If you ever wonder where to go to see something unusual, the Balkan is the place for you. Sure you can go to Patagonia or Australia, but if you live in central Europe and you are on a tight budget you will look for other options.
Last November (2019), we found some cheap tickets to Skopje, the capital of North-Macedonia, so we decided to take the chance and travel there.
We did not have a lot of time so we made a short bucket list of what we can reach and visit.
Our list had these must-see locations:
- Skopje - with all you can get bazar, city center, and possibilities for urban exploring
- Matka Kanyon - is just in reach with a city bus from Skopje
- Lake Ohrid - the famous inland water miracle on the border with Albania
Small summary from the visit
The weather was not good, the rain was typical, but no wonder it was autumn, and we where prepared for it. People were friendly and sometimes they were surprised why tourists came there (especially suburban areas). Balkan has its contrasts. They have historical reasons, the breakup of the former Yugoslavia is, of course, one of the most recent. A lot of nostalgy mixed with modernity.
One important thing about Skopje,is that it has a lot of statues, sometimes oddly placed and in just enormous quantity.
Matka Kanyon is a calm and really beautiful place, ideal for a day-long hike.
Ohrid we reached by bus from the capital, and it is a really charming place with a lot of ruins/archeological locations, but on the lake promenade thereis a bunch of restaurants, some of them in western Europe price range :). This city was by far the most "tourism touched" place that we visited in North-Macedonia.
Finally, some photos from the trip
laszlo