Macedonia

Four of the 100 statues lining the city streets in Skopje, Macedonia

Country Information:

In the Republic of Macedonia there are approximately 2 million Macedonians living here. The official languages of the country are Macedonian and Albanian. The majority of the population practices Macedonian Orthodox Christianity.

Jim’s Perspectives:

Skopje, Macedonia is one of the more bizarre places that you’ll ever visit. Why? Because it just tries SOOO hard … TOOO hard.  This place boasts 100+ statues, and they’re everywhere. Awkwardly so. This was part of a government initiative to spiff up the city and make it desirable for tourists to visit. This whole thing went down, but not without controversy because the politicians in charge of this have taken a lot of heat because the city is now regarded as the tackiest place in Europe!  

Tacky as it is, however Skopje is still a hub of food and culture. There you’ll will enjoy the Kale fortress, the restaurants of the Old Bazaar, and even the Millennium Cross located in the capital atop the Vodno Mountain. The Millennium Cross is the biggest cross in the world! Stayed overnight in Kumanovo, Macedonia which is less than an hour away.

One fun fact is that Greeks often call Macedonians, “Skopjeans”, as many Greeks feel the name “Macedonia” historically belongs to Greece.

 

Learning to play the accordion on the tourist strip in Skopje
Mother Teresa museum in Skopje was a cool place to visit

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