While travelling the Balkans I decided to visit Macedonia. I already felt at home when I reached the border between Macedonia and Bulgarian, for the talkative official wanted to know about the life standard of Slovenia. He wished me good luck and after about an hour I was on the highway connecting the capital – Skopje – with neighbouring towns. The Macedonian capital changed a lot since I visited it a few years ago. It also felt like the traffic got a lot heavier. But I had no problems finding the HI hostel - Ferijalen dom. It’s in a quiet street not far from the main railway and bus station.
A hostel with a tradition
A
youth hostel started operating in 1959 and offers 55 beds. Some are larger and appropriate for groups or families. All rooms are very luxurious for hostel standards, because they all have their bathroom, air condition and cable TV. You’ll pay 900 denars (about 15€) per night. The price also includes a breakfast at the pleasant restaurant Domino in the lower part of the building. The restaurant and hostel are marked by many pictures and old items, among them also an old radio named Portorož – produced in Slovenia. Hostel is open 24 hours a day and offers free Wi-Fi connection, but also has a computer at the reception desk. Guests can also use the parking place, which is very handy. All the parkings in the city are payable by your mobile telephone.
The spacious house is also the seat of the Macedonian hosteling association and their representative Robert Alagjozovski is also the translator, editor, writer, critic… and some other functions of their paper. Among other things he’s also a very pleasant chap to talk too. He told me they’re facing a lot of unmoral competition in the past few years. There are room rentals calling themselves a hostel, but their quality is extremely poor. Some of them are connected to taxi drivers, who (for a certain provision) take a guest looking for Ferialen dom to a different location. So it’s better to walk to the hostel, because the rail and bus stations are just a few hundred meters away. But if you do take a taxi, be sure it takes you to the right address.
The Hostel has a great location, for it is clos e to the city centre and even closer to the shopping mall, opened daily until 10pm with a money exchange. To reach the city centre you only need to walk along the banks of River Vardar. In the past few years they’ve erected many large statues here, showing the rich history of Macedonia and its people. A view is really magnificent, but you can’t help to wonder, is it really worth it with all the recession and unemployment? The local inhabitants do not approve of the extravagant building, but the city authorities do not care much about them. This part of the city is also marked by numerous shops. Prices are comparable as back home, but the restaurants are a bit cheaper. On the other side of the river begins the old city. It is here you can get to feel the real oriental feel the city provides. The narrow streets with thin and tall mosques are very pleasant. If you will not be seduced by many shops and jewellery stores, you’ll at least stop in one of the pastries. You just can’t resist a delicious handmade baklava! The nearby market place also offers a special feeling, where (especially during the summer) you can get sweet fruits at extremely low prices. There’s another marketplace you should visit while in Skopje – the Šutka (Šuto Orizarii). It comes alive every day in the Gypsy part of town and attracts many visitors from near and far. You can reach the Romani quarter of the town if you take the bus number 2 from the main bus station. It’s a regular and frequent city bus line.
Towards Ohrid
Macedonian association also takes care of
other hostels, which are opened only during summer. One of the best is the Izvidnički centar at , for it offers many possibilities for new friendships and outdoor activities. It is also close to the attractive old part of the city of
Ohrid. Robert suggested I take a longer way to Ohrid, passing the ski resort Mavrovo. And he was right, this has got to be one of the most beautiful parts of the country. At first I stopped at Tetovo, where you get a feel of an Albanian city. You should definitely see the Šarena Džamija (colourful mosque) with its unusual decorations. Shortly after Tetovo the highway ends and you start ascending the mountains. I’ve stopped at the known skiing resort of Mavrovo. It’s rather empty in the summer, but still very nice. It’s nice to stay for a day near the picturesque lake and see one of the peaks or mountain caves nearby. Only a few hotels are opened outside the winter season and the safest bet is hotel Bistra, where I’ve stayed and got a lot of information about local attractions. They also have a large terrace with a great view of the lake Mavrovo. The road winds downward towards the Ohrid Lake through the valley of the river Radika and pass the lake Debar. On the way I’ve stopped at the monastery of St. Jovana Bigorskega. A magnificent building is raising about a kilometre away from the main road on a steep hill. Apart from sacral art you can also admire a magnificent cannon made out of cherry tree wood! Monks used to make such cannons while defending against the Ottoman armies.
The mountains of Macedonia really offer many views, especially of the lakes. And the lakes (especially Lake Ohrid) are a good enough substitute for Macedonians not to miss the sea. The people are really friendly, prices are friendly as well, and all in all there are numerous reasons to visit Macedonia!
