Gadling http://www.gadling.com Gadling http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/%SiteURL%/media/feedlogo.gif Gadling http://www.gadling.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[A Traveler in the Foreign Service: My Secret Foreign Service Wedding]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/03/19/a-traveler-in-the-foreign-service-my-secret-foreign-service-wed/http://www.gadling.com/2012/03/19/a-traveler-in-the-foreign-service-my-secret-foreign-service-wed/http://www.gadling.com/2012/03/19/a-traveler-in-the-foreign-service-my-secret-foreign-service-wed/#commentsFiled under: , ,

wedding photoToday is my ten-year wedding anniversary, sort of. Does it make sense to celebrate a wedding that was a secret, five-minute affair that was capped off at a nearby Taco Bell over chalupas and 99-cent churros?

I asked my wife to marry me just days before joining the Foreign Service in 2002 and we had to set a wedding date without knowing what country we would be moving to or when we would depart.

When you join the Foreign Service you start out in a two-month long training class called A-100, which takes places in Arlington, Virginia. At the conclusion of the course, you're given a flag representing your assignment and, depending on the job and the country, you can spend the next one to nine months in job and/or language training.

This uncertainty makes it difficult to deal with landlords but even harder to plan a wedding. Nonetheless, we planned an August 10 wedding in Chicago, and tried to bid on jobs that entailed as much training as possible. In late March, I was assigned to Skopje, Macedonia, with six months of Albanian language training. This meant that I'd be in the U.S. for the wedding, so we initially felt relieved.

But we soon learned that nothing happens in the Foreign Service without a mountain of red tape and logistical hurdles. Our departure for post was scheduled for early October and old Foreign Service hands, including "Dink," our kindly A-100 course coordinator, told us that a mid-August wedding might not leave enough time for the bureaucracy to get Jen (my wife) on our travel orders.

Continue reading A Traveler in the Foreign Service: My Secret Foreign Service Wedding

A Traveler in the Foreign Service: My Secret Foreign Service Wedding originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>A Traveler in the Foreign ServiceATravelerInTheForeignServicecourthouse weddingCourthouseWeddingembassyforeign serviceForeign Service BlogForeign Service Officers BlogForeignServiceForeignServiceBlogForeignServiceOfficersBlogmacedoniasham marriageShamMarriageweddingwedding planningWeddingPlanningMon, 19 Mar 2012 11:30:00 EST<![CDATA[A Traveler in the Foreign Service: Help us get away with murder]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/03/13/a-traveler-in-the-foreign-service-help-us-get-away-with-murder/http://www.gadling.com/2012/03/13/a-traveler-in-the-foreign-service-help-us-get-away-with-murder/http://www.gadling.com/2012/03/13/a-traveler-in-the-foreign-service-help-us-get-away-with-murder/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

police tape

For Bashkim, a 25-year-old Albanian-American dishwasher, the trouble all started after he started having an affair with his boss's wife. When his boss heard the rumors, he immediately confronted his wife.

Luljeta claimed that Bashkim, who was nearly 20 years younger than her, had raped her in the diner, after hours, on several occasions. Her husband, Illir, called the Anchorage police, who investigated the claims and discovered that Luljeta had actually paid for motel rooms used for afternoon trysts with Bashkim. The police dropped the charges but Ilir was irate and unsure of whom to blame.

Several months later, Bashkim traveled to Kicevo, a small city in Macedonia, the country of his parents' birth, for the first time, along with his father, Nick, and cousin, Tony. Arranged marriage is still common amongst Albanian-Americans and Nick wanted his son to meet a woman they wanted him to marry.

The trio met with the young woman and her family in a café in downtown Kicevo, a shabby, provincial city with a substantial ethnic-Albanian community, and wedding plans were sealed over coffee and cigarettes in the traditional Albanian custom. But as the group walked out of the café, a masked man dressed in a joggers outfit opened fire on them, with bullets hitting Nick and Bashkim in the head.

Tony was hit in the buttocks, but managed to disarm the gunman, who fled into a getaway vehicle. The victims were rushed to a local hospital, where Nick, 46, was pronounced dead on arrival. Bashkim was seriously wounded but made a full recovery, as did Tony. A few months later, Ilir was extradited from Alaska to Macedonia to stand trial for murder.

When Americans are locked up abroad, American Foreign Service Officers (FSO's) will visit them in prison and will typically attend their trial, if possible. But what many travelers and expatriates often fail to understand is that Americans are always subject to local laws and judicial proceedings - even if they are capricious and backward.

FSO's can provide detained Americans with a list of local attorneys, help the American get in touch with people in the U.S., and try to ensure that the American isn't being mistreated in the prison. They can also explain the local law and what the court proceedings are likely to entail but they can't do much more than that, and this often creates friction.

Continue reading A Traveler in the Foreign Service: Help us get away with murder

A Traveler in the Foreign Service: Help us get away with murder originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>A Traveler in the Foreign ServiceAlbaniansarranged marriageArrangedMarriageATravelerInTheForeignServiceconsular assistanceConsularAssistanceforeign serviceForeignServicekicevolocked up abroadLockedUpAbroadmacedoniamurdermurder trial overseasMurderTrialOverseasTue, 13 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Traveler in the Foreign Service: Even corpses get bumped from flights]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/03/03/a-traveler-in-the-foreign-service-even-corpses-get-bumped-from/http://www.gadling.com/2012/03/03/a-traveler-in-the-foreign-service-even-corpses-get-bumped-from/http://www.gadling.com/2012/03/03/a-traveler-in-the-foreign-service-even-corpses-get-bumped-from/#commentsFiled under: , ,

I was standing over a coffin that contained the corpse of a 76-year-old American missionary whom I was supposed to help repatriate to the U.S., trying to figure out why he was naked. After a long consultation with Stevcho, a sinister-looking funeral parlor boss, my local colleague at the American embassy in Skopje concluded that the man's clothes were "probably" at a forensics lab.

"Well, is he going to get them back?" I asked.

A long discussion ensued and Ljupka, my colleague, concluded that the man's clothes were probably gone for good.

"But don't worry," she said. "The funeral parlor in the U.S. will get him a nice suit. His daughter won't have to see him like this."

The men wanted me to confirm that the body was a man whom I'll call Joe. But the corpse in front of me bore only a vague resemblance to the passport photo I held in my hand.

"They found his passport on him, right?" I asked. "So I guess it must be him."

With that, I signed a few more receipts, and then two workers moved into action, using a medieval looking blowtorch to seal the coffin shut for its flight.

We followed a Blues-Brothers-like hearse to a cargo warehouse adjacent to Skopje's rather unimpressive little airport. The cargo guy had three empty cans of beer on his desk. One of them was flattened like a pancake. He had a calendar featuring photos of nude women hanging above his head. It was 4:30 p.m. on a Friday and my colleagues were, ironically, at a sexual harassment seminar that very afternoon. The mildly inebriated shipping clerk didn't inspire confidence but he and Ljupka seemed to work out Joe's travel plans in a matter of moments.

"He's going to have a three hour layover in Vienna," Ljupka said, looking to me for approval.

"That'll be fine," I said, feeling ridiculous.

Of course, it would be fine; dead people don't mind layovers.

I half expected them to ask me if he wanted a window or an aisle seat, or if he had any dietary restrictions or a frequent flyer card.

Continue reading A Traveler in the Foreign Service: Even corpses get bumped from flights

A Traveler in the Foreign Service: Even corpses get bumped from flights originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 03 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>A Traveler in the Foreign ServiceATravelerInTheForeignServicedeathdyingdying abroadDyingAbroadforeign serviceForeignServicemacedoniaSkopjeSat, 03 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Traveler in the Foreign Service: Try not to die in Macedonia]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/03/02/a-traveler-in-the-foreign-service-try-not-to-die-in-macedonia/http://www.gadling.com/2012/03/02/a-traveler-in-the-foreign-service-try-not-to-die-in-macedonia/http://www.gadling.com/2012/03/02/a-traveler-in-the-foreign-service-try-not-to-die-in-macedonia/#commentsFiled under: , ,

You never forget your first dead body. One Friday afternoon several years ago, my boss at the American embassy in Skopje informed me that a 76-year-old American missionary, whom I'll refer to as Joe, had died of a heart attack.

When an American citizen dies overseas and has no immediate relatives in the country, a Foreign Service Officer (FSO) has to identify the body, notify their next-of-kin and help arrange for the body to be transported back to the U.S., if that is the family's wish. Only the gloomiest traveler or expat thinks about these macabre practicalities before leaving the U.S., but if you die abroad, an FSO is very likely to be involved in what happens next.

My boss agreed to make the notification phone call to Joe's daughter back in Arkansas but said that I'd have to go out to identify his body and take care of the paperwork. This seemed like a good bargain to me, because my only experience with making death-notification phone calls came in a consular training course at the Foreign Service Institute and had been something of a disaster.

There were six of us in the class, five FSO's and a ditzy civil servant who worked for some sort of governmental public affairs hotline. We were given scenarios and asked to role-play death notification phone calls. Cruelly, the instructor made the ditzy woman go first.

"Hi, my name is Karen Smith and I'm calling from the American Embassy," she began, promisingly. (not her real name) "I'd like to speak to the next-of-kin of Tom Jones."

We all burst out laughing before the instructor piped in.

"Ummm, you don't ask to speak to next-of-kin," he said. "That kind of foreshadows what you're about to tell them."

We had so much fun laughing about the next-of-kin gaffe that none of us could conjure the seriousness that was needed to make the calls and the exercise degenerated into a farce.

So luckily, my boss made the call and reported back that Joe's daughter wasn't particularly surprised that he had died. His wife had passed away a few years before and he got involved with a church that recruited him to serve as a missionary in Macedonia. The daughter wanted his body sent back to Arkansas but indicated that they didn't have much money and thus needed to get a good price.

Ljupka, one of the embassy's local employees, accompanied me out to an enormous, desolate area of Skopje called Butel to identify Joe. Inside the funeral home, we were ushered into the cluttered office of a pudgy, sweaty man named Stevcho, who ran the place. Stevcho boasted that he personally took care of all the Americans who had the misfortune of dying in Macedonia.

Continue reading A Traveler in the Foreign Service: Try not to die in Macedonia

A Traveler in the Foreign Service: Try not to die in Macedonia originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 02 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>A Traveler in the Foreign ServiceATravelerInTheForeignServicedeathdyingmacedoniaSkopjeFri, 02 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Traveler in the Foreign Service: go native or go postal]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/02/20/a-traveler-in-the-foreign-service-go-native-or-go-postal/http://www.gadling.com/2012/02/20/a-traveler-in-the-foreign-service-go-native-or-go-postal/http://www.gadling.com/2012/02/20/a-traveler-in-the-foreign-service-go-native-or-go-postal/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Have you ever seen an American walking through an airport in a flowing, beaded sari, a colorful African tribal dress, or Afghan shalwar kameez and wondered, what the hell are they thinking? Expatriates who "go native" while living overseas might seem a bit loopy, but "going native" is actually a fairly common way to cope with culture shock.

A traveler and an expat experience foreign cultures in completely different ways. What can appear novel to the traveler can simply be a nuisance to the expatriate.

After an expat has been in their new country for a while, they inevitably confront aspects of the local culture they dislike. Even in the best places, we Americans can find things to complain about. Some cope with culture shock by retreating into a bubble- surrounding themselves with other foreigners and doing their best to recreate the lives they had before they left home. Others go native- completely rejecting their home culture and everyone who isn't local. And of course, the majority are hybrids who fall somewhere in between.

Nearly every Foreign Service post has people in both extreme camps- let's call them cowboys and natives for simplicity's sake. We had one native in Skopje, whom I'll call Native Neil, whom I really liked, but he was considered highly eccentric for embracing the local culture a bit too warmly. For example, Neil took public buses to get around Skopje while virtually no other Americans did. At the time, one could take a taxi pretty much anywhere in the city for the equivalent of $1. A bus ride cost 20 cents but the buses were extremely crowded and had erratic schedules.

Occasionally my wife and I would see Native Neil waiting at a bus stop and offer him a ride, and I think it embarrassed him to be seen interacting with other Americans. Native Neil didn't need to save the 80 cents; he just wanted to completely immerse himself in the local culture, which is perfectly respectable. But for other Americans, that immersion made him a bit flaky.

Continue reading A Traveler in the Foreign Service: go native or go postal

A Traveler in the Foreign Service: go native or go postal originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>A Traveler in the Foreign ServiceATravelerInTheForeignServicebarking dogsBarkingDogsculture shockculture warsCultureShockCultureWarsgoing nativeGoingNativelight sleeperLightSleepersolutions for barking dogsSolutionsForBarkingDogsMon, 20 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Traveler in the Foreign Service: A birthday that went up in smoke in Belgrade]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/02/06/a-traveler-in-the-foreign-service-a-birthday-that-went-up-in-sm/http://www.gadling.com/2012/02/06/a-traveler-in-the-foreign-service-a-birthday-that-went-up-in-sm/http://www.gadling.com/2012/02/06/a-traveler-in-the-foreign-service-a-birthday-that-went-up-in-sm/#commentsFiled under: , ,

There's nothing like having a sealed train compartment full of Serbian farmers blowing smoke in your face on your 30th birthday. One of the strangest elements of expatriate life is that you sometimes find yourself celebrating major occasions with people you just met, rather than friends and family.

I had just started a tour as an American Foreign Service Officer in Macedonia right before my 30th birthday and my wife, who was completing a graduate degree in Chicago, hadn't yet arrived at post. So my options were to spend the auspicious occasion with people whom I barely knew, or spend it alone. I told Marija, one of my Macedonian colleagues, that I planned to take the train up to Belgrade, but didn't mention that the trip would take place on my 30th.

"Nobody takes the train," she said. "They gas the compartments and then rob everyone."

I ignored her and turned up at Skopje's forlorn train station on Saturday morning November 9, for my birthday trip to Belgrade. I love train travel and thought that it would be a pleasant way to spend the day. I had a compartment all to myself for the first hour of the trip, but shortly after we crossed the Serbian border, a group of four boisterous Serbs barged into the compartment.

There was a teenager named Ivan, two haggard, middle aged women whose names I didn't catch, and a middle aged man named Slavica who wore a garish jacked with the words CHICAGO HAPPY MEMBER CLUB emblazoned in a huge font across his back. I couldn't help but note the irony: I was spending my 30th birthday with a member of the Chicago Happy Member Club, rather than with my wife in Chicago.

Immediately after sitting down, Slavica slid the compartment door shut, lit up a cigarette, and blew the smoke right in my face. I pointed to the no-smoking sticker on the door. He gave me a puzzled look and a shrug and kept smoking, so I opened our window. In the Balkans, and in other parts of the world, fresh air is seen as a dangerous thing- perhaps akin to spending a holiday at a leper colony or having unprotected sex with an H.I.V. positive prostitute-which causes all sorts of illnesses.

Continue reading A Traveler in the Foreign Service: A birthday that went up in smoke in Belgrade

A Traveler in the Foreign Service: A birthday that went up in smoke in Belgrade originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>A Traveler in the Foreign ServiceATravelerInTheForeignServicebelgradeeuropemacedoniaSerbiasmokingsmoking banSmokingBanThe Foreign ServiceTheForeignServicetraintrain travelTrainTravelMon, 06 Feb 2012 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Traveler in the Foreign Service: Ding Dongs and danger pay in Kosovo]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/01/20/a-traveler-in-the-foreign-service-ding-dongs-and-danger-pay-in/http://www.gadling.com/2012/01/20/a-traveler-in-the-foreign-service-ding-dongs-and-danger-pay-in/http://www.gadling.com/2012/01/20/a-traveler-in-the-foreign-service-ding-dongs-and-danger-pay-in/#commentsFiled under: , ,

When I worked at the American Embassy in Skopje, I looked forward to visiting Kosovo. Not because I liked the place, but because I wanted junk food. American junk food. I'm talking Hostess cupcakes, Chips Ahoy, Jif Peanut Butter and the like. And trips to Kosovo, if you were crafty, meant a visit to Camp Bondsteel, a huge American military base with a P.X. that was sort of like a mini Wal-Mart.

Aside from the availability of American goodies, Pristina was still considered a hazard post with 25% danger pay, and one could collect this extra cash, on a prorated basis, even if you were there for as little as a half day of "work." At the time, Kosovo was part of Skopje's consular district, so it wasn't difficult to drum up a reason to go there, and our local employees there were well schooled on the drill: make sure to set up some contrived meeting or a tour at Camp Bondsteel, so we could have lunch at Burger King and shop at the P.X.

I traveled extensively in developing countries before joining the Foreign Service but I never felt the need to hunt down American products while overseas. Part of the joy of travel is in buying unfamiliar products and eating different foods. But within a few months of living in Skopje, I found myself craving not just American products but also the American shopping experience I was familiar with. Why?

I had a local supermarket called Vero close to my apartment in Skopje but I dreaded going to the place. Aside from the fact that they didn't have things that I thought were staples- fresh low-fat milk, lettuce and the like- navigating the parking lot was always an experience.

Continue reading A Traveler in the Foreign Service: Ding Dongs and danger pay in Kosovo

A Traveler in the Foreign Service: Ding Dongs and danger pay in Kosovo originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I was standing on a stage in an auditorium in front of about 500 people frozen in terror at Nota Fest, which is like the Grammy awards for Macedonia's ethnic-Albanian community. The organizers of the event had invited our Ambassador, Larry Butler, to present a lifetime achievement award and when he, and several other more important people at the embassy declined, the duty was punted down to me, a lowly first tour diplomat.

Attending b and c list events in host countries is a big part of life in the Foreign Service and the more junior you are, the more likely you'll end up at Tajikistan's national day (think warm, generic cola and greasy mutton) instead of Italy's. (think prosciutto and fine wine). It was a command performance but I was assured that I wasn't going to have to say anything in Albanian.

"All you have to do is get up on stage, smile, and hand someone an award," said Lindita, a charming local employee from the embassy who probably could convince the Taliban's Mullah Omar to muster "you go girl" enthusiasm for the Ellen DeGeneris Show.

I had only been in the country for a few weeks and was still feeling insecure about speaking Albanian one-on-one, let alone in front of an audience of hundreds of people, so not speaking was a key point in the negotiations.

After sitting through three hours of live performances, many of them shockingly bad, with nary an alcoholic beverage in sight, I was finally called up on the stage, ostensibly to present the lifetime achievement award. Immediately the jazzily dressed hostess handed me a microphone, sending a wave of panic straight up my spine. Please do not ask me a question, I thought.

Suddenly a torrent of Albanian words filled the air and my mind raced to understand what was being said. I froze as the sold-out crowd waited to hear my response. But what the hell was the question? I didn't understand it, so I made some general remark about what a great evening it was, in Albanian. She repeated the question and on the second go-around I realized that she was asking me for an opinion on what had been the best performance of the night. Good grief.

The only two redeeming acts of the night were folk groups that I couldn't conjure the names of for the life of me. In that instant of panic, the only song I could recall the name of was a ridiculous little ditty called Ciao Macho Man. The number featured a slutty-looking, bleach blond, Spice girl wannabe, nicknamed "Tuna," bopping around the stage encircled by about 7 or 8 break dancing (yes break dancing) teenage boys wearing wife beaters and auto mechanic costumes. It was more or less akin to Billy Joel's Uptown Girl video, only there was break dancing rather than singing into wrenches.

Continue reading A Traveler in the Foreign Service: Ciao macho man (or how to help Albanian breakdancers win a grammy)

A Traveler in the Foreign Service: Ciao macho man (or how to help Albanian breakdancers win a grammy) originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trapped in a private, "rock-star" elevator in a seemingly half-finished apartment building on my first day in Macedonia, I turned, in desperation, to a phrase book. I had spent the previous six months in language training at the Foreign Service Institute, studying full time in a class of two, to prepare for an assignment at the American embassy in Skopje. But I didn't know how to say, "HELP!"

I was the lone member of the embassy trained in the country's minority language- Albanian- which is somewhat akin to posting a diplomat in Washington, D.C. with only Spanish training and no English. I lived in a part of town where Albanian was useless and, at this moment, was happy to have found the word for "help" in Macedonian in a phrasebook I had fortuitously stuffed in my backpack before leaving my apartment.

"U-Poh-MOSH!" I yelled. "U-POH-MOSH!"

I'd later learn that I shared my "rock-star" elevator with 3 apartments beneath me, but these other residences were all under construction. I had heard someone hammering just outside the elevator and the noise ceased for a minute after I let out my cry.

There was silence for a moment and then I heard a most unwelcome sound: laughter. I considered the fact that I was pronouncing the word wrong, so I tried various other iterations of the word. Eventually the laughter ceased and the workman started talking to me, in Macedonian. I had no clue what he was saying.

"Please, just get me the hell out of here!" I yelled.

But the man seemed either powerless or disinterested. After about a half hour trapped in the elevator I started to feel claustrophobic and short of breath. It finally dawned on me that I had the cell phone number of my new boss, whom I'd met at the airport just an hour before. We had only exchanged pleasantries and now I had to call her, at the start of a three-day weekend, to bail me out of an elevator. Only in the fishbowl world of the Foreign Service could such an uncomfortable supervisor-subordinate introduction take place.

"Hi Karen, it's Dave Seminara, we just met at the airport," I said, making my very first call on a new mobile phone I'd been given.

"I seem to be stuck in an elevator at my apartment building."

"Stuck in an elevator?" she asked, incredulous. "Well are you sure you hit the right buttons?"

Continue reading A Traveler in the Foreign Service: Escape from a rock-star elevator in Skopje

A Traveler in the Foreign Service: Escape from a rock-star elevator in Skopje originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Since the dissolution of Yugoslavia, Macedonia has hidden beneath the radar. While Croatia and Montenegro receive sustained coverage for their coastlines and Slovenia pops up here and there as a budget-friendly alternative to pricey Switzerland, landlocked Macedonia has received short shrift.

The country remains shut out of major Europe-wide organizations over its very name, which the Greek government contests as a stealthy move toward an eventual invasion of the northern Greek region of Macedonia. It's a ludicrous proposition, and it has kept Macedonia far more isolated than it should be.

Macedonia's reputation as a tourist destination has slowly grown over the last few years, and with good reason. The country offers amazingly good value for money. Transportation, accommodation, food, and tourist attractions are all inexpensive. The country's chief draws are Lake Ohrid, which Macedonia shares with Albania, and its scattered monasteries. Lake Ohrid is starkly beautiful, great for swimming and water sports. It's anchored by the city of Ohrid, itself spilling over with churches, fortresses, and other objects of historical interest.

Monasteries abound in Macedonia. One of these, Treskavec, is located near the town of Prilep in the south. There are marked hiking trails winding up hills to the monastery. At the top, you'll find accommodation for the cost of a small donation. A simple dinner is even included in the deal.

If Macedonian tourism taps into its treasures the right way, this country should see its current trickle of tourists become a modest stream.




[flickr image via Rilind Hoxha]

Budget Vacation Guide 2012: Macedonia originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The first thing I noticed about Macedonia was the Marlboro man and a group of short men smoking cheap alternatives. Six months after being handed the country's distinctive yellow and red flag, signifying a two year assignment to the American Embassy in Skopje, I'd finally landed in the city's forlorn little airport.

I was standing by the lone baggage carousel, looking at the Marlboro billboard and the smokers ignoring the no-smoking signs in the smoke-filled terminal. A tall, reed thin man with a receding hairline and a chest full of dangling badges approached me. He had no sign, but it was pretty obvious that I was the American on the flight he was looking for.

"The name's Zoran, but everybody calls me 'Ninja," the embassy driver said, by way of introduction.

I'd soon learn that half the men in Macedonia are named Zoran or Goran, so nicknames come in handy.

Outside the terminal, we had to push our way through an unruly scrum of cabbies and people waiting for friends or relatives. At the time, only departing passengers were allowed inside the airport, so everyone else waited outside. My new boss and my social sponsors, Blake and Adrianna, were waiting just behind the mob to greet me.

The boss introduced herself and left in her own car, but Blake and Adrianna piled in a van with Ninja and I as we sped off to my new home. Blake was a heavyset, baby faced, thirty- something with an air of self-importance. Adrianna was an attractive Salvadoran with an endearing accent. They met and married on Blake's previous tour in San Salvador.

"I understand you work in the political section," I said to Blake.

"Actually, I'm the head of the political section," he said, correcting me.

There were only two Americans in the political section, but it was an important distinction for him.

Skopje circa 2002 was a homely place, not elephant-man ugly, but shabby, unkempt and dreary, particularly on a rainy day. We passed a strip of shops called "Plastic Alley" where Roma sold seemingly identical collections of cheap garbage cans, pots and pans and knickknacks. Dilapidated Yugos shared the unmarked streets with stray dogs and Roma steering horse drawn carriages. I made a mental note to take an alternate route from the airport when my wife arrived in the country in a few months time.

Continue reading A Traveler in the Foreign Service: My rock-star elevator in Skopje

A Traveler in the Foreign Service: My rock-star elevator in Skopje originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>A Traveler in the Foreign ServiceATravelerInTheForeignServicemacedoniaSkopjeThe Foreign ServiceTheForeignServiceMon, 02 Jan 2012 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[European low-cost airlines fail to enforce charges and fees]]>http://www.gadling.com/2011/07/07/european-low-cost-airlines-fail-to-enforce-charges-and-fees/http://www.gadling.com/2011/07/07/european-low-cost-airlines-fail-to-enforce-charges-and-fees/http://www.gadling.com/2011/07/07/european-low-cost-airlines-fail-to-enforce-charges-and-fees/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

european low cost airlines fees

Flying around Europe on low-cost airlines over the last few months has taught me a few things. Among the most useful lessons I've picked up: Baggage and check-in fees and charges are enforced quite unevenly.

European low-cost carriers present their customers with a frightening thicket of charges and fees. These charges, which serve as a revenue stream for the airlines, are less readily enforced by contract agents who are not direct employees of the airlines in question, though bona fide airline employees also appear to enforce them inconsistently.

Some anecdotes from the last few months follow.

In Tel Aviv in March I tried to inform the easyJet check-in agent--clearly not an employee of easyJet--that, having failed to pay to check a bag online, I would need to cough up some shekels to do so. Not only did she refuse to take money to check my duffel bag but she clearly had no idea that I was supposed to be charged to check by bag in the first place.

Flying airBaltic between London and Finland last month, I was made to weigh my carry-on en route to Finland by an airBaltic agent. Returning, the contract employee in Oulu didn't ask me to weigh my bag, which, at 9 kilos, was right at the weight limit.

Three events, arguably, serve as a representative sample. I flew WizzAir last week to and from the Balkans. WizzAir demands that its customers' carry-on bags not exceed ten kilos, but neither the agent at Luton nor the at Dubrovnik on my return weighed my bag to see if it had exceeded the limit. In both cases I was very likely just over the baggage weight limit.

This is a case not so much of lessons learned than of a pattern observed. Contract check-in agents don't appear to have been taught about the intricacies of their employers' rules and regulations, first off. Secondly, and just possibly, if your carry-on bag looks diminutive, you may be able to get away with a few extra kilos.

That said, this is not an official Gadling recommendation to start to think of these charges and fees as inconsequential. They're imposed to make money and they succeed in doing so for their airlines. To some degree, I'm sure I was simply lucky in these instances. But clearly the fees and charges are not being enforced as fully as they were designed to be.

[Image: Flickr | jenny-bee]

Continue reading European low-cost airlines fail to enforce charges and fees

European low-cost airlines fail to enforce charges and fees originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AirBalticcroatiadubrovnikeasyjeteuropean low cost airlines feesEuropeanLowCostAirlinesFeesfinlandIsraellondonmacedoniaouluSkopjetel avivTelAvivWizzAirThu, 07 Jul 2011 11:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Macedonia: what's in a name? A major controversy!]]>http://www.gadling.com/2011/06/23/macedonia-whats-in-a-name-a-major-controversy/http://www.gadling.com/2011/06/23/macedonia-whats-in-a-name-a-major-controversy/http://www.gadling.com/2011/06/23/macedonia-whats-in-a-name-a-major-controversy/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Macedonia, Alexander the Great
The erection of a giant statue of Alexander the Great in the Macedonian capital of Skopje is the latest round in an ongoing controversy with neighboring Greece.

The statue, erected on Tuesday as part of an ambitious urban development plan called Skopje 2014, drew criticism from some Greek politicians and nervous mutterings from European diplomats. They say it's deliberate provocation because Greece objects to the name Macedonia. Using this name, some say, implies a claim over the Greek province of Macedonia, where Alexander the Great was actually born. Of course neither country existed at the time, the land being divided up into a patchwork of ancient city-states. When history is used as a propaganda tool, historic accuracy goes out the window.

Macedonia, officially the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, broke off from Yugoslavia in 1991 and has been in a row with Greece about its name ever since. This isn't some minor squabbling. Greece successfully blocked Macedonia's entry into NATO and is stonewalling the country's attempts to join the European Union. With Macedonia being one of the poorest countries in Europe, this argument over a name is costing them a lot.


[Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons]

Macedonia: what's in a name? A major controversy! originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 23 Jun 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Alexander the GreatAlexanderTheGreatancient historyAncientHistoryartcontroversyEUEurozoneformer YugoslaviaFormerYugoslaviaFYROMGreecehistoryMacedoniaNATOpoliticssatueSkopjeSkopje 2014Skopje2014statuesThu, 23 Jun 2011 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[From myth to Empire: Heracles to Alexander the Great]]>http://www.gadling.com/2011/04/29/from-myth-to-empire-heracles-to-alexander-the-great/http://www.gadling.com/2011/04/29/from-myth-to-empire-heracles-to-alexander-the-great/http://www.gadling.com/2011/04/29/from-myth-to-empire-heracles-to-alexander-the-great/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Alexander the great
Today's royals have nothing on the ancients.

Alexander the Great and his predecessors enjoyed a sumptuous lifestyle that beats anything William and Kate will ever enjoy, not to mention real power as opposed to lots of TV time. Now an amazing new exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England, gives an insight into the life of the royal family of Macedon.

Alexander the Great conquered much of the known world before his death in 323 BC, but he didn't come out of nowhere. He was the second-to-last king of a proud royal lineage that traced its roots to the legendary Herakles. Heracles to Alexander the Great: Treasures of the Royal Capital of Macedon, a Hellenic Kingdom in the Age of Democracy looks at the development of one of the ancient world's greatest royal families. Their palace was almost as big as Buckingham Palace and what remains shows it was much more luxurious. There was gold, silver, ivory, and jewels everywhere, and plenty has made it into this exhibition. There's everything from ornate golden wreaths to tiny ivory figurines like this one, which graced a couch on which a king once quaffed wine and consorted with maidens. It's good to be the king.

The displays focus on more than 500 treasures from the royal tombs at the ancient capital of Aegae (modern Vergina in northern Greece). Three rooms show the role of the king, the role of the queen, and the famous banquets that took place in the palace.

Gallery: Royal tombs of Macedon

Alexander the Great's empire at its furthest extent, 323 BCFacade of the tomb of Philip IIThis gold Medusa head, one of two found in the tomb of Philip II, would have adorned a linen cuirass.Gold strip showing combat between two warriors, both nude and equipped with helmets, shields and spears. From the decoration of Gold wreath and box of Philip II of Macedon (382-336 BC)

Continue reading From myth to Empire: Heracles to Alexander the Great

From myth to Empire: Heracles to Alexander the Great originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AegaeAegeaAlexander the GreatAlexanderTheGreatancientancient empiresancient greeceancient greekancient historyAncientEmpiresAncientGreeceAncientGreekAncientHistoryAshmoleanAshmolean MuseumAshmoleanMuseumbuckingham palaceBuckinghamPalaceclassic mythclassical historyclassical mythologyClassicalHistoryClassicalMythologyClassicMythclassicsday tripday tripsday trips from LondonDayTripDayTripsdaytrips from LondonDayTripsFromLondonempreempriesEnglandexhibitexhibitionexhibitionsexhibitsgravegravesHeraclesHeraklesHerculesLondonMacedonMacedoniamuseummuseumsmythmythologynecropolisOxfordpalacepalacesPhilip of MacedonPhilipOfMacedonroyalroyal familyRoyalFamilyroyaltyTeminidTeminid kingsTeminidKingsTeminidstombtombsVerginaFri, 29 Apr 2011 09:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Five ways to get more European stamps in your passport]]>http://www.gadling.com/2011/03/02/on-the-trail-of-european-passport-stamps/http://www.gadling.com/2011/03/02/on-the-trail-of-european-passport-stamps/http://www.gadling.com/2011/03/02/on-the-trail-of-european-passport-stamps/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

european passport stamps
Lake Ohrid, Macedonia.

Yesterday, I wrote about the fact that European passport stamps have become harder and harder to get. The expansion of the Schengen zone has reduced the number of times tourists are compelled to show their passports to immigration officials. For most Americans on multi-country European itineraries, a passport will be stamped just twice: upon arrival and upon departure.

Where's the fun in that?

There's nothing wrong with enjoying your passport's stamps. They're souvenirs. So ignore the haters and treasure them. You won't be the first to sit at your desk alone, lovingly fingering your stamps while daydreaming of your next adventure. You won't be the last, either.

And if you are a passport stamp lover with a penchant for European travel, don't despair. There are plenty of places in Europe where visitors have to submit their travel documents to officials to receive stamps. Some countries, in fact, even require Americans to purchase full-page visas in advance.

The Western Balkans remain almost entirely outside of Schengen. Russia, Belarus, Armenia, and Azerbaijan all require visas for Americans, while Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia do not. Immigration officers at the borders of all of these countries, however, will stamp your passport when you enter and when you leave. Turkey provides visas on arrival. These cost €15. Among EU countries, the UK, Ireland, and Cyprus remain outside of Schengen for the time being, while Romania and Bulgaria will soon join it.

Continue reading Five ways to get more European stamps in your passport

Five ways to get more European stamps in your passport originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>albaniaArmeniaAzerbaijanbelarusBosnia-HerzegovinaBulgariacroatiacypruseuropeEuropean unionEuropeanUniongeorgiairelandkosovomacedoniamoldovaMontenegroPassportpassportsRomaniarussiaSan marinoSanMarinoSerbiaturkeyukukraineunited kingdomUnitedKingdomvisasWed, 02 Mar 2011 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Ten budget-friendly destinations in Europe]]>http://www.gadling.com/2010/11/23/ten-budget-friendly-european-destinations/http://www.gadling.com/2010/11/23/ten-budget-friendly-european-destinations/http://www.gadling.com/2010/11/23/ten-budget-friendly-european-destinations/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,

budget-friendly European destinations

For Americans, Europe can be very expensive. Let's take a moment to acknowledge this fact. Tourist costs are high, and currently the euro is doing well against the dollar, even if the pound is down somewhat from its stratospheric performance a few years ago. So yes, Europe is expensive. But its high costs are merely a marker, not a prisonhouse. There are always ways to cut costs and forge an alternative path.

One way visitors can cut costs is by forsaking traditional tourist hotels for alternative types of accommodation. There is a new wave of very stylish hostels in many cities in Europe at odds with the traditional reputation of hostels as dirty, packed dormitories. (Look, for example at Paris' Oops! Hostel, with doubles starting at €60 [$81] to see the new hostel wave in action.) And there's also a newish recession-appropriate embrace of owner-occupied accommodations that are often quite inexpensive. Airbnb is the latest splashy arrival on the owner-occupied scene, but there are plenty of other local options, including the Italian agriturismo network, French gîtes, and couchsurfing.

Here are ten destinations, cities, regions, and countries where traveling on a budget won't be a struggle in the least. Budget-friendly Europe begins here.

1. Bulgaria. Gadling writer Meg Nesterov visited Bulgaria this fall and raved about the local price index. Bulgaria, a member of the EU since 2007, is cheap in just about every possible way. Nesterov hones in on the tried-and-true tourist stop of Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria's Medieval capital, as particularly inexpensive.

2. Bratislava, Slovakia. About an hour from Vienna by train, Bratislava boasts a cute Old Town and many astoundingly cheap restaurants serving hearty Slovak fare. At Prašná Bašta, dinner can be as cheap as €6 ($8). Hotels are more expensive than they should be, though there are a few basic properties like Old City Hotel that cater to the budget set. Old City Hotel's rates start at €53 ($72).

3. South Tyrol, Italy. This one is a bit difficult to wrap one's head around, as this German-speaking region is one of Italy's most prosperous corners. The landscapes are stunning up here, and simple, glamorous inns like Gasthof Bad Dreikirchen sell rooms on a seasonal basis starting at €57 ($77) including half-board (that is, breakfast and dinner). Bad Dreikirchen is open from the end of April through the close of October.

4. Berlin, Germany. The German capital remains impressively affordable and amazingly cool. Before you arrive, peruse some of the very good English-language blogs on life in Berlin; when you touch down, get yourself a copy of Zitty and get caught up to speed on what's going on. You'll be ready to sink into some of Europe's hippest and cheapest corners in no time. Budget pick: Die Fabrik, a funky renovated factory, with doubles from €52, or $71.

Continue reading Ten budget-friendly destinations in Europe

Ten budget-friendly destinations in Europe originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Alto AdigeAltoAdigeberlinBratislavaBrnobudget-travelBudgetTravelBulgariaCalabriachisinauCzech RepublicCzechRepublicgermanygreeceitalylisbonmacedoniamoldovaportugalSlovakiasouth tyrolSouthTyrolveliko tarnavoveliko turnovoVelikoTarnavoVelikoTurnovoTue, 23 Nov 2010 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Red Corner: Balkan Odyssey Tour]]>http://www.gadling.com/2006/09/13/red-corner-balkan-odyssey-tour/http://www.gadling.com/2006/09/13/red-corner-balkan-odyssey-tour/http://www.gadling.com/2006/09/13/red-corner-balkan-odyssey-tour/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

We're usually not in the habit of plugging group tours here at Gadling, however, I recently came across one highlighted in the LA Times which covers many of the same places I recently traveled during my Balkan Odyssey this last summer.

Kutrubes Travel is offering an 18-day trip through Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia/Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia & Herzegovina. While such a trip can certainly be done on your own, it isn't Western Europe and travel through this part of the world still presents challenges.

The ease of group travel, however, is going to cost you. The trip runs $3,802 to $4,783 per person, and does not include airfare. I probably spent half this amount on my trip--although some of it unfortunately included hitchhiking, which is probably not on the itinerary.

Red Corner: Balkan Odyssey Tour originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 13 Sep 2006 08:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Wed, 13 Sep 2006 08:49:00 EST