Kale Fortress and the rest of curious Skopje, Macedonia

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Masayo and I had a great time today, putting the worrying memory of Kosovo behind us, and with it the foul air and tear gas and violence, to get back into our sightseeing mode. The nice weather and friendliness of Skopje, Macedonia made it easy.

My BG to wake up was exactly one point lower than it was before bed — 167. Nice to be that flat overnight. Masayo cooked some eggs and bacon, and we also had cereal in the apartment we were renting.

Around noon we headed out to see some of Skopje’s sights. First we went back to the Alexander the Great statue (which is what it is, but not what it is officially called, as I understand it) and the Stone Bridge. There, I checked again and was 110. All excellent BGs since early evening yesterday.

We first walked across the Stone Bridge and into a large area called the Old Bazaar, which is full of shops (many rather touristy), mosques, and little cafes. We stopped at a place called Стара Чаршија (“Stara Čaršija”), a tiny bakery with two tables inside. An older couple was at one but we took the other; I ordered a chocolate croissant and water. (They only had tap water; I hoped it wouldn’t make me sick.)

Being only 110, and planning on walking right after eating, I wasn’t sure how to handle my Humalog shot. But I told myself not to be afraid of it, and not to underdo it. So I took a full shot, minus a little for walking. And commanded my brain not to panic.

We found a sign outside leading up some stone stairs between buildings for Skopje Fortress, which is colloquially called Kale Fortress (or just Kale, pronounced “kah lay”). We got up the hill and there it was: a huge, ancient-looking wall curving around the side of a road where cars sped past.

We got up to the entrance, and while there seemed to be some renovation projects going on, with a few pathways blocked off, mostly we were able to go exploring wherever we wanted. There was no entrance fee, either, which I liked a lot.

There are great views over Skopje and to the surrounding mountains from Kale Fortress, and we snapped endless photos. But after walking around the entire perimeter and some of the mostly empty inside, we were done, and headed back down to explore the Old Bazaar better.

It reminded me a lot of a southeast Asian market, with tables full of fresh-looking food products — tangerines, eggs, spices, et cetera. — covered with tarps. Masayo bought some figs at one stall, and I got some cashews at another.

Afterwards I checked my BG on the streets of the Old Bazaar; I was 98. Amazing. I felt it a little low after all that walking, so I had a Mars bar.

Walking on an overhead plaza thing, we saw a girl who was in some kind of distress. It looked like she was really suffering — hyperventilating, or something — and three people were around her, holding her and talking to her. We had no idea what was going on, but one of the guys ran off down to the streets below, presumably to call an ambulance. We kept moving, but the scene had made an impression. We hoped she was all right. I, of course, wondered if she was diabetic and low.

On the way back to the apartment, we stopped at Специјал Пекара (“Special Bakery”) to get something for tomorrow’s breakfast. I selected a big piece of layered chocolate cake. It looked pretty heavy in carbs. We also stopped at the supermarket for dinner.

Masayo made the dinner again that night, which was heated up meat rolls with rice, with soup, leftover salad, and some crackers. My BG by now was 125, and I wasn’t sure how much Humalog to take because the rice meat rolls were a real mystery. I guessed — I figured they were higher in carbs than I thought, since most things tend to be.

Unfortunately it didn’t work out, and my 24+ hours of perfect BGs ended with a 281 after dinner. In addition to my calculation for the rice things, I bet I hadn’t needed that Mars bar after all. But whatever; one high reading amongst all those great ones I can take every now and then.

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