Saturday 25 August 2012

Macedonia

The border crossing into Macedonia was very easy. And the landscape that welcomed us was simply gorgeous :D It took us a while to find our hotel in Sofia. After we finally arrived we went out straight again towards Tetovo. We were planing to see the monastery there... however, we didn't make it to find it. But our search led us up the steepest way I ever drove with my car on one of the narrowest roads... I felt flushed by adrenaline... every time a car came towards us my heart got a little shock and I saw the steep way hundreds of meters downwards on the badly stabilized road. Anyways a church and a great sunset view towards Albanian mountains awaited us up there. The pictures hardly cover how steep it was or the roads condition :o I hardly could enjoy the view... my nerves been stressed :P Hungry we came back into Skopje... at the central square each of us ordered a pizza - it was only 2,70eur. However, Ben was starving too much and added some meatballs. After the meatballs, pizza arrived and it was kinda 40cm in diameter... after eating up we literally felt like exploding. A taxi took us to the club district at central park. The party atmosphere is amazing here. Overall Macedonia is super cheap... taxi rides, food, entrances, drinks, cigarettes... which makes it more fun to spend money. Music was good and the party crowd as well :) So we decided to stay another day. Unluckily Ben got stomach-sick (maybe meatball+pizza was indeed too much on an empty stomach)... so Danny and I explored the city alone. Skopje is a great city... they try to live up the old times of Alexander the great. The new parliament and surrounding buildings are supposed to resemble the ancient architecture. Still... Greece and Macedonia still hassle about where Alexander came from and who is allowed to advertise with him. Therefore Macedonia is called FYROM - Former Yugoslawian Republic of Macedionia - as there is another Macedonia as state of Greece. Macedonia's new statue of Alexander right in center of town therefor resembles a middle finger of 22meters in height towards Greece :D Skopje also resembles a great place for people of different ethnics (Macedonian, Bulgarian, Albanian) and religion (Muslims and Christians - orthodox and catholic) to live together in harmony. Later, with Ben on his feet again, we tried to drive to the millenium cross... but both ways to it were blocked. The entrance to the city castle was also closed due to renovations... which left us to dinner in the muslim quarter before joining the party folks again :) The next morning we drove into Kosovo...

great landscape welcomed us in Macedonia
Dead end... not the place for my car - yet^^

The horror way from Tetovo at least brought us to a nice setting: small church in front of Albanian mountains

the picture hardly covers how steep that is... and the road is rather a one way only road, but used in both ways :O

Skopje's center is amazing. The famous stone bridge connecting muslim and christian part of the city

right the parliament behind the stone bridge

22 meter Alexander the great statue resembles an enormous middle finger towards Greece^^

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