Field notes from 1954 read: "First we went to the museum located in an old mansion (as of 2003, this museum is located in a former Turkish academy). Bitola (or Monastir, as it was called in Turkish) was once a very flourishing city with a large Jewish merchant population which was almost completely wiped out during the last war. At present the city is a pleasant, very pretty and growing in size because of candy and leather factories in the vicinity. "The museum immediately won my favor when I discovered that it had a toilet bowl instead of the so-called Turski Klozet or hole in the floor (with two foot holds in it) and even more so when I saw it was blue and white Delft porcelain imported from Holland many years ago. The museum itself is very well done, with an ethnological section of village and urban costumes with rich embroidery in gold and silver. "The area around Bitola is very rich in archaeological sites, having been settled by Greeks and Romans at various periods. Immediately outside of the city is the excavation of the Greek community of Heraclea, with carved stone friezes, well-preserved pillars and clear outline of the buildings. We were taken there by a very sweet student of archaeology and art about my age who was sure a pleasure after the dud we had had the day before. When we were talked out on more lofty subjects, we turned to the problem of how we could wash our hair here as the hotel had only a tiny sink with cold running water even running water being something special. Our friend Gospođjica D offered to let us wash our hair at the museum early the next morning, saying that the woman who cleaned there would take care of everything. Sure enough, the next morning, out in the yard behind the museum she had a big pot of water boiled up and a wooden trough all ready. This would not have seemed so nice had we not been accustomed to live in the village for so long but we were very satisfied. Then I had to go buy a cheap cotton peasant kerchief in the store as all mine were begged of me by various Orasac Babe....." See mufs001-xn-i1073 for second shot and continuation of story.
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