The aliens have landed

(Not #CrossBorderRail but I had to drive near-ish to Krushevo anyway)

And yes the alien building is the Illinden Memorial at Kruševo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilinden_(memorial)?wprov=sfti1

The clear mountain air here is so nice in comparison to the sticky temperatures of the past few days

And my route this morning, before the brutalist alien diversion - Kicevo

The rail station and rail infrastructure are intact (no passenger trains for some years though) but other than the plinthed loco there’s no sign anywhere south of the narrow gauge line to Ohrid, dismantled in the 1960s

If Albania and N Macedonia want to build Lin - Kicevo it’s a long and new route partially through tough terrain…

Ah yay

Mail from Back on Track - the night train campaigners - pissed off I was mildly critical of ÖBB’s night train offer in Spiegel

I was active-ish in Back on Track until they became a bung night trains a public subsidy organisation. Now I’m out I’ll say what I like. We shouldn’t be varnishing the issues!

#CrossBorderRail South East Europe 2024 Train 56 of 62
642
12:48 Bitola - Skopje 16:15
МЖ

Train type: CRRC Zhuzhou 711 DMU, 3 carriages
⛽️
🚲: ⛔️
🦽: ❓(theoretically step free, but big gap)
🛜: ⛔️
🍽️: ⛔️
🧳: 🙂
🧽: ☹️ (hasn’t been cleaned in ages, graffiti covers windows, toilet out of service)

642
12:48 Bitola - Skopje 16:15

33 stops
(Same as this yesterday’s train in reverse)
https://gruene.social/@jon/112675576715254849

Let’s go to Kosovo 🇽🇰

#CrossBorderRail South East Europe 2024 Bus 13 of 19

18:10 Skopje - Prishtinë 20:10
Albus Travel

Distance: 89.2km
Average speed: 45km/h

Bus type: Old Setra, good condition
⛽️
🚲: ❓(not officially but hold is v large)
🦽: ⛔️
🛜: ⛔️
🍽️: ⛔️
🧳: 🙂
🧽: 🙂

Agh.

Big bus. About 8 of us on board.

An American student (based on accent), female, early twenties, is sat across from me a few rows back.

A local dude (based on passport at the border), twenties, sits himself down next to the American student, uninvited, and proceeds to flirt strongly.

I’ve caught the American’s eye - to basically say “I see what he’s doing” and I have an ear on it.

Her body language isn’t too negative.