Skopje is Macedonia’s capital and largest city.. My friends are going to Macedonia. When I have breaking news, I am included in the program.. The fact that there is no visa to Macedonia also makes things much easier.. As I will see the Vardar River in the songs, I am excitedly on the roads of Macedonia.. I think you can spend a weekend in Macedonia without a visa.
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I Almost Missed My Flight to Skopje
When I fell asleep that morning and rushed to Sabiha Gökçen Airport with a last-minute taxi, my friends were sure that I would miss the flight.. I don’t know how I caught up with the morning traffic. Our guide Ercan Bey was waiting for us when we arrived at the plain and lonely airport of Skopje.. We were in the cold weather of February. Especially, we did not know that we would learn what the cold air wave from the Balkans meant.
We arrived in Skopje at noon.. It was Friday. There were very few people in the streets. There was a difference of two hours between us and Turkey.. When we wanted to visit the city, we couldn’t reach the museums.. The Macedonian government has dressed the buildings on the main street in accordance with the historical texture.. He made huge sculptures in the square.. The statue of Alexander the Great is the tallest and most imposing. Yes, they were all built later, but I can still say that they created a very nice ambiance.
Mother Teresa’s House
The first place we stopped was a house built in memory of Mother Teresa.. Her real name was Gonca Boyacı. I’m so surprised when I hear this. Born in Skopje in 1910 and died in Calcutta in 1997, he packed a lot of good into his life. Mother Teresa, founder of the Congregation of Philanthropic Missions, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. The ground floor of the house is used as a museum.. The upper floor is also used as a church.. They decorated the inside of your house very well indeed.. We spend a lot of time inside the house. Unfortunately, there are no photos of this place because my phone fell into the water.
Vardar River
We are coming to the famous Skopje Square. The Vardar River divided the city in two actually. One side is Macedonian side and the other side is Turkish side.. Albanian Muslims live on one side, orthodox Christians on the other.. We can’t get enough of taking pictures with huge statues. When we cross the famous and magnificent bridge over the Vardar River, we step on the Turkish side.. You will come across many Turkish speaking people in Macedonia.
Skopje, a former Ottoman city, is now the capital of Macedonia. After a little walk on the Turkish side, we reach the meatballs and baked beans.. It was the most famous dish here.. Our guide Ercan Bey takes us to Skopje’s most famous restaurant, Destan.. The meatballs we ate are really delicious.. Extra money is paid for bread. Skopje’s bread is also very delicious.
It was cold when we arrived. Then the sun came out. We fainted from the heat. Now it’s raining madly. I think the cold air wave coming from the Balkans should also be called the playful air of the Balkans.. The weather has always been like this. It would never be known. We dive into the side streets on the Turkish side. We see very nice bars. Rain stops and starts. We take shelter in the Mustafa Pasha mosque built in 1492. Yavuz Sultan Selim and II. The tomb of Mustafa Pasha, the vizier of Beyazid, is located here.. It was damaged in the earthquake in 1963 and could not be used for five years, but then it was opened to worship again.
Stocks opened on the Turkish side of the bridge. I also like and buy a shawl. Our guide laughs a lot when he sees the shawl I bought.. “These are already coming from Turkey,” he says.. Indeed, I see the same shawl in Eminönü after I come back, but oh well.. I bought it from Skopje.
Skopje
Our guide Ercan Bey takes us up a hill and we look at Skopje from above.. Opposite us is Mount Vodno. Our dreams of getting there are unlikely today. mountain in fog. There was a cross on the top of the mountain and the view from there was beautiful.. From this hill, we watch the location of our hotel, Skopje Square and the Vardar River.
We leave our hotel close to the center in the evening and take a breath in the square again.. we want to eat something. There are officially no restaurants on the Macedonian side. On the Turkish side, there are only meatballs and dry beans.. Finally, we find something to eat in the restaurant under a hotel in the Square.. It has everything from pizza to meat. A very stylish restaurant. Prices are reasonable.
We say let’s have fun after we are full.. It is not possible to enter a bar without a reservation. Macedonians out of work are having an after party. They filled all the bars in their work clothes. They are having such a good time. We are content with looking from the outside.. Finally, at a very late hour, we persuade a place and take shelter in a crooked corner.. We have a drink and immerse ourselves in Macedonian music. When it’s quite late at night, we get hungry again. On the way to our hotel by the Vardar River, a crowd catches our attention.
Young people queue up in front of the pastry shop. They take a medium tray of pastry on their plate and eat it.. I’ve never seen anyone eat that much burrito before. These are hand made donuts. it looks so delicious. We get in line but there is no queue.. We take something simpler and go out. On the way to the hotel, we also enter the casino.. I always have a limit. i don’t get over it. Whether I win or lose. I win this time, but it doesn’t do much when I convert it to TL. let it be. This time I’m not losing my money. Moreover, I earn a small amount on top of it.
Monastery
Monastery is our first stop the next morning. The road to Monastery is quite bad. There are rumors that this road is not specially built.. Atatürk received training at the Manastır Military High School here in his younger days.. Walking around the places where little Mustafa once stepped, touched and laughed causes us to have very emotional moments.. There is a special section reserved for Mustafa Kemal on the second floor.. I also write something in the diary here.
A museum of Ottoman artifacts was also built here.. It turns out that a friend of mine, whom I will meet later, collected the works here.. During a conversation much later, he explains that they built a museum there with the support of the Macedonian Government, and that the windows were made in Turkey and taken to Macedonia.. The world is that small. Saturday in Manastir. The weather is nice. We are walking on the closed road with people filling all the restaurants, beautiful music playing. We like the city in the carnival mood.. We have the chance to taste Macedonian dishes in a very elegant restaurant.
Ohrid
When we arrived in the afternoon, Ohrid welcomes us a bit misty.. I’m so tired that I sleep all the time. We get out of the vehicle and run straight to Tsar Samuel Fortress.. the scenery is exquisite. Lake Ohrid below is a visual feast. When God created heaven, a drop of it accidentally fell on the earth. That was Ohrid, too. They say so. We walk down the castle and pass through the side streets.. If you throw a needle in the summer, it doesn’t fall out here. All the houses are full.
I’m glad I didn’t come across those crowded places.. Ohrid, which was under Ottoman rule for 500 years, is under the protection of UNESCO.. You won’t be a stranger while walking around those streets.. Streets and buildings will not attract you. Before we go down to the lakeside, we go to Sveti Jovan Kaneo i.e. St. John’s Church. It is said that a church was built in Ohrid for each day of the year.. Very few of them remain today. Sveti Jovan Kaneo, on the other hand, has become an icon you see in Ohrid photographs by the lake.
When it’s February, swimming in Ohrid is for another time. There is also diving in Lake Ohrid.. We don’t have time in this. We walk on the walking paths on the lake and pass through the streets with wonderful houses and come to the bazaar.. We wander the little shops. We love souvenirs. When the best thing to come from Macedonia is smoked meat, we end up in a market.
The prices are quite affordable in our opinion.. They also took it to the cabin of the plane. So there was no problem. After shopping, it remains to sit on the shore of Lake Ohrid, have a drink and enjoy the view.. In warmer weather, you can take a boat ride on the lake.. It’s time to go back as evening is about to come.. We get in our vehicle and set off to return to Skopje, which is 2.5 hours away.. Our joy is as strong as a thousand tigers. We arrive in Skopje with songs and folk songs.. Our guide, Ercan Bey, is watching us in amazement.
Alaca Mosque, Kalkandelen
We are going to Kalkanddelen early in the morning.. Our aim is to see the Alaca Mosque, which was built by two women.. When we arrive in the morning in Kalkandelen, we look at the Alaca Mosque, which is adorned with more beautiful ornaments than I have ever seen in my life.. The inside of the mosque is as beautiful as the outside. People can’t get enough of looking. Hot tea is waiting for us when we go out.. The keeper of the mosque made tea for us. Then we realize that we entered the mosque without covering our heads.. We apologize for this, and I hear words from that tea shop that I will never forget for the rest of my life: “You have a good heart, your shape doesn’t matter.” Also known as the Alaca Mosque, it is located in the old part of Tetovo next to the Sparkling (Pena) River.. The mosque, which was built in 1495 by two sisters named Hurşide and Mensure Hanım, is 17.. After it was badly damaged in the fire in Tetovo in the late 19th century, it was rebuilt and expanded in 1833 by Abdurrahman Pasha, the son of the famous guard of the time, Recep Pasha.
He left the mosque and Dervish Sersem Ali Baba’ we are going to the lodge. An Alevi grandfather, but he has no congregation. He is 1.90 meters tall, has a white beard, and sits in front of us with his 80-odd age.. Says “Speak”. we don’t know what to talk about. Then we talk and listen to very wise things from Derviş Sersem Ali Baba.
His wife and children are not coming. they were away. No more students. He talks about the disappearance of this culture with him.. Its location was occupied during the Bosnia-Herzegovina war.. Enemy soldiers used this place as a place of entertainment.. They did this as an insult.. It was taken back after the war and restored to its former dignity.. The building needs renovation but it is not done. It is located in a very large area.
Matka Canyon
We set off for our last stop, Matka Canyon. We can’t go to Mount Vodno again. Fog is behind it again. When we arrive at Matka Canyon, we have to walk for half an hour after we left the vehicle. There is a dam in the canyon where we entered. No photography allowed. It was a strategic area for a possible war situation.. The canyon is magnificent.
Matka Canyon, Macedonia
In other seasons, the canyon can be visited by boat, but not this season.. There are such colorful and beautiful cafes in Matka Canyon.. They also built a small church.. Entry fee. Our guide Mr. Ercan is offering us something to drink.. He was very aggressive in the early days. Finally explains. Actually, our guide was different.. child is sick. Ercan Bey had to come to us as well.. You should not come to places like Matka Canyon in limited time.. I couldn’t see how far that beautiful path was going, I couldn’t go. We had to catch the plane.
Skopje Alexander the Great Airport is not like our airports.. You do not go through any search or security at the entrance.. You can enter the gate and go directly to the ticket counter.. It’s pretty small anyway. It is actually the busiest airport in Macedonia.. The adventure that started here a few days ago ends here again. See you in Skopje
