North Macedonia

Visited: November 2006, July 2021

Duration of visit: 14 days

Capital city: Skopje

Population: 2 million (2021)

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

• A rather unappealing country to visit and not much to explore around it, although there is some potential to make it a more popular destination in the future.
• Strong presence of cigarettes, matching some of the biggest cigarette consumers in the world, such as Serbia and Turkey.
• Skopje, with more than 100 statues, old town, bazaar and a mix of modern, neoclassical and baroque buildings.
• Memorial House of Mother Teresa, dedicated to one of the biggest charity workers of all times.
• Kayaking in Matka canyon, only half an hour drive from Skopje.
• Swimming in calm waters and tasting fresh trout in a beautiful Lake Ohrid.

The Republic of North Macedonia (Macedonia until 2019) gained independence from old Yugoslavia in 1991, in peaceful circumstances without shedding a single drop of blood. It is the only country that got independence from Yugoslavia without bloodshed and it remained entirely at peace since then. This landlocked country borders with the Eastern Balkan states of Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria, Albania and Greece.

North Macedonian prosperity and development have been historically hindered by military, political or ethnical disputes. It doesn’t have yet much to offer to visitors, and tourism doesn’t seem to be high on priority list, neither for the government, nor for its inhabitants.

I travelled to Macedonia in 2006, when my dad was renting an apartment in Veles, less than an hour drive from Skopje. At that time, I had constant headaches and traditional medicine couldn’t detect what was behind it. An older, alternative doctor was living on the outskirts of Veles and I was visiting him on a daily basis. Čika Pero was healing me with simple methods of putting a hand on sick or ached parts of my body, taking out negative energy and filling me with positive vibe.

I don’t have a direct prove that my health improved drastically nor immediately, but, years later, I was feeling much better and my headaches were mostly gone.

What was remarkable for me in Macedonia during those visits, was the presence of cigarette smoke everywhere and all the time. As a non-smoker, I found dining in restaurants to be quite unpleasant. Especially older people seem to compensate food with cigarettes and alcoholic drinks. Their faces are notoriously whipped out and lack of energy or interest for productive activities visible.

In 2021, I traveled to North Macedonia in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic (the country changed its name in the meantime) with my family. We were driving our car from Slovenia through the Balkans to Greece, with stops in Skopje, Bitola and Ohrid.

The car provided us with the freedom to stop at various locations. I am fluent at widely spoken Serbo-Croatian language and my homeland (Slovenia) used to be part of the same country in the past (Yugoslavia). I found myself in a fortunate position, as I was able to comprehend the local culture and communicate effectively with Macedonians who do not possess fluency in foreign languages.

The most famous person from North Macedonia is more Albanian than Macedonian. Mother Teresa of Calcutta was born in Skopje; however, she was ethnical Albanian and therefore claimed by other nations these days as well. Mother Theresa Memorial House in the center of Skopje is dedicated to her remarkable life story.

Through the exhibition, I admired how such a simple, tiny and humble person had been able to achieve worldwide recognition for her charity work with the poorest people of India, who were forgotten and left to die. She was respected by the most important leaders, politics and sages.

As a recognition to her work, dedication and initiative, she was beatified in 2003 by Pope John Paul II and canonized in 2016 by Pope Francis. She also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

In my opinion, well deserved!

The capital city of Skopje has gone through a challenging history, where many external rulers passed the scepter: Byzantine, Bulgarian, Serbian, Ottomans, Austro-Hungarian and Yugoslav kingdoms controlled the territory, fought for it, burned it down and tried to find a role for it. Additionally, the Northern Macedonian capital has suffered a few devastating earthquakes throughout history; the biggest ones in 518 and in 1963, when most of the city was completely destroyed.

Skopje has not traditionally been recognized as one of the prominent capitals in the Balkans. Consequently, the government has resolved to enhance its appeal to international tourists.

More than 100 new statues, erected mostly in the 2010s represent a government effort to boost tourism and build national pride.

This costly investment provoked confusion and mixed emotion in me while walking around the city and trying to understand this absurd makeover.

The construction and remodeling of new government buildings, triumphal arch, bridges with lion statues, museums and the National Theatre, in baroque, neoclassical and extravagant fashion, reflected a rather confused and undefined direction of development.

I liked much more the old town and its Čaršija – old bazaar with narrow, stone paved streets, one of the largest in the Balkans. Ottoman Skopje is busy from early morning, when coffee shops and small specialized stores open, until the evening with busy restaurants and pastry shops full of customers.

In the summer 2021, when the whole world was implementing restrictions, using masks and being obsessively protective from the coronavirus pandemic, North Macedonia was free: no test or vaccination requirements on the border, hardly any restrictions in day to day life. Irresponsible, natural, brave or logical? Time will show. But I enjoyed the old normality and simple things that the last pandemic year almost erased from our lifestyle.

Located only half an hour drive from Skopje, Matka Canyon is one of the most popular outdoor destinations in North Macedonia. The artificial lake resembling a serene river flanked by towering mountains, is ideally navigated by kayak. The canyon area is home to several historic churches and monasteries established hundreds of years ago.

Gliding on perfectly calm and crystal water surrounded with mountains in such proximity to the city, yet immersed in a distinctly different atmosphere, was undoubtedly one of the most remarkable outdoor activities we engaged in during our time in Macedonia.

The country has only one UNESCO World Heritage site – Lake Ohrid, the oldest and one of the deepest lakes in Europe, reaching a maximum depth of 288 meters. The lake is 4 million years old and has 200 endemic species that don’t live anywhere else in the world.

Beside some historical landmarks, the old town offers a pleasant stroll along the shores of the lake, great opportunities for local cuisine tasting, pastry shops and traditional music bands that visit the most popular restaurants.

Lake Ohrid is regarded by the Macedonians in a manner similar to how the sea is perceived by others. Swimming in calm waters is an excellent refreshment during the midday summer heat. I really enjoyed Ohrid trout that was prepared in a traditional restaurant with a spectacular view over the lake. A relaxed atmosphere with old-school waiters from times of Yugoslavia, dressed up in black and white uniforms is typical not only for Ohrid, but the whole country.

Kumanovo served as our last stop prior to our entry to Serbia and we decided to have lunch there. The pizza and pasta we ordered in the sheltered garden of a fashionable bohemian bar were reasonably priced. The restaurant would not have stood out significantly if it were not for the unusual sensation of heat that disturbed my comfort.

When we returned to the car and I started the engine, the outside temperature displayed on the dashboard was 36°C. It started to increase quickly until 44°C. I was convinced that the thermometer was damaged, but when passing a pharmacy with a board showing similar temperature, I realized how burning hot it was outside. Later on, the temperature lowered on the dashboard, confirming it was working properly.

It is not very common that a country changes its name under the pressure of its powerful neighbor in order to progress and enter into the most developed union in the world – the European Union. This ended the decades-long dispute with Greece regarding the right to use the name since there’s a region in Greece with the same name, Macedonia.

The direction of Northern Macedonia is clear and set for further generations, but there is still a lot of work to do before the country will make up for the backlog of previous decades, when it more or less vegetated in anticipation of what would happen.

On my list of visited countries, I would position North Macedonia as a transit country for a short stop on the way to Greece.

Despite everything, there is a noticeable desire to attract foreign guests, especially those who are looking for less touristic and/or cheaper destinations in Europe for a relaxing vacation.