Macedonia: Day Eight

Today was our last day here in Prilep. I woke to overcast skies and there were a few sprinkles as I walked this morning. We joined Kyle and Jackie for breakfast and ate Burke, a meat pie that looked like a panini made with phyllo dough. We had a choice of beef or ham and cheese. Both were delicious! We also ate Strudla which is apple strudel. It was also very good. Danny, Kyle and I then drove out to Krivogashtani, the village where we worked on the playground and checked on it’s progress. We then drove up the mountain to Krusevo where we sat down for a coffee and Salep. It is the highest town in Macedonia, situated at an altitude of over 4,429 feet. Salep is a Turkish drink made with a wild orchid flour that contains the starch glucomannan. It is mixed with milk and has a hot milky, sweet cinnamon taste. We briefly went into the church there to see the Iconostasis. Leaning against the Iconostasis was a picture of a deceased pop star that has developed a cult like status similar to our Elvis. He is from Krusevo and his grave has become a pilgrimage site for many. There is also a museum dedicated to him built near the cemetery. To have his picture lean against the Iconostasis is to lift him up into a Saint like state to be worshipped in the Orthodox church. Kyle said for the Orthodox this would be very offensive and he is surprised to see that it is still remaining in the church. Krusevo is also a ski town in Macedonia. We also went to see the monument Meckin Kamin (Bear’s Stone). It is a monument dedicated to the last defense of Krusevo during the Ilinden Uprise. The legendary detachment leader,Pitu Guli, together with his soldiers, gave their lives in defense of Krusevo. The soldiers of the detachment, held the Ottoman army for hours and after a fierce battle, 45 insurgents were killed, along with Pitu Guli. Ottoman losses were enormous. They were defeated however, and the Ottoman army on August 13, 1903 entered in Krusevo, burning and looting the city. We left Krusevo to go back to Prilep as Kyle and Danny had meetings with some men at Izgrev. Jackie met us there and we went into the city to finish some shopping and get a bite to eat. Jackie introduced me to another Macedonian dish, Piroska which is like a fried, rolled crepe filled with ham and cheese and tartar sauce. It was delicious and I also finally had my baklava! We rejoined the men and then went to little Maggie’s sixth birthday party. She is the daughter of Jeff and Amy who work alongside Kyle and Jackie here in Prilep. After the birthday, we went to dinner at our favorite, Macedonia House. We tried not to eat too much at the birthday, so we would have room for an early dinner. I ate a traditional Macedonian chicken dish and everyone else ate Tava, another traditional dish. Tava is like a pork stew. They ate three different kinds but their favorite was one with lots of garlic. We also had Baklava again, this time next door to the restaurant at the Disneyland bakery. After dinner we went home for the first time of the day but only for about 20 minutes. We then went back out for our last home visit to our dear friends Alexsandre and Tence. We had a nice visit with delicious gigantic cream puffs also from the Disneyland bakery and then back home for packing. Tomorrow we head back to Greece for a couple of nights before heading home. Until tomorrow...