"The Crossroads of the Balkans" a Skopje Travel Page by jrgentle

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Hello all. What follows are excerpts from some stories I wrote a few years ago while in Macedonia. A few things are a bit dated, but I think you can still taste the flavor. Please check out My travelogue on The 11 October Orphanage. Enjoy

........Well since my last posting, I have endeavoured to strike out on my own and truly discover the city of Skopje. I have found two really cool cafés right in the middle of town. The first is directly across from the Italian Embassy. It’s a really laid back jazzy kind of joint. The staff are really nice and being located where it is, its only a matter of time until I meet some unsuspecting Italian diplomat (there is something about chatting up someone who can’t get parking tickets, mmmm). The name of this place is something I am still trying to pronounce, but translated it means “southern heartbreak”, you figure it out. The second café is called “Café Palata”, and this place is truly amazing. It is decorated in the style of a Spanish Villa courtyard. This place is better looking than most of the bars or cafés I have ever been in. And you all know that I have been thrown out of some of the best. The staff in this place are just as beautiful, and they are really nice so it looks like I have found my local. I found out that this place is frequented by a lot of the foreigners in town. Its a bit pricey for Macedonia, but still well within my US Government bar tab limit. My first night there I met a Finnish guy from the UN. He has been here almost two years and he clued me in on all the buzz. And in return I clued him in to Southern Comfort with Sprite and Lime juice. It was one of those nights that starts out with a friendly getting to know someone drink, and ends up with us drinking shots of “show alcohol” that been on the shelf for 2 years. I didn’t plan on getting drunk, but hey, I couldn’t have the Finns thinking we Americans can’t drink. I did it for my country and the cute girl named Alex behind the bar. Anyway that same night I couldn’t pass out because I had to be on a plane at 0630 the next morning.......