FRYOM Part One: Skopje

“Why did you come here?” It’s the question we were asked all day long by just about everyone we met in Skopje, the capital of The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)

We traveled to Skopje by bus from Sophia since it was on the way to Dubrovnik. Moreover, our guide book described it as an up-and-coming city with a lively café and restaurant scene, an interesting old town, and a new town designed by the renowned Japanese architect Kenzo Tange, following a disastrous 1963 earthquake.

Once again, we arrived at the station without any local currency, assuming there would be an ATM and it would be easy to exchange some money. I was wrong. There was no one to exchange my few remaining Bulgarian levas for Macedonian denars. I eventually found a money changer who would accept Bulgarian money, but he admitted his exchange rate was so unfavourable he wouldn’t give me a receipt. But I could have my money back. There was a bank machine. However, it only dispensed large bills. Life on the road would be so much easier if ATM machines dispensed smaller denominations. It’s hard to pay for the toilet or negotiate a cab fare with a 1000 denars note! (even though it’s only $23.

Unfortunately, none of our favourite hotel web sites had any suitable listings for Skopje. The other sites required a longer lead time to book. Not knowing anything about the city hotels, we picked The Bristol since it had an interesting listing in our guide book and the price seemed reasonable for the location. Most importantly, my dad was born in Bristol!

When we arrived and saw the available rooms, we wished he had been born in Sheraton!

We had a late lunch and spent the afternoon walking around the old and new towns. Unfortunately, the temperature was in the low forties, and it felt a lot like being back in India. While I found the old town interesting, and charming in places, other parts were very run down and dirty. Shopkeepers were watering down the pavement in front of their businesses in an effort to keep the dust down.

We climbed up to an old fortress from where there were some impressive views of the city. But the heat made it difficult to enjoy the experience.

Mr. Tange would not be pleased with how his ‘new city’ looks today. Many buildings have been poorly maintained and much of the infrastructure is in disrepair. However, his attractive pedestrian street was very lively and there is a new riverfront walkway lined with restaurants. But many of the men hanging around the streets, with their short brush cuts, angular features, and dirty t-shirts and blue jeans, seemed like pretty tough characters. Even the women looked a bit menacing. Well, not all of them. Some looked absolutely fantastic in their revealing tops and tight pants!

As we wandered around the old town, there was a surprising number of jewelry shops; reminiscent of Turkey. There was also a bazaar area with an excellent choice of nail clippers, sun glass cases, batteries and electrical cords.

Since we didn’t have lunch until 4, we went out for dinner around 10:30. We were astounded to find the street outside our hotel teeming with people. It seemed like Robson Street on a Friday night. Gone were the menacing men and women, replaced by very trendy and sexy singles, amorous young couples, and families with young children. They were milling around the wall-to-wall cafes and restaurants. Suddenly we understood why our guide book described Skopje as the buzzing capital city of Macedonia. While the city seemed somewhat sad in the daytime, it was a happy, lively, and attractive place at night.

Around midnight, it was just as busy. I asked the couple at the next table why so many people were still eating and drinking. “Don’t people have to go to work in the morning?” I asked. The young man responded in excellent English that it was too hot to go home. Moreover, he said, Macedonian people like to be out with other people. “It’s our culture”

Everyone we met was curious to know why we were in Skopje. “Do you have a friend here?” asked the lady managing the internet cafe. It seemed like they weren’t used to North American tourists. At the same time, they were playing American music almost everywhere we went. Especially songs from the 80’s and 90’s; although we did have to listen to ‘Only You’ by the Platters at breakfast!

When we told people we were on an around-the-world trip, they all said we had to see Ohrid in southern Macedonia. So we decided to take their advice, even though it meant heading southwest instead of northwest. But it gave us new choices. We could continue on to the Albanian coast that looked wonderful in travel agency posters, or return to Skopje and catch a bus to Dubrovnik as planned the next day. But first things first: we were off to Ohrid.