Afterwards it was wine and coffee to Christen Mende's new homemade balcony. I was a little concerned as to the structural integrity of it as most things here are held together by any means. Mende, Blagica (Mende's wife), Vele and I sat, drank and chatted as test pilots on Mende's handiwork. Thank goodness Vele was there for translation but it was a wonderful moment. It reinforces why I love this place so much. It's the beautiful people and their simple way of life.
The kids wanted to go with some of the local kids (Darko, Borcia) to get an ice cream which are 20 Denars each ($AU 0.40) so when K handed Finn a 100 Denars note (AU$2.50) Darko, through translation, commented that it was a lot of money.
In the afternoon, we travelled to the nearest town of Bitola (30 minutes away) to do some shopping. This was the town where we caught taxis to visit the area where the Gypsies (Roma) live. There are many around including three small girls of about six or seven years of age that were begging for money whilst they shared a cigarette. Some sell fruit and others play music for money.
Sneza and Vele had booked an open air restaurant for dinner where Macedonian music is played. It was a great night and we danced to the music in traditional style with the hand holding and moving in a large circular group. It didn't take long to get the correct foot movement happening and whilst it was at a slow pace, it can become quite a workout.
There is singing and dancing on every corner with some in traditional dress. As people work very long and late hours, the festivities don't start until around 9.30 so dinner arrived at 11.20. We were home by 1.15am and in bed half an hour later. Tomorrow there's a party for Tilly's birthday.
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