City of Statues
Outing to Skopje, North Macedonia
I knew that Mother Teresa was ethnic Albanian, but hadn’t realised that she’d been born in Skopje. So I suppose that explains why we drove there via the highway to heaven, Mother Teresa Motorway.
The Oldies found a campsite on the outskirts of the city in the grounds of a hotel near the motorway. A bit of an odd set-up perhaps, but quite a handy location for visiting the city centre. As the Oldies got settled in, I noticed the strange-looking registration plate on the caravan next to us. The Oldies were foxed by it too. The mystery was finally solved when the owners – a young couple with a small child – returned to their pitch and came over to say hello. Believe it or not, they had come all the way from South Korea! They explained that they had shipped the car and caravan to Vladivostok and set off westwards from there. It had taken them three months to reach Skopje. I could see His Lordship’s brain starting to tick over… Oh no, I bet I know what he’s thinking… Sure enough, he’s already googling ‘overland to Vladivostok’. Help!
The next morning, the Oldies went to catch a bus into the city centre. It turns out that they weren’t able to pay – the bus driver only accepts pre-paid tickets – but with a shrug of his shoulders he let them stay on board anyway. The North Macedonians are certainly hospitable – whether they like it or not!
I did a double take when I saw red double-decker buses in town. That was certainly not something I expected to see – outside London, at least. And then I did a double double take. Downtown Skopje is easily the most over the top city centre I have ever seen! I had heard that the city was flattened by an earthquake in 1963 so I expected a modern look, but I have never seen such super-concentrated sumptuousness! There’s one brand new ‘old’ municipal building after the other, and plenty more still in the process of being built. I got the feeling that somebody had ordered up instant grandeur, and handed over a blank cheque book into the bargain. It’s mad, especially considering that it is such a small city, with only half a million inhabitants. The grandeur per head of population level must be off the scale!
But it was Skopje’s statue mania that really floored me. You could be forgiven for thinking that they’ve raised a statue to anyone who was ever anyone anytime during the long history of the country – and that, believe me, is a long history. From ancient heroes such as Alexander the Great to recent TV stars, they are all there. I even came across my old friend Skanderbeg once again. I’m surprised the real live people can get across some of the bridges for all the statues. It’s mind-blowing.
Just when I was beginning to get an overload of modernity, the Oldies wandered into the Old Bazaar. Now this was more like it! Of course, this part of town had to be rebuilt after the earthquake too, but it has a much more authentic feel to it. After Hollywood-style Skopje down by the river, it was like entering a different world: the tiny shops offering all kinds of wares from elaborate gold jewellery, to clothing to leather goods … the call of the muezzin and the men kneeling in prayer on mats along the narrow streets, with tourists and local women and children respectfully slipping past them as they continued their way to the shops… the wonderful restaurants serving delicious Macedonian and Turkish specialities … A different world indeed.
After experiencing the city lights, the Oldies set off the next day to get a taste of nature in the Matka Canyon, just 15 km outside Skopje. The first thing I noticed were the signs stating that ‘for throwing garbage, cigarette butts, bubble gums and spitting in public the fine is 50 euros.’ I didn’t see any spitting thank goodness, but this country must be really wealthy. I saw thousands of euros worth of litter lying around there that afternoon alone!
The walk along the Treska River was wonderful and thankfully, the further we went, the fewer people – and less litter – we came across. I was amazed to read that the area is home to so many species of large birds such as eagle owls, vultures and golden eagles, but I was rather relieved that we didn’t actually meet any of these avian VIPs. They might have fancied a spot of seagull for lunch!
Back at the hotel that evening, I came across a couple of geese on the terrace where wedding preparations were underway. This did not augur well. It was cute to see the happy couple marching up the red carpet, but I suspected that humans would also get involved sooner or later. As I feared, the wedding party, the band and a woeful karaoke session carried on at full volume until the wee small hours. My poor head!
The next morning, when the exhausted Oldies went to pay their bill, they were only charged about half the original quoted price. They managed a weak smile at this kind gesture, but with their glassy eyes and stiff bodies, they could easily have been taken for a pair of Skopje statues. If I could, I’d have happily dumped them on the parapet of the next bridge we came to.
And nobody would even have noticed the addition.
