There is a wonderful country, my country called the Republic of Macedonia (or FYROM-Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as it is internationally known) in the middle of the Balkans. It is a small country with a big hearth and a even bigger soul. I would recommend my country to everyone who love’s to see where history has been evolving for centuries back, and to feel the hospitality of my people and the people who are living here.
While arriving in Macedonia, you are likely to arrive in Skopje or Ohrid, the only two places in Macedonia that have an airport.
I will leave Ohrid for a little bit later.
Skopje is a place where cultures mix, you will have the opportunity to see some old buildings from the Yugoslavian era or even older, and you will see some new buildings that has nothing to do with the history of Macedonia and are looking a bit historically. Don’t be impressed by the statues you will see in Skopje, since the government has spent enormous amount of money on those statues, and the country is poor. Even in the center of Skopje you can still find some old buildings from before the big earthquake that happened on 26 of July 1963.
While arriving in the city center you will immediately see many statues of people from our rich history, people that has nothing to do with our history, and from people that are sharing our history with other countries.
We have a historical dispute with certain countries but i would love to leave the politics out of my column, I’m now trying to tell you a story about my little city and cities around Macedonia. Even from the very beginning you will immediately feel the hospitality of the people, and feel the warmth on their faces. I would recommend to scout the city center and to take as many pictures as possible to never forget this place.
From the northern part of the city center, you can visit the Old Bazaar which is the largest in the Balkan Peninsula left from the Ottoman rule, it is linked with the Old Stone Bridge. Over there you can eat some traditional Macedonian and Turkish Food, you can choose from a variety of restaurants and traditional kafana (local bistro in the Balkans).
Also you can visit many small shops which sell everything from bags, shoes, clothes, little hand crafted stuff and everything. Just don’t get lost you can get easily be confused by the little stone streets.
When you get your stomach full you can take a hike on mount Vodno which is one of the mountains that surrounds Skopje. Or if you are lazy and still love’s to see the beautiful sight from mount Vodno, you can get a taxi to take you to the middle of the mountain (it will be around 3-4 Euros), and after that you can take the cable-railway to take you to the top of the mountain. If you are the type of person who is not lazy, a wonderful hike from mount Vodno to canyon Matka will be an amazing experience to see the beautiful Nature that surrounds our little city.
After the fresh air I would recommend to visit some of the local café’s to drink some amazing cocktails or a glass of our finest wines(we have amazing wine, but unfortunately we are not very popular in the world because we are a small country) . If you are up for something strong I would recommend you to drink our famous Rakija (which is also famous all around The Balkans not to offend someone).
If you are a young person and looking for a great night out, Skopje has a vibrant and amazing nightlife to offer, from the Old Bazaar to the trendy nightclubs and many open café’s and restaurants, there is something for everyone in our beautiful little country.
