Skopje, North Macedonia
North Macedonia is a relatively new country. There is no South Macedonia, rather the country had to alter the name not to be confused wit the region of Macedonia in Greece but were not hear for polictics. North Macedonia is about two hours away from Prizren, Kosovo and four hours roughly from Tirana Albania. You can also fly directly into Skopje but these countries are normally done together on most tours.
Arriving in Skopje is like no other. Let's start with the fact, there a more statues in this city than any other city in the world. There is also flags throughout the city. You might not have heard much about North Macedonia but there you have heard of its people. In the middle of the main square is an equestrian statue of Alexander the Great and to north of that is the home of Mother Theresa. The tour featured both the statue and the home of Mother Theresa, as well as visits to popular churches and monuments.
We then crossed over the strone bridge to the other side of the river where we had time for lunch. This side of town was more of a mix of cultures, I got Turkish tea without the Turkey prices as well as being able taste parts of Europe depending on the stall. There is also a Bazaar to meet your shopping needs. While the rest of the group shopped I did something else unconventional. I went to the Marriot Skopje, sat at the bar and continued to order every non-alchaholic drink they could make. Afterwards we took in a performance in the main square before heading back to Albania.
Skopje is an interesting place and I would love to have more of a chance to soak in the history and learn about there 300 plus statues but for now, this trip was all I got.
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