country.
Our taxi driver amused by our refusal to re-enter the burning cab and continue into Ohrid. We wait by a handy indentation in the road, which must be the official waiting spot for those needing another cab which is not on fire. He does not understand why we are not taking the oppt'y for a cigarette break.
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