Macedonia

Debar – Ohrid – Bratin Dol, Macedonia

These Balkan countries are not big. Both Albania and Macedonia are about one-eighth the size of Minnesota. So while it may seem like we are booking along because it feels like we’re in a new country every day, we are, in reality, actually going a little slower than normal. 

It’s just that these countries are so small it sometimes only takes a day or two of biking to pass through them. 

Okay, who else is confused by the relationship between Macedonia, North Macedonia, and Greece? 

First off, Macedonia and Mesopotamia are not the same place. Now, feel free to laugh at me – but I’m guessing I’m not the only one that put them both in the same brain box – with the label: “Ancient civilizations that I don’t know much about . . .”

In Greek, the word “Mesopotamia” means between two rivers. The name comes from the fact that ancient Mesopotamia was focused between the Euphrates and Tibres Rivers, in what is now Iraq. The Mesopotamians started farming about 8,000 BC. Farming basically led to the start of what we now call civilization. You know – Iphones and stuff like that . . .

I guess this was a good thing because now we have dishwashers and cars and televisions. I’ve mentioned the book Sapiens before, and the author’s analysis of this transformation is illuminating. He basically says that before farming people would wander around and live off of the land. According to him, people spent a few hours per day hunting and gathering, and the rest of the time hanging out with friends and family. 

Since farming came along most people spend most of their days “working.” And then, generally, a few people – the landowners – spend their days eating olives and grapes and literally enjoying the fruits of other people’s labor. 

So I guess you can blame the Mesopotamians for messing up our lives. We could have been hanging out playing bocce ball all day – but, instead, most of us slave away most of our lives . . . (Not that Diana and I are complaining at this particular time . . .)

Okay – that’s the Mesopotamians. 

Got it? Founders of farming. Lived in Iraq. Kind of a big deal.

Now the Macedonians. 

As far as I can tell, in the ancient world the Macedonians were basically Greeks who lived a little further north. Alexander the Great was probably the most famous Macedonian. He’s the guy who conquered like half the world. 

These Macedonians spoke Greek, acted Greek, and even participated in the Olympiads of old. 

Today, there is a region/state/province called Macedonia in the north of Greece. We’ll be biking through there over the next few days. Thessaloniki – the city that we’ll be taking the ferry from on our way to Turkey – is Macedonian in this sense. From what I gather, the people who live in this part of Greece speak Greek and generally think of themselves as Greeks.

Then there is the country called North Macedonia. From what I understand, the people who live in this country are primarily Slavs – although there are a good number of ethnic Albanians as well – and these modern-day Macedonians are most closely related to Bulgarians – who are also Slavs. We know this, I guess, because the Macedonian language is very similar to Bulgarian. 

Apparently the whole concept of Macedonia as a country first came about in the late-19th century. I guess before that the people who lived here were just part of the greater Slavic peoples of the Balkans. It didn’t really matter at that time – because, between the Ottomans and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the people who lived in what is now North Macedonia were basically always under someone else’s thumb. 

And then, from 1912 to 1991 or so, this area was part of Yugoslavia. Only with the Balkan Wars of the ‘90s did North Macedonia – which was, at the time, known as just Macedonia – come to be. Then, in recent years, after pressure from the Greeks, the modern-day Macedonians (who, again, are really Slavs related most closely to the Bulgarians) agreed to change their name to North Macedonia. 

Got that?

It’s confusing. 

And, really, I don’t have a great feel for Macedonia at this point. The countryside is beautiful. There are bears, and wolves and foxes and venomous snakes.

But the people? For whatever reason I don’t yet have a feel for the people. Maybe because we’ve met Albanians and Bosnians, but not a ton of Macedonians.

Adding to our confusion, when we arrived at our campsite today we encountered a whole big group of Americans – who are here working in modern-day North Macedonia, digging up the remains of ancient Macedonians and Ottomans. Turns out that they are staying in a house here at the campground and each day they go to an archeological site to dig stuff up. Like Raiders of the Lost Ark type work. Only I think they are finding things like shards of pottery – no arcs of the covenant or anything . . .

But it was a good thing that the Americans were around. Because Diana and I messed up a bit today. I guess we got cocky, thinking that we had things pretty well figured out. The website said that the campground had a kitchen, and, indeed, they do. So we thought we would get here, figure out the kitchen situation, and then go to the nearby town to shop for ingredients. 

Except that, as it turns out, the nearby town has no amenities whatsoever. Not even a mini-mart. 

The nearest grocery store? About three or four miles away. Not that far, except that at the end of the day there isn’t a lot of excitement about more biking . . .

This is where Jodi comes into the story. Jodi is, essentially, Indiana Jones’ wife. Her Indy – her husband – is leading the dig here in North Macedonia. Jodi happened to be here on our arrival and she volunteered to drive us to the store. Pretty nice. 

I guess we could have biked there and back. But it’s so deflating to end the day’s ride and then realize that there is another 7 or 8 miles in front of you – and with no food until you get back.

The grocery store was interesting. Basically a big warehouse. No fresh meat, literally like three really old onions, some ancient garlic, a few cucumbers and lemons, and some tomatoes. Which is weird. Because I think they grow a lot of produce around here. Certainly Albania seemed to have some of the best fruits and vegetables of any place we’ve been. 

Anyway, we made it work. Kind of a pasta surprise, with Diana’s cucumber salad on the side.

I should mention Ohrid. It’s both a town and a lake. I guess it’s one of the oldest and biggest lakes in Europe. Very pretty. With an old fortress, and the ruins of a Roman amphitheater where they used to execute Christians with gladiators. 

Definitely a nice town. Good place for swimming. And a nice place to spend our thirtieth anniversary. 

And then a new favorite food. Burek. It’s a filo dough thing, but savory, not sweet. They put meat or cheese or potatoes in the middle and then braid it and, I think, cook it. Makes for a great lunch. 

We bought some today at the local bakery. When the owner of the bakery, Jari (sp?), found out that we were from America he insisted on giving us an extra drink for the road. He is from Bosnia and seems to love Americans. I need to do a little more research into the wars in the ‘90s, and the American and NATO interventions, but my sense is that there is a lot of appreciation for our role in helping put an end to the violence in that time. 

We met Chris, a British guy who is just about to complete a multi-stage bike ride around the world. Current stage: Istanbul to London. He’s heading the opposite way we are, but we had lunch together and shared information on what’s ahead. A few things we learned from Chris: It’s likely to be hot in Turkey, and the ride into Istanbul sounds a little crazy – with like 60-80 miles of highway before reaching the central city. 

Finally, we had a nice chat with Tony, who owns the campground with his wife, Natasha. Tony lived in Australia for 25 years. He worked as a painting contractor and had five children there. Now he has eleven grandchildren as well. All of them live in Australia, except a sixteen-year-old boy, who lives with Tony and Natasha here in Macedonia. I guess the whole family speaks both English and Macedonian. Tony says there are a ton of Macedonians in Australia. Who knew?

Oh, the riding itself? It’s been pretty amazing. Mountains, but nothing too harsh. Beautiful views. Water – lakes and streams. Natural springs along the way.

Tomorrow we enter Greece. Three more days to Thessaloniki – the second largest city in the country. 

Thoughts on Greece? I mean, besides Greek salad and baklava.