Skopje, Republic of Macedonia (Capital)

Old Town (Carsija) - Skopje, Macedonia

Restaurant on Lake Matka - Macedonia

Wayne with Bull in Ul Makedonija 
- Skopje, Macedonia

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 15^th-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. 

Wayne Gets a Shine in Skopje, Macedonia

Some history… In 14th century, Skopje became the capital of the Empire of Serbia, which at that time was one of the largest and strongest countries in Europe. Then the Ottomans ruled Macedonia for 500 years and built a large number of mosques and other buildings. After Macedonia was liberated from the Turks in the early 20th century, Skopje became a part of Kingdom of Serbia and then a republic of the Yugoslav Federation, with Skopje as the capital. 

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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Prizren, Kosovo

Durgevdan Holiday Celebration 
- Prizren, Kosovo

Prizen, Kosovo

Shadervan Square & Sinan Pasha Mosque
- Prizen, Kosovo

Prizren, Kosovo (5/5/2011) 

Welcome to Kosovo… the youngest nation in the world when we visited in 2011. 

Kosovo blew us away! Everywhere we went there was new construction (new homes and businesses), modern equipment and cars, and well dressed people. For a country described in travel books as the weakest economy in Europe, something is happening in southern Kosovo. 

We visited Prizren, a surprisingly pretty city along a river with a very nice pedestrian street, Roman-built castle (Kalaja) overlooking the city, and a 15^th century Ottoman bridge centered around the Ottoman Sinan Pasha Mosque. 

We arrived on Durgevan, a Gipsy holiday. Prizren's main street and stone piazza square (Shadervan) were packed with young people and they partied until late at night (see photo). 

Map of Kosovo

Some history and information about Kosovo… In the 12^th century Kosovo was the heart of the Serbian Empire. The Turks defeated the Serbs in 1389 and Kosovo became part of the Ottoman Empire for the next 500 years. 

Prizren, Kosovo

Kosovo’s about 2 million population is over 90% Albanian and largely secular Muslim showing little evidence of traditional attire. After a lengthy and often violent dispute with Serbia, Kosovo declared independence in 2008 and has been recognized by almost half of the world’s countries including the U.S. 

Because of the UN-sanctioned U.S. assistance, a major street in Kosovo’s capital city, Pristina, is named Bil Klinton Boulevard.

 

 
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