luxury in the woods

  After a good hike in the woods on a cold day, a good warm lunch is a godsend, and nothing better then some fried "Piperki" (peppers), sausages, cheese and some "Vranec" wine from Macedonia, a full bodied wine that will warm up your soul and put a smile on your face in no time.
  Luxury 

Balkan in Turkish

  "Balkan" in Turkish means "a chain of wooded mountains", a true if somewhat inaccurate definition of what actually surrounds me. Mountains, yes, but the topography is actually extremely varied, from rugged desert type landscapes, Mediterranean type forests, woodlands, and schrubland to lake Ohrid, considered to be one of the oldest lakes and biotopes in the world. 
  And to add a bit of spice (very important here), just about everything else in between, all this in a country 25,713 km²

Balkans

  The fauna is abundant and includes bears, wild boars, lynx, wolves, foxes, squirrels, chamois and deer. Birds include the blackcap, the grouse, the black grouse, the imperial eagle and the forest owl. Hard to beat in Europe. It is also an  entomologists paradise, I see new insects on each of my outings, and it appears to me that they are thriving in these somewhat unspoilt surroundings. 
  The same goes for botanists. Of interest, herbs and teas are widely used over here for everything; cooking of course but also medicine. A visit to the doctors will invariably end up with them prescribing some type of herbal tea for your affliction. 
  The purpose of this blog is to acquaint the reader with this part of the Balkans, to explore it's natural beauty, it's mysteries, culture, food and wine, outdoor living and everything else of interest that catches my eye.
I hope you will enjoy this trip as much as I do.