Macedonia Archives - Wanderwiles

Skopje, capital of North Macedonia

First impressions of central Skopje were great. And a little surprising. After a mixed bag of buildings on the outskirts of town and a spate of Soviet-era apartments which Alek pointed out as where he lived, the city center seemed grand. Massive white buildings evoking the height of ancient Greece*, wide plazas, huge statues. (*My apologies for using the word “Greece.” I realize this would not please Macedonians who have a troubled relationship with Greece and would prefer “ancient Macedonia,” but “ancient Greek” conveys a familiar image to outsiders.) These structures are the product of “Skopje 2014”, a massive government undertaking that yielded mixed results and much controversy.

Macedonia Square with its huge statue of Alexander the Great

Eighty percent of the buildings in Skopje were destroyed in a massive 1968 earthquake. After decades, the Macedonian government came up with Skopje 2014, an effort to make the capital into a symbol of national pride. At first blush, the project was a great success. But as we explored the city, we soon noticed many signs of premature deterioration. I found Skopje a fascinating city of contrasts.

Our quirky Hotel Senigallia was part of Skopje 2014, designed to look like an old-fashioned galleon moored in the River Vardar. Hotel Senigallia sits planted on the riverbed next to the iconic Stone Bridge and the Bridge of Civilizations in Macedonia which leads to the impressive archeological museum on the opposite bank. I chose the hotel for its great location and terrific reviews, but I was second-guessing myself up until we walked up the gangplank. My worries were unfounded. We loved the Senigallia. The hotel entrance and common areas are downright elegant with gleaming carved wood and brass, chandeliers and leather furniture; the hallway to our room/cabin gave the impression of a swank period luxury liner; our room was suprisingly spacious and comfortable with a marble bathroom and two “portholes” looking out on the swift-flowing River Vardar and the white-columned archeological museum. The upper deck restaurant provided an ample breakfast and surprisingly good food at dinnertime with one of the best servers we found in the Balkans. Outdoor seating was popular with locals although we opted for the air-conditioned interior.

Given the summer heat, my plan was to do outdoor rambles in the mornings and evenings and spend the heat of the day visiting museums, eating lunch… and maybe working in a little siesta. This turned out to be pretty ideal. The Museum of the Macedonian Struggle for Independence topped my list of museums to visit and we made it our first indoor destination. In fact, we were the first two people into the museum that day so had the place to ourselves for most of our visit. This let us move along slowly to take in the many wax figure displays of scenes of North Macedonian history. The displays and descriptions were often grim, one-sided and heavy on propaganda, but that only added to the interest. I like to see points of view that are new to me or different from the versions my own country tells. (The Vietnam War Museum in Ho Chi Minh City and the Military Museum in the Belgrade Fortress are prime examples.) As an American, I didn’t have much of a dog in the fights that make up the subject of the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, but the displays did have me looking up events I was totally unaware of.

Seeing the Archeological Museum of the Republic of North Macedonia from our bedroom window and during meals moved it onto our list of museums to visit. Fittingly, the archeological museum looks like a giant ancient temple. Its collection, including a copy of Alexander Sarcophagus is well-presented but contains no major treasures. The building itself was the main draw for us. Approaching the archeological museum across the Bridge of Civilizations in Macedonia makes a great impression. Great impressions are what Skopje 2024 was all about. Unfortunately, as we wandered the city center, we couldn’t help but notice crumbling “marble,” rust stains and other signs of premature deterioration. Not wanting to offend, but curious as to local opinion, we asked our friendly waitress at dinner one night what she thought of the buildings. She approved, saying with an ironic smile that at least the government built something with the money rather than stealing it. When I asked her what was there before, she said “Nothing. It was empty.” On the other hand, a woman in the hotel lobby said the new buildings were falling apart because of inferior materials and poor engineering resulting from corruption. She also explained how the Hotel Senigallia’s sister “ships” positioned at some distance on either side of the hotel were vandalized and derelict because of a former city administration’s efforts to destroy them. Apparently, changing governments made for uncoordinated approaches to city planning and a lawsuit had recently awarded compensation to the owners of the businesses in the faux ships.

Top photos of crumbling Skopje 2014 structures;
bottom photo of one of the Hotel Senigallia’s “sister ships”

Skopje offers more than museums. Our morning and evening walks took us to the Mother Theresa house, people-watching in Macedonia Square and exploring the old Ottoman Bazaar, the largest in the Balkans. Evenings were particularly busy with crowds of people of all ages out strolling or enjoying cafés. Street musicians including children on drums performed on the Stone Bridge and around the Fountain of Lions. An ice cream vendor drew a crowd as he charmed small children with a good-natured slight-of-hand routine that had them looking for disappearing cones and thinking he’d dropped their treats.

Around Skopje from top left, then left to right: Bridge of Art, Macedonian National Theater,
walking bridge (that was to have had a Ferris wheel), the bazaar,
Macedonian Holocaust Museum, Mother Theresa House

The bazaar is a maze of shop-lined streets interspersed with cafés, sweet shops and mosques. A man seeing my interest in a huge tree sheltering diners in one small square told me it dated to ancient times. We found most people in Skopje to be friendly and many spoke at least some English. An easy walk from Hotel Senigallia, we visited the bazaar both nights we spent in the city. With plenty to do and adapting to the heat, we opted to skip a walk up to the fortress or a cable car ride to the large mountaintop Millennium Cross for views of the city. All in all, we found Skopje worth the visit and I’m glad we didn’t let summer weather keep us away.

En route to Skopje, North Macedonia: Tetovo and Matka Canyon

I debated adding Skopje to this Balkan trip, wondering if it was crazy to visit the North Macedonian capital in the middle of July. July is prime time in beautiful lakeside Ohrid, but Skopje sounded like it could be scorching. On the other hand, I hated to miss the capital and there were some stops between Ohrid and Skopje that really appealed. As a native Texan, I know all about heat and I actually kind of like it… so long as there’s air conditioning to be had. I decided I was being a wimp and made plans.

Our driver, Alek, arrived promptly at 10am at our Ohrid guesthouse and we were off. First stop, Tetovo. Alek spoke good English and we enjoyed his knowledgeable if somewhat downbeat company. He described frustrations with the lack of opportunity in his country, the interference of outside countries (particularly Greece), and government corruption. He had an undergrad degree he said made him a lawyer in Macedonia, but he found it more profitable to be a driver and guide. It’s a sad story of underutilized skills I’ve heard often during my travels. Alek also tended to downplay our stops along the way while still being game for whatever we wanted to do. I got the impression he’d seen it all a zillion times and was nudging us a little to see if we’d skip the stops we’d paid to make. Understandable, but that wasn’t happening. We just confirmed we wanted to stick to our plans and he was fine about it and gave us plenty of time.

A couple of hours after we left Ohrid, Alek parked across from Šarena Džamija (the “Colorful Mosque” or “Painted Mosque”) in Tetovo, letting us off to explore at our leisure. Famous for painting that covers its exterior and interior, the Colorful Mosque dates to the 14th century. Unusually in the patriarchal culture, two sisters financed construction and they are buried beneath an octagonal shelter in the flower-filled gardens of the mosque. After removing our shoes and covering my hair with a scarf, we entered the small mosque. A man praying turned out to be a visitor from Australia. Hearing us speaking English, he cheerfully volunteered to explain details of Muslim prayer and customs. After crossing the adjacent park to view its former hammam (Ottoman baths) just across the River Pena, Alek picked us up for lunch. Following his suggestion, we opted to skip a modern air-conditioned restaurant for a traditional place he promised would be a treat. He was right!

Restoran Belamia occupies a large three-story building that looks as much like a house as a place of business save for a parking lot and a covered brick walkway leading to the entrance. Alek had called ahead while we were in the mosque. We were expected and Alek was clearly a familiar face here. A charming server greeted us warmly before leading us past a fireplace surrounded by period knickknacks and rows of wine bottles through the empty restaurant to a table near an interior courtyard. Tablecloths, wood floors, brick walls and overhead beams provided a charming atmosphere. Red geraniums hung from the open-air second-floor balcony that gave onto the paved ground floor below surrounded by antique kitchen furniture, pots and photographs. Periodic clouds of heavy mist helped the flowers thrive and kept our dining area comfortably cool with the assistance of a large wall-mounted fan.

At our waiter’s urging, we started with Serbian plum “rakia” which vastly improved upon the rakia we’d had in Albania. Next came triangles of house-made flat bread, perfectly charred and piping hot from the oven and a large shared salad topped with piles of shredded cheese. My skillfully grilled chicken with grilled vegetables, drizzled with a balsamic reduction perfectly suited my tastes. David opted for a more traditional chicken dish preferred by Alek. Smothered in sauce and cheese and topped with a scoop of something that tasted like butter and grated cheese blended together, their meals were a tribute to heavy Balkan dining.

Our next stop was Matka Canyon, a man-made reservoir in the mountains near Skopje. Matka Canyon often tops recommendations for things to do “in” Skopje. Alek confirmed what I’d read about the canyon being super popular with locals and tourists during the summer months and warned us to expect a wait to get in. Happily, we didn’t face a long line of cars, but Alek did have to slowly thread our way through about a mile of cars parked beside the narrow road that runs along the river far below.

Men and boys swam and played in the river. When I remarked on how there were no women, Alek explained it was because they were from the nearby Muslim village. He added that Christians from Skopje wouldn’t swim there. It was a story of self-imposed separation and a competition for territory we heard several times in the Balkans. We were told Muslims built mosques to mark their territory even though no one used them. We did see a surprising number of mosques in most towns and villages we passed. Meanwhile Christians erected large crosses on the hillsides and mountains for the same purpose. I was listening to To the Lake, a book by Kapka Kassabova, a woman with Balkan origins who was exploring her roots in the Ohrid region. To the Lake described the same dynamic. The history of the Balkans is fascinating, complicated and often tragic.

Alek persisted through the sea of cars until we came to the end of the road where yet another of the many people who knew Alek everywhere we went moved aside a barrier to let him park in the lone remaining spot just in front of the entrance to the canyon trail. Not bad!

The dam that forms the reservoir rises impressively high above the riverbed. Beyond that, a paved path passes through an arch cut into the mountainside before giving the first glimpse of the reservoir. Clear water sparkles below nearly vertical mountain walls. Gorgeous! We left Alek to chat with friends at tables near small medieval St. Andrew’s Monastery and a boat rental to walk along the rocky path that snakes along the cliff walls above the water. Several medieval monasteries dot the area in addition to ten caves, but the heat caused us to keep our hike relatively short. Instead of spending our time boating, we opted for icy drinks on the terrace of a lakeside bar operated by the one hotel on the canyon before meeting up with Alek to continue on to Skopje.

Practical info:

I booked Alek via Daytrip.com as I did all three transfers on the Balkan trip. I wrote previously here about my reasons for booking private drivers and my experience with Daytrip.com. Daytrip.com brokers drivers in countries all over the world. They vet the drivers who use them to connect with customers. All three drivers they found for us were prompt, professional, friendly and informative. The cars were clean and in good shape.

There was no entrance fee to either the Colorful Mosque in Tetovo or Matka Canyon.

Ohrid and Lake Ohrid, North Macedonia

Ohrid, North Macedonia, nestled on gorgeous Lake Ohrid was my primary destination for this Balkans trip. After an enjoyable one-night stay in Tirana, I was excited to get on the road to Ohrid.

Our driver, Edvin, picked us up promptly at noon at our Tirana hotel. I’d arranged an English-speaking driver via Daytrip.com for the 2.5 hour drive to Ohrid. David loves driving pretty much anywhere and I like being his navigator, but I opted against a rental car for a few reasons: notorious Albanian drivers and traffic cops, cross-border and potential one-way drop-off rental charges, and possible hassles crossing borders where we didn’t speak the language and where there have been local disputes. Super cheap buses and mini-vans were options, too, but we liked the idea of more comfort and more control over stops… and I read one report of fellow passengers with problems at the border causing delays for everyone else on a shared ride. No thank you.

Anyway, our drive went smoothly, Edvin spoke passable English, was very friendly and suggested a lovely stop at a restaurant beside a mountain river where he insisted we try rakia, the local eau de vie. The rakia made me shudder, but the setting was great.

Toasting with rakia
(For the record, Edvin is only posing with my glass of rakia. He did not drink and drive.)

Picturesque Lake Ohrid straddles the border between Albania and North Macedonia and we got our first glimpse of it as we neared the Albanian-North Macedonian border. We remained in the car to cross the border which we did without incident, and without getting our passports stamped which made me wonder about potential issues when we left North Macedonia for Kosovo, but Edvin seemed unconcerned.

After less than an hour of driving past wooded countryside, small towns and orchards, we arrived at the upper gate which leads into Old Town Ohrid. A guard raised the boom allowing Edvin to enter when informed we were staying in Old Town. With both Edvin and I using Google Maps, he navigated the winding narrow streets down to lakeside Villa Lucija beside the small town beach. As Edvin stopped to unload us and our luggage, a woman appeared, loudly indicating that he couldn’t park there. We tried to make her understand what we were doing, that we were in front of our guesthouse, and that Edvin would move the car in a second if she would just go away. Albanian Edvin spoke only a little Macedonian and, of course we spoke none, but she finally left us in peace. Yeesh. It wasn’t an auspicious beginning, but after that first little misunderstanding, we met nothing but friendly, welcoming people during our time in Ohrid.

Our hostess, Lucija, turned out to be a cheerful delight. She lives on the ground floor of four-story Villa Lucija with a friendly white golden retriever. Our Room #7 was two flights of stairs up, on the same level as a communal kitchen. We had a large comfy bed, a sofa/bed, a seating area, a fridge, a modest but adequate shower room, and a balcony which faced the lake and the curve of Ohrid along its small port. We ate breakfast every morning on the spacious porch, lowering a wide awning to block the sun whenever we left. It’s hot in Ohrid in July, but that’s when the lake is most appealing. The powerful air conditioning in our room kept things nicely chilled, though, and a joy to return to after rambles away from the water.

View from our Villa Lucija balcony

We enjoyed lounging by the lake in the private area behind Lucija’s personal back terrace, but there’s also a lot to see in Ohrid. Ohrid boasts “365 churches, one for each day of the year.” I can’t verify that number, but we came across many tiny churches along the winding cobbled streets of Old Town Ohrid. In addition to those small churches, Ohrid is home to several larger churches and monasteries. Iconic St. Sophia Church sits a mere one minute walk from guesthouse Villa Lucija. St. Sophia is depicted on the 1000 Macedonian denar banknote and on the modern coat of arms of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. One of our evenings had us hiking up to the Church of St. John the Theologian (also “St. John at Kaneo”), perched on a point above the town overlooking the lake. A photo of this spot was one of those that got me planning this trip in the first place. [See lead photo above for my own similar photo.]

On the Ohrid Boardwalk

Getting to St. John the Theologian was half the fun: We walked along the Ohrid Boardwalk set above the water and running along the edge of a cliff to an area of restaurants, guesthouses and swimming areas to Restaurant Kaneo. We dined at a lakeside table at Kaneo Restaurant as the sun sank below the hills, enjoying pasta and fish and Macedonian wine and sharing tidbits with very polite cats. With plenty of light left in the summer sky, we continued our walk along the cliff base, past a pretty little waterside church before taking the rock paths and steps up the hill to the Church of St. John the Theologian. Sunset painted the western sky in shades of orange beyond the church and the still lake, a picture of serenity and beauty.

Another day, we walked up Old Town hills to an ancient Roman theater, then explored 9th century St. Clement’s Monastery of St. Paneleimon and adjacent Plaošnik archeological site. The rebuilt church was built by St. Clement, a disciple of Saints Cyril and Methodius, on the foundation of an earlier Christian basilica, and dedicated to St. Paneleimon. The archeological site is still being excavated and rebuilt. A woman at the gate to the area offered to guide us and showed us a book she’d written on the site. The small book seemed impressively researched and was in English, but not wanting to get trapped into a longer-than-wanted tour, we opted to look around on our own. Since no one was manning the ticket booth, the guide told us to go on in. The church is pretty and similar to many we saw on this trip and the archeological site offered little in information, but we were good with that. Satisfied with our time, we continued on uphill to Ohrid Fortress whose ramparts rewarded us with great views of the lake, Ohrid, and the surrounding countryside.

Ohrid Fortress

We spent our evenings exploring old Ohrid: its small cobbled roads; wide, stone-paved pedestrian street Sveti Kliment Ohridski with its shops, restaurants and bustling crowds; the waterfront booths, restaurants and jetties. All over town, shops offer delicate Ohrid filigree silver jewelry. The style is lovely, but we couldn’t help but wonder how any of the many shops distinguish themselves or earn a living with so much competition. On Sveti Kliment Ohridski, quite a few shops offer designer labels and prices at a fraction of what they’d cost in Western Europe. We had to assume they were counterfeit and refrained from buying, but I have to say they looked surprisingly legit with heavy tags, correct logos and the like that are a far cry from some of the counterfeit I’ve come across in Asia. On two evenings, we stopped to watch costumed dancers on an open stage participating in an International Folk Festival.

We spent a wonderful day on a boat tour the length of Lake Ohrid to St. Naum’s Monastery and the St. Naum’s Springs (also known as Black Drim Springs). We stopped en route at Bay of Bones for a short visit at a reconstructed Iron Age overwater town and adjacent museum of Iron and Bronze Age artifacts found in Lake Ohrid. There are several larger boats as well as small private boats offering tours of the lake. We were super happy with our choice of Armada, a larger boat with its long cushioned bench-style seating along the edge of an open, shaded upper deck facing tables and reclined chairs. There was also a lower, enclosed deck which remained empty as everyone wanted to be outside. Still, there was plenty of room and extra seats. Cocktails were showy, delicious and well-priced. We looked with sympathy at passengers on other large boats we saw, crowded into rows of open deck chairs who couldn’t move about or lounge around as we could nor enjoy cocktails and snacks on their very own tables. I highly recommend this tour and will post details below in the Practical Info section.

Armada boat trip from Ohrid to St. Naum’s (Bottom left photo is the Bay of Bones museum and replica Iron Age overwater town.)

We had three and a half hours at our final destination and David and I went straight for a private twenty-minute rowboat trip around the springs, an absolute highlight. The springs actually come from underground rivers connecting Lake Prespa to Lake Ohrid. The water that bubbles up beneath the surface and that runs down the green banks is so purely filtered that it is drinkable. We gazed through crystal clear water at green water plants surrounding white sand patches where springs made small “volcanoes.” Small diving ducks darted to hide in plants along the bank as our oarsman rowed us slowly through the nature preserve. We spotted a “wild chicken” on a small log. I trailed my fingers in the cold water, breathing in the clean water-and-greenery scented air, loving every minute.

Rowing on St. Naum’s Springs

We lunched at a large open-air spring-side restaurant where a cheerful young waitress explained local dishes and shared her preferences. A turtle roaming among the tables gobbled lettuce leaves I offered much to the delight of a little boy. Hunger abated, we walked up to clifftop Saint Naum’s Monastery. The ticket taker at the small church at the center of the monastery courtyard waved me away when I tried to pay. I’m not sure why, but there was no charge. Faded and damaged old frescoes covered the walls of first room of the church, but perfectly restored floor-to-ceiling paintings of the saints with gilded borders adorned the domed innermost chamber. Outside, the courtyard offered spectacular views of Lake Ohrid. We lingered there, watching cormorants diving far below, the glass-like water making for perfect viewing both above and below the surface.

Interior of the St. Naum’s Monastery church

Cormorant diving in Lake Ohrid

The cool waters of the lake enticed us away from the monastery. A rented lakeside “bed” provided the perfect spot to lounge about and people watch between times in the crisp lake waters. Too soon, it was time to head back to Armada for the return journey to Ohrid. Oh well, we traded one good time for another with icy piña coladas on the boat and Ohrid waiting in the distance.

St. Naum’s Springs flowing into Lake Ohrid. Boats from Ohrid dock nearby.

Practical info:

This was my first time using Daytrip.com and I was really happy with them. Their prices were competitive with Viator, etc. They were quick to respond to questions and resolve any concerns or problems. For example, they quickly supplied me with a form for a custom trip when they didn’t offer a stop that I wanted. They were also prompt to send me a payment link when I was unable to pay by credit card for one of our three transfers. All three drivers we had on the Balkan trip were prompt, professional and knowledgeable. The cars were clean and comfortable. Daytrip.com brokers drivers all over the world. From the conversation I had with one of our drivers, the drivers are happy with their service, too.

I booked Villa Lucija (also “House Lucija”) on Booking.com via Topcashback. It’s not elegant, but it’s very nice and the location is as good as it gets. (Both Edwin and the driver who picked us up were impressed.) We loved it.

I booked the boat ride on Armada on Booking.com via Topcashback. You can buy tickets on site from vendors who were pretty much always at the dock or on the Armada website, but it was just so easy, quick and secure to book on Booking.com and the 1200 lek (appx. €20) pp price was the same. (And I could do it in the air conditioned comfort of our room.) Our cruise to St. Naum’s left Ohrid at 10:15am and lasted about 8 hours. Armada offers other cruises as well, including sunset and mid-lake swimming cruises.

We enjoyed dinner at Kaneo Restaurant, but were really disappointed on another night with inedible shrimp and overcooked Ohrid trout at Restaurant Kajche. Kaijche is beautiful, so maybe other dishes or just drinks would be better.

Credit cards were accepted almost everywhere in Ohrid.

Ohrid is proud of its water quality. We brushed our teeth and drank tap water at Villa Lucija and had no problems.