Skopje Old Town & Old Bazaar: Roaming the narrow lanes in the evening was a lot of fun.
Various statues all around Skopje, especially the massive “Warrior on Horseback” in the central square.
What I did not like …
Incident-1: On my very 1st day in North Macedonia, once I got off the bus from Sofia, I wanted to purchase a local SIM card. After checking out the various shops in the Bus Station, I ventured into a small convenience store and bought a SIM card off the guy sitting there. He royally screwed me over, charging me 20 Euros for something that should not have cost me over 3 Euros. After the initial rage that overcame me (Once I realized that I was scammed), considering that I was not a local and did not speak or understand Macedonian or Albanian, and considering the time I would lose pursuing this, I let it go. In my hurry to get a SIM card and get to my hotel, I did the basic mistake of not checking the price upfront and being more vigilant in general.
Incident-2: In the Skopje Old Bazaar, which is spectacular by the way and real fun to explore, I bought a lovely pastry from a Bakery, after checking the price with the vendor. While giving back the change for the 500 Denar note I gave, the dude swindled a little money and later claimed a higher price for the pastry (than what he had said initially) once I protested.
These two incidents, though nothing major, did leave a bad taste!
Location in the World map …
Some interesting tidbits about North Macedonia …
North Macedonia takes its name from the ancient kingdom of Macedon (7th to 2nd Century BC).
This region is known for frequent Earthquakes. Throughout history, North Macedonia’s capital Skopje suffered quite a few devastating earthquakes and was even ordered to be burned down in the 18th century. Most notably, in 1963, Skopje was hit by a massive 6.1 magnitude earthquake that leveled around 80% of the city. However, among all the destruction, a few historical sites still stood tall, including the Skopje Fortress.
North Macedonia has three large lakes called Lake Ohrid, Lake Prespa and Dojran Lake. Lake Ohrid is one of the oldest lakes in the world. Lake Ohrid is also one of the deepest freshwater lakes in the World, at 286m of depth. It is estimated to be over 1 million years old and is currently home to more than 200 endemic species that haven’t been found in any other place in the world.
Lake Orhid is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.
Alexander III of Macedon, most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. Alexander the Great was born in Greece.
Civilization has existed in this area for 7000+ years.
Greece has a province called Macedonia. After 30 years of dispure, name was changed from “Macedonia” to “North Macedonia”.
“Warrior on a Horse” statue in Skopje, believed to depict Alexander the Great, is 22m high and weighs 30K Kg.
Mother Teresa was born in North Macedonia in 1910. She was Albanian by ethnicity.
North Macedonia is home to one of World’s largest Crosses. The 66m high Millennium Cross on top of Mt. Vodno. Built in 2002 as a memorial of 2,000 years of Christianity in North Macedonia.
85% of North Macedonia is covered with mountains.
North Macedonia has quite a large Christian population. This has led to the country having over 1,950 churches and monasteries dotted about.
Capital: Skopje
Largest City: Skopje
Population: 1.8M (Skopje has 0.6M population)
Language: Macedonian (60%), Albanian (25%) (Almost 55% of people speak or understand English)
Religion: Eastern Orthodox (45%), Islam (30%) Etc.
Currency: Macedonian Denar (1 MKD == 1.67 INR)
GDP: 15.5 Billion USD
National Animal: Lion & Balkan Lynx
Timeline:
6th Century BC: Persians >
5th Century BC: Greek >
4th Century BC: In 356 BC, Philip II of Macedon created the Kingdom of Macedonia. His son, Alexander the Great, went on to conquer a vast empire that covered 2 million square miles. >
Chaos: Byzantine Empire, Serbian Kingdom Etc. >
14th-17th Century: Ottoman Empire rule for 500 years. >
1945-1991: Part of Yugoslavia >
09/08/1991: Independence >
2020: North Macedonia joins NATO.
North Macedonia, is a candidate for EU, but not yet a part of EU.
My 1st impressions:
The Bulgarian border region with North Macedonia is very beautiful!
My Experiences
Loved this Spanish dude’s bag! (Was in the same bus with me). He has stitched on the flags of all the countries he has been to! Skopje, North Macedonia.River Vardar … 380km long. Skopje, North Macedonia.Street signs … Skopje, North Macedonia.Statue of King Phillip II of Macedon, Skopje, North Macedonia. Alexander the Great’s Father. King Phillip II had conquered all of Greece, and his Son, of course, took things “To the next level” 😁 Skopje’s Old Town area is very compact and easy to traverse. Old Bazaar. Mustafa Pasha Mosque. Stone Bridge. Warrior on a Horse. Etc. As with Sofia, the garbage issue is there 🙁 (Mostly by tourists themselves, me thinks). Skopje gets a lot of tourists and the Old Town is very lively during peak hours. It is statues galore in the Old Town. Everywhere you turn, there is a big statue (None bigger than the “Warrior on a Horse”, at 22m). One can see fishermen along the small Vardar River (380km long) which flows right through the Old Town. I think the city can do way more in sprucing up the sights. Some renovation work is needed (E.g. Cracks/breaks at the edges of pavement).Fountain Olympia – Mother of Alexander III Of Macedonia. Skopje, North Macedonia.Archaeological Museum of the Republic of North Macedonia … The Bridge of Civilizations is right in front of it. Skopje, North Macedonia.Macedonia Square is the main public square and biggest square in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, located in the city’s center. It is known for the large statue of Alexander the Great and is surrounded by hotels, restaurants, and bars, making it a popular spot for cultural and political events, as well as a central point for locals and tourists to gather at night. Skopje, North Macedonia.Macedonia Gate … Skopje, North Macedonia.“Warrior on a Horse”. At Macedonia Square. Macedonia Square is the main public square and biggest square in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, located in the city’s center. It is known for the large statue of Alexander the Great and is surrounded by hotels, restaurants, and bars, making it a popular spot for cultural and political events, as well as a central point for locals and tourists to gather at night. Skopje, North Macedonia.“Stone Bridge”. Built in the 15th century (Ottoman Era), this stone bridge is a prominent symbol of the country’s capital. Skopje, North Macedonia.Archaeological Museum of the Republic of North Macedonia. From across The Bridge of Civilizations. Skopje, North Macedonia.Hotel Senigallia. A masted ship, on River Vardar, converted to Hotel, Restaurant and Bar. Skopje, North Macedonia.Mustafa Pasha Mosque … Renovated 15th-century mosque with historic architecture, a rose garden and a tomb. Skopje, North Macedonia.The tempting pastries … The one on the bottom right was out of the world! Skopje, North Macedonia.Hotel Senigallia. A masted ship, on River Vardar, converted to Hotel, Restaurant and Bar! Skopje, North Macedonia.North Macedonian flag … In full glory. Skopje, North Macedonia.Archaeological Museum of the Republic of North Macedonia. All lit up at night … Skopje, North Macedonia.Fountain Olympia – Mother of Alexander III Of Macedonia … Skopje, North Macedonia.Liked this lit up building … Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of North Macedonia. Skopje, North Macedonia.King Phillip II statue, at night … Skopje, North Macedonia.Beer of the day! Skopje, North Macedonia.Local TV channel … Skopje, North Macedonia.Macedonian Denar (“MKD”). 1 MKD == 1.65 INR. 1000 and 500 look very colorful. But then, 100, 50 and 10 look like it was designed by some other lowkey person 😁Colors of the Old Bazaar … Ottomans, having ruled these parts for close to 500 years, obviously had a huge influence on the country. Around 30% are Muslims. As I write this, I can hear the morning prayer from the Mustafa Pasha Mosque. There are many bylanes, each with its own shops and cafes. Tried a couple of pastries from one of the cafes. Skopje, North Macedonia.Scenes from the Old Bazaar … Skopje, North Macedonia.Three of the many statues of eminent people from Macedonian history on the “Bridge of Civilizations” … Skopje, North Macedonia.Skopje Old Town area is full of statues … I have rarely seen such high concentration of statues. Skopje, North Macedonia.North Macedonia countryside …Overflowing garbage … Near Old Town, Skopje, North Macedonia.Nice to see DoubleDecker buses being used extensively in a city (Albeit a city of just 6 Lakh residents). Must say, Skopje (And by extension, North Macedonia) looks to be really struggling … You come out of Old Town (Which itself has its share of garbage and muck), its almost a horror. The freaking graffitti (Even on nice statues! 🤦♂️), garbage, rundown buildings, and of course the numerous loiterers Etc. People are openly scavenging garbage bins (For food!), which is quite sad.The bare and basic Skopje Bus Station … Skopje, North Macedonia.Had this Burek for BF … Loved it. Very common in the Balkans. Have had it before, in other places. Skopje, North Macedonia.The local buses have an area near the main Bus Station. Bus stops are marked by their route numbers. Skopje, North Macedonia.The ride to Mount Vodno was scenic. Short ride, but on curvy roads. Skopje, North Macedonia.Ticket counter for the Cable Car. For aome weird reason, Cable Car operates only for 1st 30min of every 1hr, even though the cars are running empty the rest of the time as well! 🙂 Looks like the employees need breaks every 30min. Skopje, North Macedonia.The Cable Car ticket. 100 MKD, up and down. Very reasonable. My particular car had a local Macedonian Guide and 3 German tourists with her. The German lady was petrified of heights and kept her eyes closed all the time 🙂 Skopje, North Macedonia.At Mount Vodno (Just 1km elevation), in case you are curious where the “Big Boys” are 🙂 Skopje, North Macedonia.Millenium Cross. Built in 2002, to commemorate 2000 years of Christianity in Macedonia. 66m tall. On Mount Vodno (1km elevation), which is around 8km from the City Center. The day started off 100% cloudy. But then it suddenly cleared up over the city, but up here, it was very cloudy when I was there 😁 I did notice that later in the evening it cleared up considerably. The cross is visible from anywhere in Skopje and I could see it clearly (From the city) around 5pm. Mount Vodno is very popular among trekkers and cyclists and there were many there.The small cable car from Middle Vodno to Mount Vodno … Skopje, North Macedonia.Skopje, from the cable car, on the way down … The cable car had murky windows 🙂 Skopje, North Macedonia.Trekkers … Many of them, scaling Mt. Vodno. From the cable car. Skopje, North Macedonia.The Bus #25 ticket from Skopje Bus Station to Middle Vodno (From where one can either trek up or take the cable car. I took the latter as I was not dressed for trekking). Skopje, North Macedonia.Skopje city, from Bus #25 … Skopje, North Macedonia.Skopje city, from Bus #25 … Skopje, North Macedonia.On the return journey to Macedonia Square, the bus was almost empty. Skopje, North Macedonia.Inside the Double-Decker Bus #25 to Middle Vodno. Skopje, North Macedonia.Macedonia Gate, in bright sunlight … Skopje, North Macedonia.What a magnificent statue “Warrior on a Horse” is 👍 12m Bronze statue on top of a 10m pedestal. Inaugurated in 2011, to mark 20 years of North Macedonian Independence, so relatively new. Amazingly, it is not revealed who exactly this statue depicts, but it is widely believed to be Alexander the Great. Skopje, North Macedonia.A nice tower next to “Church Temple “Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine & Empress Elena” … Skopje, North Macedonia.Some Church, on my way … 🙂 Actually, “Church Temple “Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine & Empress Elena”. Thats one looong name! Skopje, North Macedonia.Mother Teresa Memorial … Mother Teresa was Albanian by descent, but born in North Macedonia. Skopje, North Macedonia.The ornate interiors of Archbishop Cathedral, St. Clement of Ohrid. Skopje, North Macedonia.Archbishop Cathedral, St. Clement of Ohrid . Peculiar architecture, with very ornate interiors. Skopje, North Macedonia.Skopje Fortress … Skopje, North Macedonia.This pastry is so yum!! Went back for a 2nd helping … Am not a SweetTooth guy, but … Skopje, North Macedonia.Not just statues of people, there are statues of lions as well … All over. Lion is a National Animal to North Macedonia as well. Skopje, North Macedonia.Beer of the day! Skopje, North Macedonia.Skopje Fortress. With the city in the background. The fortress, from 6th century (Eastern Romans. Byzantine), is on top of a hill near the Old Town. Macedonians love their flag 🇲🇰 and it is everywhere, including here, at multiple points. There were quite a few tourists and one dude in particular was entering every opening, even those with tall grass all around! The fortress is not that well presented, IMHO. And that seem to go in general for most things here.One can walk around the outer walls of the Skopje Fortress. Because the fortress is on a hill, there are good views all around. Skopje, North Macedonia.View of Old Bazaar from the Skopje Fortress. Skopje, North Macedonia.View of Macedonia Square from the Skopje Fortress. You can see the Millennium Cross up on Mt. Vodno. Skopje, North Macedonia.Liked this photo a lot. The North Macedonian flag adds a nice exclamation … Skopje Fortress. Skopje, North Macedonia.Mustafa Pasha Mosque. Glowing in the late afternoon sunlight. It is obviously important to locals as people were rushing in for the prayers. Skopje, North Macedonia.What a magnificent statue “Warrior on a Horse” is 👍 12m Bronze statue on top of a 10m pedestal. Inaugurated in 2011, to mark 20 years of North Macedonian Independence, so relatively new. Amazingly, it is not revealed who exactly this statue depicts, but it is widely believed to be Alexander the Great. Skopje, North Macedonia.Some real happy “Party Dudes” … 🙂 Skopje, North Macedonia.This is how the Millennium Cross looked at around 5pm, from the Macedonia Square. Of course, “Warrior on a Horse” in the foreground. Skopje, North Macedonia.King Phillip II statue, in the late evening sunlight … The details on this statue are amazing. Skopje, North Macedonia.Skopje Fortress … What is remaining is in decent shape. But the grounds and surroundings are poorly maintained … Skopje, North Macedonia.Tried some Gelato in the Old Town. Not that great 🙂 Tried Kiwi. Skopje, North Macedonia.Dinner at Skopje. Restaurant name is “Градска кафеана Кај Јоле” restaurant 🙂 Smoked Sausages, Gin & Tonic and Tavče Gravče (This is considered the national dish, a hearty and flavorful baked bean dish featuring beans stewed with onions, oil, and red pepper flakes, often served in a traditional earthenware pot). When I looked at online reviews, some reviewers had criticized the service. I found the service fine. The waiters were all senior citizens, hence, understandably, a tad on the slower side. Skopje, North Macedonia.Burek … Common in the Balkans. You get with Cheese or Meat (I.e. Beef). Skopje, North Macedonia.The staff at the small Cafe was kind enough to cut up my Burek … With Expresso. Skopje, North Macedonia.So many travel agencies and bus companies … Bus Station. Skopje, North Macedonia.Look how clear the Millennium Cross is on Mt. Vodno 🙂 Skopje, North Macedonia.This company seems to be very popular. Every other bus was theirs. Skopje, North Macedonia.
The beautiful vistas of Lake Ohrid … Ohrid, North Macedonia.The beautiful vistas of Lake Ohrid … Ohrid, North Macedonia.Church of Saint Sophia. Damaged extensively during the Ottoman Era. From the 9th Century. Ohrid, North Macedonia.The beautiful vistas of Lake Ohrid … Ohrid, North Macedonia.The beautiful vistas of Lake Ohrid … Ohrid, North Macedonia.“Church of Saint Jovan the Theologian at Kaneo”, Ohrid, North Macedonia. Highlighted in a 2017 National Geographic article. From the 13th Century. Though Lake Ohrid is no comparison to Lake Baikal (Which I visited in 2016), in terms of Depth or Surface Area, it is still a beauty 😁 By the by, no one beats Lake Baikal at Depth, not even Caspian Sea 💪 (Similarly, no one beats Caspian Sea, Lake Superior, Lake Victoria Etc. by Surface Area 😳 Baikal is 7th).The beautiful vistas of Lake Ohrid … Ohrid, North Macedonia.The street lamps in Ohrid are unique. They are modelled after this house, where higher floors are wider (To accommodate narrow streets below) … Ohrid, North Macedonia.Rose wine … At lunch. Ohrid, North Macedonia.Wine, with a view 🍷😁 Of course, every country claims its Wine to be the best. Based on such North Macedonian claims, tried a Rose one. Cannot believe the lucky escape from the ⛈️ of Tirana 😳 The weather at Ohrid was so nice that I could walk (A bit, though 😏😂) in Tshirt. By the by, had to technically enter North Macedonia again, from Albania. An unexpected “Land Crossing”! 😂If you love Ohrid 🙂 There were people taking photos around it. Ohrid, North Macedonia.Liked this statue of a Monk … Ohrid, North Macedonia.A huge North Macedonian flag in full glory … Ohrid, North Macedonia.A view of the huge Ohrid Lake …Lake Ohrid has hills all around it … North Macedonia.The beautiful vistas of Lake Ohrid … Monastery of St. Naum, North Macedonia.I presume St. Naum … Ljubanishta, North Macedonia.St. Naum Monastery, Ljubanishta, North Macedonia. From 905! The monastery was established by St. Naum himself and he was later buried here.St. Naum Monastery, Ljubanishta, North Macedonia. From 905!A bold White Peacock (?) … Not afraid of the tourists at all 🙂 St. Naum Monastery, Ljubanishta, North Macedonia.The ancient doors of St. Naum Monastery. Ljubanishta, North Macedonia.
