I really enjoy the chance to visit our Leader NGOs (part of ISC's Civil Society Strengthening Project here in Macedonia) and on my second trip to Bitola we had a very good site visit and a few other adventures (see the post below regarding Boza)!
In addition to clarifying some new strategic priorities for MKC (specifically helping them to cultivate new volunteer opportunities for their hundreds of volunteers), we also got a chance to see more of their program and their center. They have a current exhibition in their building at the moment, showcasing the talented kaleidoscope-making abilities of some of their volunteers.
Jeton, Ana, and I also had a fantastic lunch with MKC's Executive Director, Zlatko, at Plaza Restaurant. All of our food was delicious and I started with tzatziki salad, a Greek specialty that you just don't find in the U.S. For my entree, I had the appetizer platter of warm national dishes—one of my favorites, sarma; a dish of slow roasted potatoes with green onions, a little sea salt, and lemon juice (I'm making this one at home right away!); fried zucchini; some grilled mushrooms. It was all local, fresh, and great!
My friends also had delicious salads, mushrooms, and more.
In fact, this restaurant had more than 25 varieties (and 45 preparations) of MUSHROOMS! Our great waiter, Alexander, showed us just a few of these. My grandpa Kenny (he loved hunting mushrooms) would have loved this place!
