Macedonia, the country of the old churches and ancient culture

Macedonia is not the country on the top of the list to visit but it is worth of seeing. The area has a very long history that you can study in the excellent Archaeological  Museum of Macedonia. There are many objects from prehistory until the Middle Ages. I was impressed by artifacts from the 5-6th century B.C. and from the hellenistic period. Alexander the Great was the son of the area.

Skopje is the city of statues. The country declared its independence in the 1990's and for the glory of the country there are many classical and monumental statues around the city, many of them riders. The biggest is in the center of the city, "Alexander the Great".

In Skopje you can see that there are living both Christians and Muslims in this country. There are both churches and mosques. As well in the countryside you pass Christian and Muslim villages. In Skopje you discover the history in the old bazaar and in the ruins of the fortress. In this area there were some of the first Christians and the influences of Byzantine. The Ottoman Empire left a mark. In the old bazaar I admired the amams and Kapan-an. I ate the traditional food. I also saw the gathering of young Muslim men who were full of energy and emanation. They watched a concert on the screen. I noticed that there were no women on the screen and hardly any woman in the cafe (maybe some sisters along).

I took a bus to Ohrid which is an old town by the lake. I loved that spot! I had an accommodation in a stone house with the view. There were many beautiful old Orthodox churches to discover and lovely nature around. This was the part of my trip that I especially enjoyed.

Before leaving the country I went by bus to Canyon Matka, close to Skopje. The fresh air after the polluted city air did good. The boat trip in the wonderful canyon was pleasant and the visit in Cave Vrelo exciting.