ARCHITECTURE + AIRBORNE European Travels: MACEDONIA

Skopje, Macedonia [FYROM] was the first part of a 2 part trip. It is a bit of a challenge to get from Venice to Tirana, Albania. It is not too difficult to get to Skopje, Macedonia though, and so that is exactly what we did.

It was a 4-day weekend so this was quite ambitious and I wish we were able to spend more time in both areas. Also, due to the border control and us getting lost while trying to find our lunch destination, it took us a little bit longer to drive from Skopje to Tirana. The drive was gorgeous though!

We landed in Skopje on Friday and rented a car. Our first and second mistake of the trip. 1. Bringing Tom Tom. While I think the device is pretty terrible to begin with [I think cell phones work much better] we decided to give it a try. Surprise! Skopje has not been mapped on this device. It had a single road that represented the entire city, which is obviously not true and therefore, was not going to help us. God knows where that GPS device took us. 2. Our second mistake was not totally understanding our cell phone plan. While FYROM was granted candidate country status in 2005 to become part of the EU, it is still not technically part of the EU. Our cell phone plan was for EU countries only. This revaluation also left us quite like a fish out of water because we planned on using our data plan for maps. side note: many restaurants and bars will accept euro though.

I don't completely remember how we ended up finding the airbnb place, but we did. I do remember the host was a great help. The apartment was great! Right in the center of the city and it only cost 35 euro a night [Modern Living Apartments]! Our first stop was a T-mobile store to buy ourselves a Macedonian sim card. It was about the equivalent of 2$ and that worked very well.

The city was great. Leaving their apparently messed up politics aside, they are investing a lot in the city infrastructure. New monuments, restaurants, etc… are all being built while they still preserve the old center and the historical qualities. The country declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. The Name "Macedonia" still creates a problem due to the fact that there is a region in Greece also known as Macedonia and they do not like the country to the north using the same name. That is why the technical name is the Republic of Macedonia [or FYROM Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia]. Apparently it is still a hot topic.

Skopje is the capital and the largest city in Macedonia. "Over 1 quarter of the Macedonian population lives in Skopje" according to Skopje city walk. It is currently undergoing its urban renewal plan Skopje 2014 so there is a lot of construction underway. I would absolutely recommend buying the city walk guide is you ever find yourself there.

The city is divided in what seems to be 2 areas, the new center and the old center [Stara Carsija]. It looks like stone bridge is the divide between the two, although there are many new projects happening along the waterfront on both sides.

The New Center

The new center is composed a lot of the Skopje 2014 projects. There are still some historical buildings in place, such as the railway station etc… but this is the area for most of the new constructions. The project has been heavily criticized due to its 80-500 million euro cost. I think the citizens of Macedonia would prefer that the money go to better things due to the fact that the country is still struggling. Currently there is about a 30% unemployment rate and a lot of other projects which would better benefit the residents.

A 22 meter high statue called Warrior on Horse.
It is thought to be of Alexander the Great

Kamen Most [stone bridge] with the Constitutional Court in the background

Art bridge

Church of Saint Clement of Ohrid - The only cathedral of the Macedonian Orthodox church.
Construction ended in 1990

Porta Makedonija - It is dedicated to 20 years of Macedonian independence.
It is made of marble with scenes from Macedonian history.
You can also go to the top and look out at the city.

Porta Makedonija

Mother Teresa Memorial House - Mother Teresa was born in Skopje in 1910 as
Gonxha Bojaxhiu. She was an Albanian Catholic.
The memorial house was built on the site
where the Catholic Church she was baptised in once stood.

Mother Teresa Memorial House

Old stone bridge - At one time it was the only connection between the north and the
south sides of the city. It was also considered a "symbolic connection between the predominantly
Muslim area to the north, and the predominantly Christian Orthodox area to the south".
The foundations are said to date back to the 6th century. Apparently, this was also the location of
where public executions took place during the Ottoman period.

The old center side [Stara Carsija]

There is a lot of new construction along the Vardar river, but once you move past that area you are transformed into the old center. It is another world and is beautiful. This is the area that one wants to go to at night, as there are great restaurants and bars and it is packed with people of all ages.

Stara Carsija is filled with narrow streets, mosques, small family shops, old bathhouses and markets. There are still many tradesmen working in this area as well. The locals go to the local cafes and sit along the streets watching people peruse the stores.

"Warrior" thought to be of Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great

Daut Pasha Hamam. A bathhouse from the Ottoman era.
It is currently a National Art Gallery

Cifte Hamam - a bathhouse. it had separate sections for the men and the
women. It was used until 1915. It is now a gallery.

Murat Pasha Mosque

Murat Pasha Mosque - there is a large fountain where worshipers wash before entering.
The building is from 1802 but the mosque has been here since the 15th C. It was burned in 1689
when an Italian General set it on fire. He was trying to stop the cholera epidemic

Bezisten - the old shopping center. It now has cafes etc…

Mustafa Pasha Mosque - it has a 42 meter high minaret. It has managed to
withstand many disasters and has been used since 1492

Surrounding Area

We were fortunate enough to have a car, and a new Macedonian sim card, so we were able to map out our route to Albania. We were also able to visit some other Macedonian sights on our way. We did get lost once, and wound up on some back roads in some small villages. Sadly I was too focused on figuring out how to get back to the main roads, so I didn't take any pictures. I can, however, understand why residents feel that some of this money could be better spent elsewhere.