"Treskavec monastery" Prilep Travelogue by Sympathisant

(read this travelouge from its start)

Yesterday I stood up together with Bojan, who had to go to work, and took the train to Prilep.
Prilep itself is rather boring, not so the surrounding!
The rocky mountains around appear somehow unreal. The city is situated on a great plain on the bottom of them.
I wanted to visit the Treskavec monastery. That was tricky.
There are no busses going near there and even the Taxi drivers refused to take me there. Later I should learn why...
Luckily I found some helpful travel agency, whose people culd speak decent English. They tried to convince me to visit another monastery easier to get to, but I insisted to go to Treskavec.
In the end I took a Taxi as far as the driver was willing to drive and walked from there. The road was not what you call road. It was just steep a path with deep traces of down-flowing water, big rocks and dust. You'd need a strong off road vehicle to drive there.
It was high noon, sun mercilessly burning on me when I fighted to two hours up there.
But it was worth it!
Like in some fairytale the buildings stuck to the rocks. Four monks are currently living there.
I met Goce, with whom I was to spent the coming four hours up there. He was a music professor, with faible for orthodox singing. Whenever he has time he spends his time in monasteries singing with his students at the services.
We spoke about religion in Macedonia and Germany, about learning English only by watching TV and some other things...

Around four o clock I left, down to Prilep. This time on the side of the mountain. I spent the night in my tent on the slope pf the mountain. The evening brought heavy rain, storm and thunders. My tent withstood. ;-)

Today I walked to another very small, but still very beautiful monastery.
Tomorrow I will go on either to Bitola or to Krusevo.

stay tuned...!

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