Aug 3 2015 Skopje

---

Up early due to heat and to some extent the jet lag. Breakfast at the hostel and then a walk around town. Gus and I stumbled on a group of men betting on which cup a pea was under. Looked pretty simple at first glance and we guessed correctly each go until it came to placing some dollars on the game. Due to the fact that I didn't have correct money to bet and Gus did he quickly placed a bet. There's a saying that a fool and his money are soon parted. It's correct but should read two fools. Lol. We got scammed! Gus reckons we could have eaten for a week on what he gave away. Lesson learnt. I did take a photo of him googling how much he'd lost but didn't have the heart to publish it. Lol. Until now!!
Skopje appears to be a city that's spent more on monuments than on actual infrastructure or upkeep of existing sites:
The Stone Bridge runs over the river Vardar. Originally built in 1421.
Just near the bridge was the Warrior on a Horse statue in the main city square. Nice water feature.
Dame Gruev statue also adjacent to the bridge. He was considered one of the most prominent Macedonian Bulgarian revolutionaries.
Alexander the Great statue.
The Fortress Kale. (Old castle) Describe by Gus, the famous Australian historian, as an old run down joint in need of a bloody good whipper snipper and some TLC. So much so that he is now on TripAdvisor to see what other people thought of it. Built in 6th century and not had the lawns touched since.
Constitutional Court building. Impressive building with hundreds of statues lining the bridge to it.
Mustafa Pasha mosque. Beautiful ornate ceiling.

The one thing that really stood out as a must see was the city at night.

---