After a scary, lonely trainride at 1 a.m., I arrived in Schönefeld, caught my flight and slept through food and views to arrive in Istanbul at dawn. Unfortunately getting all my stuff together and organizing Turkish lira took so long, when my bus finally left the airport, the sun was already up. Anyway, I met some nice people on the bus and had not so lonely coffee, tea and börek at a tiny street venue in Taksim. I spent a few hours walking around and being fascinated by this beautiful city, but I was so tired I couldn't really enjoy it all. Back at the airport I almost collapsed and decided Istanbul is definately a place to return, but maybe after having a bit more sleep.

The plane ride to Skopje was beautiful, flying by the Turkish and Greek coastline, tinted in warm sunlight. Macedonia is mostly covered in snow, Skopje even hidden under a thick layer of fog. The city has changed so much, there's new big, heroic buildings and statues everywhere. But I was welcomed with love and food, as always.

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All Photos: Carolin Weinkopf