11-Jan-2024
Skopje, for reasons I explained in my last post, has a LOT of statues.
Let me illustrate with some statue shots from today and yesterday:
They preside, protectively
They stand around in groups
They line the bridges and quays
They peer down from parapets
And they support shopping arcades...
Even the lamps are statuesque
A rare glimpse of some inner workings
Most of the figures depicted are unfamiliar to us, but some are names we've heard of:
And Mother Teresa, who was born in Skopje
Another thing that's slightly unusual is the predilection for these humongous fixed boats:
Skopje also has a picturesque ruined castle:
With statues, of course
From the walls, you get great views of the Ottoman-influenced old town
Definitely worth visiting in this area is the Church of the Holy Saviour. You can't take photos inside, but the iconostasis, made of intricately carved wood, is superb:
The courtyard, showing the tomb of Balkan revolutionary Gotse Delchev. Everything to do with this figure seems to be the subject of a controversy involving North Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Greece...
There's lots more that's picturesque on this side of the river, although this is also -- as was the case with Sarajevo -- the area that's most obviously pointed at tourists:
One of Skopje's most impressive assets is its river, the Vardar. It's big and fast and important-looking, and walking tracks stretch for miles in both directions on both sides. I don't think we've had temperatures higher than 4 degrees since we arrived here, and a canter along the river immediately after breakfast is a great way of warming up for later sight-seeing.
West along the Vardar
The cross on the hill
It's also a city with pleasant cafes. Joy Cafe and Bakery is nice. And this...
... is Choco House
"It has chocolate on top," said the assistant of the cheesecake I was about to order. I thought that meant built-in chocolate. But no, it meant it came in its own pool of melted chocolate... Given I'd also ordered hot chocolate to drink, this was something of a chocoverload... Also, as it was quite chilly, you had to work quickly before the melted chocolate solidified on the plate...
The Ibis, where we're staying, does a fine buffet breakfast, allowing you to construct a Turkish-style platter, like so:
The roast pumpkin was a nice touch. You also get the chance to do comparative taste-testing of (on the right) lutenica (aka lutenitsa), which we knew from Bulgaria, and (on the left) ajvar, which we had a jar of in Bar. Basically, lutenica is red peppers, tomatoes, and chilli, while ajvar is red peppers and eggplant. I think...
Anyway, we're installed very happily here. It's cold, but it's dry, and it's not windy, which makes for perfect walking weather; the food is good; the hotel is comfortable; and there's plenty to keep the camera occupied. Speaking of which, I'll close with one of the fleet of buses that run round here, looking for all the world like old London specimens: