Highlights From Skopje, Macedonia

Near the end of June, 2009, I cycled into the tiny country of Macedonia and settled into my new temporary home in Skopje – Macedonia’s capital and largest city. I spent two weeks in Skopje and had a fantastic time. Here are some the highlights:

My 4th Floor Apartment

The apartment I rented was smack dab in the middle of Skopje. Everything that was in Skopje to see and/or do was right there – just a short walk from my apartment.

The building I was in, however, was incredibly difficult to find on my first day in the city. It was raining when I pulled into Skopje and finding the correct apartment building amongst the cryptic Macedonian addresses was difficult to say the least.

I did manage to find the apartment however. It was located on the fourth floor of a tall concrete building near the city’s modern Ramstore (an overpriced indoor shopping mall).

Inside, the apartment was huge – much bigger than any of the previous apartments I had been staying in over the past several months. There were two bedrooms, one bathroom (with a washing machine), a long galley kitchen, and a large open living room/dining room area. Best of all, there were two balconies in the apartment – one of each side of the building. The balcony in the rear looked out across a series of apartment buildings and over a small outdoor soccer field. On this balcony I stored my bicycle and hung my laundry out to dry. But the balcony on the other side of the building was where I spent most of my time. From here, I could not only see a great deal of the city and a stream of people walking past, but I could look to my left and see the famous Millennium cross mounted high on the hill overlooking the city. The cross is supposedly the largest in the world and at night it lights up like a Christmas tree and shines down over the city. A beautiful sight indeed.

With lightening fast Internet and a nearly unlimited supply of DVDs to watch, my Skopje center apartment was one amazing place.

The Turkish Bazaar

One of the truly unique things about Skopje is that within the city there is such an incredible mix of old and new. The area where my apartment was located (next to the shopping mall) was, quite obviously, in the modern part of town. But if you were to walk just a short distance and cross the city’s famous Old Stone Bridge, you’d find yourself in an area called the “Old Town.”

Entering this part of the city was like traveling back in time. The streets were lined with shops selling carpets, clothing, shoes, and jewelry. Stone streets wound their way back and forth in a maze of directions that all, seemingly, took you to once place – the center of the Turkish Bazaar.

I heard this part of town referred to ask “The Old Bazaar,” “The Bazaar,” and “The Turkish Bazaar,” so I’m not sure which name is 100% correct, but I think “The Turkish Bazaar” is a fitting title.

In this section of town the street vendors rule. Day after day this tiny corner of the city crams full of people – some looking to buy and some looking to sell.

Most of the stuff you find for sale here is, to put it bluntly, absolute junk. There are old calculators, fake watches, switch blades, wallets, shoes, and more. But then, near the back of the bazaar is a really incredible find.

Just follow the women in the elaborate dresses and you’ll find a labyrinth of booths set up selling all kinds of sewing material, buttons and beads. An entire portion of the bazaar is set up for the women of the city who make their own clothes. Not a sewer myself, but secretly wishing I possessed this skill, this part of the Bazaar was my absolute favorite.

There was also another large part of the Bazaar dedicated entirely to the sale of food. All sorts of fruits and vegetables were being sold here – and some for amazingly cheap prices. Click here to see video from The Turkish Bazaar.

The Street Vendors

If I remember Macedonia for anything, it is going to be its street vendors. All over the city there were people selling food, clothing and other various knickknacks off the sidewalks.

One vendor near my apartment building must have made at least a hundred dollars off me during the time I was in the city. Every day as I would come back to the apartment after a long day of exploring, I’d amble up to my apartment building, dripping in sweat, and could do nothing to resist myself from buying at least two (but sometimes more) ice cream cones. And every day, for two weeks straight, I’d return to my apartment and buy some more ice cream. It was a great way to end the day, but boy was it expensive.

A Night On The Town

One night I got an email from Natasa, the daughter of the woman I was renting my apartment from. As it turns out, Natasa was attending University in Vienna, Austria and had just come home for summer break a few days after my arrival in Skopje. Being just a few years younger than me, I assume her mother made her ask me out.

Without any good reason to object, I accepted the invitation and went with Natasa and her good friend Olgica for a night on the town. They took me to a club near the center of the city where we sat in a VIP booth, talked, and sipped on overpriced drinks. They wanted to take me to a disco afterward, but the plan fizzled out after their friends failed to show (Thank goodness! I didn’t really want to go to the disco anyway. Not my kind of place.) But it was fun to meet with the girls and talk about their experiences in Austria and their plans for graduation and beyond.

Meeting Barend Dronkers

Another highlight of my stay in Skopje was running into Barend Dronkers, a 23-year-old solo cyclist from Canada, whom had been traveling a similar route as the one I had been on. We met accidentally on the Old Stone Bridge and spent the following day together exploring the Old Town. You can learn more about Barend and hear him talk about his trip through Europe here.

Macedonian Museums

Before arriving in Macedonia I knew almost nothing about the country. I could point it out on a map and I had known that its land mass had once been a whole lot larger. But that was all I knew.

So, when I was in the Skopje I made special effort to see as many of the city’s museums as possible. I think I visited at least four or five museums (if not more) during my two weeks in the city and while they were quite interesting, they were all very similar. Each one contained old weapons, clay pots, and ancient coins and jewelry.

My favorite exhibit was in the museum near the old train station. It was simply a small glass case that contained the skulls and bones of soldiers found in or around the Kale Fortress – a large fortification in the Old Town section of the city. What was so neat about these bones was that you could actually see the wounds that had killed the soldiers. You could see where they had been struck in the head with a sword or jabbed in the arm with a blunt object. There was even one bone (A leg bone. You can see it in the photo below.) that showed a massive growth on it- a clear sign of bone cancer. Personally, I found this tiny exhibit to be the most interesting part of ALL of the museums I visited in Skopje.

The other thing I found quite interesting about the museums in Macedonia was that I seemed to be the only person visiting them. All of the museums were free and when I entered each room the lights were completely off. Sometimes the lights would turn on when I entered the next room, but most of the time the lights remained off and I was forced to stroll around in the dark. I assume the lights were turned off to save money and/or protect the documents/artifacts in the museum from the harsh, destructive light beams. But even so, I’ve never before walked around an entire museum in the dark, completely by myself. It was really strange, but it made for a unique ad memorable experience.

Backpackers From Greece

Finally, just a few days before I left the city, I happened across a couple of backpackers. I saw them wandering around the city center and decided to approach them. Their names were Dennis and Maria (I think it was Maria. I can’t quite remember.) They were boyfriend and girlfriend and they were from Greece. Dennis was from Athens and Maria was from Thessaloniki… and they were on holiday together backpacking around the Balkans for a week or two and taking in the sights.

After just a few minutes of talking with the couple I learned that they had not yet been into the Old Town part of the city. They had an hour to kill before jumping on a train bound for Bulgaria, so I insisted that they follow me.

As I walked them to the Turkish Bazaar they asked about my travels in Europe and I asked about their lives in Greece.

Dennis had finished his University training a short while back and is now working with his father in a factory that manufactures religious robes and uniforms.

Maria was attending film school in Thessaloniki and studying editing, which is the same thing I studied in college, so we instantly had a bunch to talk about. I asked her about her favorite films and she asked me about life in Hollywood.

Back in the city center I snapped the above photo of the couple and said goodbye. I barely knew them, but I felt that if I were not traveling I would have just made two wonderful new friends. That, sadly, is the down side of travel. Every once and a while you meet some amazing people and you know, that because of the distance between you, you will likely never seen or hear from them again.

Guys, if you are out there somewhere and you’re reading this, please send me an email. I’d love to hear how your trip went and what you’re up to now.

Here Are Some Other Random Photos From Skopje:

Apartment Buildings In The Modern Section Of Skopje

The Main Drag Leading From The City Center To The Old Train Station

The Mother Theresa Museum

Skopje’s City Center

There were quite a few cyclists in the city.

This large art display was placed in the center of the city and left there for several days.
It was made of broken glass, reeds, and rock.

Skopje’s City Center – Facing The Old Stone Bridge & The Old Town

Just A Random Advertisement That I liked.

The Outlet Mall Sits On Top Of The Freeway Overpass Leading Into The Old Town.

Ancient Baths That Have Now Been Turned Into A Museum

Ancient Bathroom

The Kale Fortress – Under Construction

Turkish Mosques In The City’s Old Town

There Is A Nice Bike Path That Runs Through The City. It Ends Here.

Church of St. Demetrius

Macedonian Flag

Me (Darren Alff) At The Kale Fortress – Overlooking The City Of Skopje