I was invited to the weekend house ("veekendeetza") of some friends for an Easter cookout on Monday, April 28th, which was the Macedonian Orthodox Easter. Our dinner was a lamb the family cooked in their outdoor "furna", like a wood stove. When they took the lamb out midway to pour off the juices, I noticed that the eye was intact and the lamb's tongue was sticking out to one side. The meat was prepared with fat and spices (not sure which ones), and they also added potatoes to the pan to cook along with the meat. After about four hours, the lamb was cooked and tender. But... I didn't eat too much. I wasn't squeamish about having seen it nearly whole, really, but there was something about the smell that didn't appeal to me. Maybe it was the absence of mint jelly?
Our meal was rounded out by plenty to drink, salad, cheeses, bread, etc. When we weren't eating (which was most of the time), some of my friends kicked around a ball and played chess. We also hiked around the area (where Igor spotted the turtle he's holding), to the nearby hot springs (where we bottled some mineral water), and an excavated Roman Bath (or a Turkish bath, or possibly both). It was definitely an experience I could ONLY have here. Here are a few more pictures of the day.
(if you look closely at the last photo-- click to enlarge--, you'll see a horse on the hill above the ruins)
