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| Old Town (Carsija) - Skopje, Macedonia |
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| Restaurant on Lake Matka - Macedonia |
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| Wayne with Bull in Ul Makedonija - Skopje, Macedonia |
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| Ottoman Old Town (Carsija) - Skopje, Macedonia |
Skopje, Republic of Macedonia (Capital) (5/6-7/2011) - Welcome to the home of Alexander the Great and Mother Teresa (who lived here until she was 18).
Although
Ohrid is the most popular designation in Macedonia with its beautiful
lake and old town, we did not have time to go to the south.
Skopje, Macedonia’s capital, a nice place to visit with one-third of the country’s 2 million population, was our introduction to historic Macedonia. Overlooked by the city fort (Tvrdina Kale), downtown Skopje has a contemporary pedestrian street with cafes, shops, and modern malls as well as an old Turkish bazaar area (Carsija) divided by the 15th-century Stone Bridge (Kamen Most) that crosses the Vardar River. We enjoyed Skopje's old town areas best so it is where we spent most of our time (see photos).
Skopje, Macedonia’s capital, a nice place to visit with one-third of the country’s 2 million population, was our introduction to historic Macedonia. Overlooked by the city fort (Tvrdina Kale), downtown Skopje has a contemporary pedestrian street with cafes, shops, and modern malls as well as an old Turkish bazaar area (Carsija) divided by the 15th-century Stone Bridge (Kamen Most) that crosses the Vardar River. We enjoyed Skopje's old town areas best so it is where we spent most of our time (see photos).
At our hostel in Skopje,
we met up with an artist from New York who was studying Byzantine art
and touring old Orthodox churches and monasteries. He invited us to join
him for a drive through the country to the beautifully frescoed Church
of Sveti Andrej by the tranquil Lake Matka beneath the steep Treska
Canyon (see photo). We are glad we did because Macedonia is a beautiful country and this is a great day-trip to see it.
Being
the movie bluffs we are, we went to see a Hollywood movie (Limitless -
pretty good) at night in English with local subtitles. Get this… only
$7.50 for two tickets and a box of popcorn in a nice theater. One can
live large in Macedonia.
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| Wayne Gets a Shine in Skopje, Macedonia |
The 1963 earthquake destroyed 75% of the buildings in Skopje in just a few seconds. After that, a big rebuilding project began with limited success to make Skopje the model city of the socialist world.
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