Struga 17/11/07

Looking out the window from my 30°C hotel room, the rain is still falling and the temperature gauge out the front shows it’s 3°. Feeling slightly dismayed I go for breakfast…

The omelet is wonderful but does little to raise my spirits. I talk with the receptionist and find out the next major town is 15kms and then another 35kms to Bitola. I think that’s as far as I will make it.

I pack up, prolonging the inevitable by catching up on my blogs, then set off into the rain.

Five hundred meters down the road I spot an internet café…I can’t resist. This is where I end up spending the next three hours :) occasionally glancing out the window, the rain isn’t easing.

Steph comes online and we have a good chat. She tells me I should just take the day off and I think “fuck it, why not?”. Thinking about it logically, if I am going to stop in Bitola anyway, there is no point in torturing myself to get there. I decide to find a hotel and see if the weather clears up tomorrow. If it does, good. And if it doesn’t, then that’s probably it for this little black duck…until spring anyway ;)

Walking around in the rain, trying to find a hotel so I didn’t have to walk around in the rain seems a bit ironic but 20 minutes later I have success. I get a great little apartment for €10. Bargain!

The rain keeps falling and it feels more and more like the pilgrimage has ended. Heading back to the internet I look at my options…

In every bar I have passed for the last week all the news has been about Kosovo. They are holding elections right now and whoever wins is likely to declare independence on the 10th December. This next fortnight might be the last chance to see it in relative peace for a time. I think this will be my first stop before meeting back up with Steph in Istanbul.

It’s Saturday night so I figure I better go out for a drink ;) I ask around and find a club celebrating its first birthday. I have a great night and as I walk home at 5am theres a light snow falling….

I feel this is the end for now…