Monthly

March 2017

visit to macedonia

Lake Ohrid, Macedonia

Best of the Month

I took a four-day trip to Macedonia with my darling friend Simone. She lives in Germany, but spent the summer of 2015 in Istanbul, when we went on a heart-expanding trip to Cappadocia. We’ve been talking about doing another trip ever since, so I pitched a few suggestions and we landed on Macedonia.

visit to macedonia

Matka Canyon, Macedonia

What a dreamy time. From hiking through a canyon in colorful miniskirts to chasing concrete and kitschy statues in Skopje to a few days of pure bliss at Lake Ohrid, the whole brief trip was simply splendid. We had such a wonderful time that we’ve decided to make our little adventures a yearly thing– we’ve already started dreaming of where we could meet in 2018.

visit to macedonia

Yenikoy, Istanbul, Turkey

Back in Istanbul, I was mostly busy with Turkish classes, but I did go on an early-morning jaunt to Yenikoy with Emma to try the best borek in Istanbul and sip real sahlep. The quiet seaside was lovely, and reminded me how much I love morning adventures. It’s like you have the world to yourself.

Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul, Turkey

Worst of the Month

The relentless-seeming rain and cold and gray this month made me absolutely desperate to get out of the city. A quick bike trip with Nacho had to be cancelled and I spent many gray days looking up plane tickets to ANYWHERE warmer. I survived the month, but I’m ready for springtime to stick around.

I also ended up on antibiotics for the third time in six months– for three different reasons!!– and it prevented me from drinking wine in Macedonia. Which is a minor drag, but a drag nonetheless.

visit to Macedonia

Lake Ohrid, Macedonia

What I’m Loving

Reads: I finally finished Bleeding Edge by Thomas Pynchon, a book that I never quite managed to get into. Oh well! I have an awfully large stack on books I’m looking forward to reading, so onwards and upwards.

Music: Apparently I didn’t listen to a lot of new music this month. This must change! What tunes have been making you happiest?

In honor of the Macedonia trip, I listened to a lot of Balkan music, including the famous Macedonia singer Esma Redzepova. She died recently, and I highly recommend you listen to her music.

Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul, Turkey

Movies: I continued my happy habit of going to see films in theaters; I caught Moonlight (which I loved) and Paterson (which I didn’t love as much).

Podcasts: I’m loving the Dead Blondes series on You Must Remember This, especially the three-part miniseries on Marilyn Monroe. I also really enjoyed this interview about logos from 99% Invisible and this episode from my friend Jonathan Hirsch’s podcast ARRVLS about Armenian refugees.

visit to Macedonia

Lake Ohrid, Macedonia

The Film Files

I didn’t manage to make it to the photo shop to get anything developed, but I did manage to shoot a lot more this month– I even broke out the Holga again, a camera I love and have neglected for a long time.

visit to Macedonia

Matka Canyon, Macedonia

Ephemera

This was a month for laying seeds, and there are many exciting potentially upcoming projects that I don’t want to say too much about here yet. March is transitioning into springtime and blooming, after all…

visit to Macedonia

Skopje, Macedonia

Upcoming

April is my favorite month (it includes my birthday!) and I plan to make it as exquisite as possible… including, I hope, a return to the Lycian Way. I’m ready!

4 Comments

  • Lauren
    April 6, 2017 at 7:25 PM

    Beautiful pictures, as always, Katrinka! I’d love a quick bit of advice from you- you have taken such marvelous trips to places that are lesser-known on the tourist circuit (Macedonia, Georgia, etc). What has been your favorite country/city for solo travel? I have itchy feet and need to plan a trip 🙂 🙂 Thanks!

    Reply
    • Katrinka
      April 27, 2017 at 1:51 PM

      Thank you so much Lauren! There are so many wonderful places for solo travel. I was in Georgia for almost three weeks by myself and it was blissful– I met many wonderful people. Tbilisi’s great.

      Reply
  • Ashley
    April 15, 2017 at 12:23 AM

    Beautiful photos – I love that shot of the monastery in Ohrid! I’m heading to Istanbul next week, and Macedonia afterward, and I’m so excited to finally visit both destinations! Hoping the weather will be a bit more spring-like by the time I arrive 😉

    Reply
    • Katrinka
      April 27, 2017 at 1:53 PM

      Thank you so much, Ashley! I hope you enjoyed Istanbul and Macedonia… this is a special corner of the world 🙂

      Reply

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