The Statues Of Skopje


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August 23rd 2016
Published: September 23rd 2016
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Warrior On A HorseWarrior On A HorseWarrior On A Horse

Huge bombastic fountain statue in the middle of Plostad Makedonija.
Politics. There's a bit of it between Greece and Macedonia and it is probably why it was such a mission to get from Kalambaka, Greece to Lake Ohrid, Macedonia.
Local Greeks I had talked to disliked the fact that Macedonia has called itself Macedonia, when it is also the name of Greece's northernmost province and this dislike extends to international level where Greece has blocked Macedonian attempts to join the EU unless it changes its name. The same locals didn't think much of my plan to visit Lake Ohrid either.

It seems like an obvious journey for a tourist to want to make; from the stunning scenery of Meteora to the gorgeous lake of Ohrid, just 283km away. But there was no direct bus and not even one to the border. I would have to take three buses just to get to Florina, the last Greek town before the border, take a taxi from Florina to the border, physically walk across the border, hope to find a taxi on the other side to take me to Bitola, the nearest Macedonian town to the border (and an interesting place too according to Lonely Planet), and then finally take a bus from
Streets Of CarsijaStreets Of CarsijaStreets Of Carsija

Street in the pedestrian Turkish quarter of Carsija.
Bitola to Ohrid.
Not only was this annoyingly complicated, the taxis themselves had the potential to cost me upwards of 60€ - or two days' budget. There had to be a cheaper way.
In the end it worked out cheaper to go to Thessaloniki, from where I could catch a bus to Skopje, Macedonia's capital. From there I would then have to take a bus to Ohrid before returning back to Skopje - not ideal, but it would work out much, much cheaper.

I had an interesting experience at the border. The jokey immigration officer cracked a few while talking to me but then he started asking me a whole lotta questions he wasn't asking anyone else on the bus. He has probably never seen a Chinese guy with a British passport born in New Zealand before. He then made me completely unpack my rucksack, asking me questions about my doxycycline and omeprazole. - my drugs. He then takes away both of my passports and they both come back.
By the time I had arrived at the hostel I was starving so reached into my rucksack to get my food...only to discover that it wasn't bloody there. I had
Mustafa Pasa MosqueMustafa Pasa MosqueMustafa Pasa Mosque

The best kept mosque in Skopje.
no more cash on me and my hostel was in a residential area with absolutely nothing close by selling food. Not at ten in the evening, anyway.
I had either forgotten to re-pack my food on the bus or the bloody immigration officer had snuck off with it. I was furious and would be sleeping hungry. Not the first time I have had to do it while travelling but still super-annoying nonetheless.

My first impressions of Skopje was that it was full of boring, rectangular, Soviet-style apartment towers and crass casinos. I was hoping that a free guided walking tour of the city might change these impressions but still tired from my exertions in Meteora and Corfu, as well as my journey getting to Skopje, I woke up too late for TripAdvisor's no.1 rated activity in the city. Therefore, I mapped out my own.

The hostel is about a half-hour walk from the city centre which is a little annoying but after thirty minutes I was at my first stop - the Memorial House Of Mother Teresa.
Anjeze Gonxhe Bojaxhu was born right here in Skopje and thus this memorial museum and chapel has been set up in
Philip II SquarePhilip II SquarePhilip II Square

Featuring a 29m tall fountain statue of Philip II Of Macedon.
her honour. It is free to visit but there isn't too much information inside, rather a collection of objects including letters she had written and what was presumably the modest single bed that she slept in for the majority of her life. The chapel is a futuristic glass chamber that looks more at home on Planet Krypton than downtown Skopje and was rather weird - not to mention at odds with Mother Teresa's renown humility.

I had heard that Skopje has a bizarre number of bizarrely large statues and as I entered Plostad Makedonija, it became evident that this was no lie. Skopje's central square is dominated by the bombastic "Warrior On A Horse" (which for all intents and purposes is a statue of Alexander The Great in all but name - again, politics) standing 22m high. Water falls from the top of the statue's plinth and there are massive lions spewing out water below in this gigantic fountain.
It seems the city likes a good fountain - there is another one across the old stone bridge beneath the equally ostentatious statue of Philip II of Macedon, standing 29m tall. Numerous other statues and monuments dot the city including
Tvedina Kale FortressTvedina Kale FortressTvedina Kale Fortress

This castle dates back to the 6th century and overlooks the city.
Skopje's identikit version of Paris's Arc de Triomphe.
All of this has been built as part of a huge but controversial urban regeneration programme costing hundreds of millions of euros. It is all rather kitsch and crass if you ask me and critics bemoan a project with intentions to make Skopje look like Paris, but has only succeeded in making the city look like a cheap Las Vegas. And with so many people unemployed and/or below the poverty line, there have been regular protests against the project and the amount of public money being used to fund it. On some of the statues are streaks of coloured paint, which are the result of protest vandalism by aggrieved locals. You can't create 'culture' by simply erecting a few pompous statues.
Whatever your view on it, you can't say that it hasn't made downtown Skopje just that little bit more interesting.

A structure some 1400 years older than the bluster in the main square, I check out the views over the city from the ramparts of the Tvrdina Kale Fortress before checking out Carsija - Skopje's Turkish quarter. It is a pleasant enough place to wander around, even if it lacks
CarsijaCarsijaCarsija

Skopje's old Ottoman quarter.
the atmosphere of Sarajevo's similar Bascarsija district. There are a few too many modern shops in Carsija - especially gold and jewellery shops for some reason - for Carsjia to maintain any sort of Ottoman ambience.
The Ottomans did rule here however for some five-hundred years and have certainly left their mark, not least with number of mosques dotted around the city. The Mustafa Pasa Mosque is the best-kept of them all; the Sultan Murat Mosque is the oldest, dating from the 15th century. Completely open to enter, there was absolutely no-one there while I explored the building - it did feel a bit eerie and forbidden.
The calls to prayer amongst lots of Communist-chic buildings recalled Albania and its cities of Shkoder and Tirana although both Albanian cities are better kept. Skopje is pretty messy in places with more than a few unfinished buildings; in other places the city really does feel properly Eastern-bloc. The Bit Pazar, Skopje's main market, evoked memories of the central markets of South America where just about anything can be bought.

The most interesting part of the day was my visit to the Museum Of Macedonia.
Housed in a 70s Communist building that has seen better
RusaliiRusaliiRusalii

In the ethnographic section of the Museum Of Macedonia are traditional male costumes and an explanation of this customary Macedonian dance.
days and is fairly bereft of visitors, the museum starts off with a large collection of Byzantine icons from around the country. There is then an entire exhibition dedicated to Macedonian-US relations - with the Macedonians seemingly proud of their contribution to the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. About a third of the museum is dedicated to Macedonia's struggles against first the Ottoman Empire and then occupation by Bulgaria.
After the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913, Macedonia was split up between Greece, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Albania and there were exhibits documenting each of those countries' attempts to suppress Macedonian culture and language; there was also another special exhibit that documented the various underground groups that plotted and fought for Macedonian independence through the throes of the Greek civil war immediately after WWII, during which many Macedonians were displaced. After this period, Macedonia became part of Yugoslavia; eventual independence from Yugoslavia was achieved peacefully - the only former Yugoslav state to secede without conflict - in 1991.
In an adjacent building, were interesting ethnographic exhibits on traditional Macedonian life, architecture (very Ottoman-influenced) and customs; one of which is the rusalii, where men in traditional costumes danced with wooden swords in an exercise designed
Inside Sveti Spas ChurchInside Sveti Spas ChurchInside Sveti Spas Church

The impressive interior of the Sveti Spas Church which is partly underground as churches could not be taller than mosques during Ottoman times.
to expel evil forces.
I may have learnt a lot more than I eventually did, but about half of all the exhibits were displayed only in Cyrillic, which I can't read!

The Sveti Spas Church and admittedly, its beautifully decorated interior - I am gaining a liking for Byzantine church interiors - was maybe not worth the 100MKD (MKD = Macedonian denar; 1€ = 60MKD approx.) admission but otherwise I was astounded by how cheap things are here. A 500ml bottle of elderflower Fanta - first experienced in Mostar - cost just 35MKD, or 0.60€. I was paying more than double that in Greece.

Now, I've had some bizarre reunions on this trip but that night I had what was probably one of the more far-fetched ones I've had so far.
Scott was a god friend of mine when I was a kid and we played cricket together for years as teenagers. His wit left a lasting impression on me and in typical style, he tells me upon our meeting that "you know Derek, I don't think I've seen you this century!"
Living in Berlin these days, I had spotted on Facebook that he was in Macedonia and
Me & ScottMe & ScottMe & Scott

A school reunion in Skopje, Macedonia of all places, after twenty years.
out paths just happened to cross that night in Skopje so we arranged a well-overdue catch-up over some nice local brews. The last time I saw him in the 90s, I certainly didn't think that the next time I would see him would be twenty years later in Skopje, Macedonia of all places.
The soundtrack at the outdoor pub we were at was all 80s and 90s, helping us to further relive our collective youth. It was a well-enjoyable catch up as we recalled old times; from vivid, specific memories on the cricket field, to old teachers and classmates that we had at school, to what we and everyone else we knew had got up to in the last twenty years. The guy always managed to crack me up and that night was no exceptions. Great times.

I had wanted to do the guided tour again the next morning but drunkenness and mosquitoes had kept me up until 5am so I was never going to make the 10am meeting time. So instead, I spent the whole day blogging and managed to complete two entries which constituted a productive day. I was also the only guest in the whole hostel
Kameni Most & Boatmen Of Thessaloniki StatueKameni Most & Boatmen Of Thessaloniki StatueKameni Most & Boatmen Of Thessaloniki Statue

The bridge is considered a symbol of the city and the boatmen were a revolutionary/anarchist group against the Ottoman Empire.
that day and night, which was a little awkward - it was a family-run operation so it was just me, Ma and Pa in the house all day.
I did feel a little sorry for them; there is a massive oversupply of hostels in Skopje for some reason and although this one has been one of the mainstays, its location in the suburbs does count against it, especially considering that there were a glut of hostels in the city centre. The thirty minute walk into town definitely put me off actually going into town and the hostel you stay at really does have a huge impact on your overall experience of a place.
Skopje had massive storms that day and the temperature dropped; and just like the weather, Pa suddenly became rather frosty as well. After being told in no uncertain terms that I couldn't have a second burek for breakfast, I was then given a good telling off for sleeping almost two hours past the 10am checkout time, something I have been known to do. As the only guest in the hostel, I had assumed that Pa would be relaxed about the checkout time given that it would only
Pavel Shatev StatuePavel Shatev StatuePavel Shatev Statue

Pavel Shatev was another revolutionary hero.
take five minutes to make my bed but I was obviously wrong. He accuses me of taking him for a fool and for basically taking the piss, and I suddenly got really worried he might charge me for an extra night. Perhaps I did take the piss a bit but most other hostels I have stayed at in the Balkans have been really relaxed about the checkout time.
Worst was to come as he offered a taxi service that worked out much cheaper than calling in a radio taxi. Cue ten of the most awkward minutes of my life while he drove me to the bus station, continuing to lecture me on the importance of checking out on time.

Back to my point about your hostel experience impacting upon your overall impressions of a place; I left Skopje under grey skies, indifferent to a city that hadn't left too much of an impression on me apart from its proliferation of massive statues. Driving through the drab suburbs of ugly apartment blocks on my way out of the city on the bus reinforced the feeling I had at the time - that I couldn't wait to get out of there
Warrior On A Horse By NightWarrior On A Horse By NightWarrior On A Horse By Night

A statue of Alexander The Great in all but name.
and into the natural lakeside calm and char of Ohrid.

Cе гледаме подоцна (se gledame podocna),
Derek


Additional photos below
Photos: 25, Displayed: 25


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Goce Delcev Statue & Archaeological MuseumGoce Delcev Statue & Archaeological Museum
Goce Delcev Statue & Archaeological Museum

Goce Delcev is a national Macedonian hero; the archaeological museum on the other side of the river is new.
Triumphal ArchTriumphal Arch
Triumphal Arch

You can see the coloured paint thrown onto the arch as part of protests against urban regeneration programme under which the arch was erected.
Plostad MakedonijaPlostad Makedonija
Plostad Makedonija

Skopje's main central square.
VMRO Statue & Macedonian Heroes MonumentVMRO Statue & Macedonian Heroes Monument
VMRO Statue & Macedonian Heroes Monument

The VMRO were a paramilitary revolutionary group.
Tower & Tomb Of Goce DelcevTower & Tomb Of Goce Delcev
Tower & Tomb Of Goce Delcev

Just outside the Sveti Spas Church.
Front Door Of Sultan Murat MosqueFront Door Of Sultan Murat Mosque
Front Door Of Sultan Murat Mosque

The Sultan Murat Mosque is Skopje's oldest.
Mother Teresa Memorial HouseMother Teresa Memorial House
Mother Teresa Memorial House

Complete with incongruous glass chapel top-right.
Mother Teresa's HeadscarfMother Teresa's Headscarf
Mother Teresa's Headscarf

Well, one of them. Mother Teresa's iconic white headscarf with blue trim.
Macedonian BagpipesMacedonian Bagpipes
Macedonian Bagpipes

On display at the Museum Of Macedonia. The Scots weren't the only ones who had them.
Photos From Museum Of MacedoniaPhotos From Museum Of Macedonia
Photos From Museum Of Macedonia

These are on display in an exhibit about the struggle for Macedonian independence during the Greek civil war following WWII.
Streets Of SkopjeStreets Of Skopje
Streets Of Skopje

What more normal parts of the city look like.
Skopje IntersectionSkopje Intersection
Skopje Intersection

What more normal parts of the city look like.
Soviet Apartment BlockSoviet Apartment Block
Soviet Apartment Block

These are dotted all over town.


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