Making plans for Macedonia

I'm being made utterly redundant by the Civil Service this April. I do love an adventure, and my pay off will mean I've a few quid, which I almost entirely will use for sensible reasons. The remaining £240 will be spent on WizzAir flights to Skopje (Macedonia) and hotel rooms there, and on Lake Ohrid in late April, presumably after I've had my cheque cashed. This is my bid for an affordable adventure, and at 32, possibly my last before settling into a new job and a new chapter of my ever changing 'Hello' magazine of a life.

Why Macedonia? Well. I've been to much of Europe and I know what happens and where. I'm aware that my budget (not much to spend) rules our Scandinavia and Iceland, but I've been to these places. I'm steering clear of the Eurozone because of inflated prices for booze, and silly hats. I don't really want to go back to Poland, Czech Republic or Hungary just yet. I really liked my adventure to snowy Bosnia in 2009, with all the cheap beer, fine selection of meats, chewy coffee and cobbled old town and Ottoman influenced quarters. I did what any self-respecting English berk would do; got quickly drunk on the local beer (Sarajevsko - delicious!), and wandered into the night alone, looking for a kebab (Cervapi in this part of the world). I woke hungover, and wandered town on a crisp Sunday morning, dodging falling icicles and negotiating a price for a Bosnian football shirt with a kind old rip-off merchant and his wife. Good times.

Macedonia's capital seems to have much the same appeal as Sarajevo, except it's slightly less charming, but easily more accessible. I'm keen to catalogue as many moustaches as possible, and if I get the chance, I want to befriend a bear. This of course will be difficult, but I would imagine with gusto, not impossible.

Those who know me, know I have an interest in World Beers (check out my Beers of the World photo album on Facebook), I fully intend to review local beers, bars and possibly befriend some beer drinkers for comedy photos. Then I'll get the 3 hour bus ride down to Ohrid for some relaxing beer and moustache reviews, hire a bike, get lost, dodge bears, photo bears, applaud bear catchers, fall into Lake Ohrid. Sleep. Etc. It will be brilliant and surely a good use of my life. Far better than using the cash for a University education or new teeth.

Will try to update you on my successes and failures in Macedonia.