Skulking around Skopje

Skopje was next on my route, purely due to it being in the country next to Bulgaria and I’d never heard of it. (In case you’re wondering — it’s the capital of Macedonia and the birth place of Mother Teresa. I know you already knew, I was just providing information).

I was unexpectedly sad to take my leave of Sofia. I’d had a nice time there and felt like it was the first place I’d been in a while where I could go “hmmm, I could live here” and it was starting to feel like home.

It seemed Sofia was sad to see me go too, because I acquired a minder who helped me find the right bus and get on, which got increasingly weird.

The main bus station in Sofia is a modern glass facility and it was to there that I’d trekked. It was early in the morning and I was a bit puzzled because my bus wasn’t on the display. I still had about half an hour to figure it all out, so I wasn’t unduly concerned. I was just about to work out my next move when out of nowhere an information guide showed up asking where I was going. Upon learning I wanted Skopje he herded me out of the bus station (I was a little alarmed at this) and took me to a slightly stabbier bus station (more alarm bells going off) which apparently is the bus station for international departures.

I gave him some lev as a thank you and he didn’t seem to take the hint that I’d got it from that point and could probably manage, and insisted on waiting with me until the bus arrived. He spoke very little English and as there were still about 20 minutes left it was time for the Awkward Small Talk game. I knew it was a mistake at the time, that I should have tried harder to make him go away but I didn’t really have the heart because he seemed so keen to help.

Things got really awkward when he leaned forward and conspiratorially said “women?” and then I made my second mistake by raffishly making the Italian *bellissimo *hand gesture and saying “very beautiful”. This made him laugh a lot and led to some really awkward conversations that I haven’t the heart to recount here, but fortunately for me the bus arrived soon after. Hopefully he got an amusing story to tell his wife when he got home!

The bus journey itself was great, with more of the beautiful countryside, although it seemed greener on the Bulgarian side. The Macedonian side seemed a bit more rocky and barren but still very captivating. My Kindle went unread for the journey.

I really didn’t know anything about Skopje or Macedonia before I arrived, and this was probably a mistake. Walking from the bus station to the hostel I mostly liked the buildings — some of them really grand and imposing and in surprisingly good condition. Surprising, that is, until I learned that these are new buildings. Built as part of the Skopje 2014 project, they are new government buildings and museums.

Over my time in Skopje I grew to really dislike these buildings. Close up they look so fake, and at night they’re lit up in such a way as to look quite tacky. I could almost imagine some of them being in Las Vegas or somewhere. I do approve of their wanting to make an effort, but I do feel it could have been done somewhat more sympathetically.

I think the worst thing is the 3 boats in the river that look like pirate boats. Apparently containing hotels and restaurants, they just look like something out of an amusement park and don’t add anything to the atmosphere. I learned from my walking tour guide that the buildings are at least in part to attract tourists.

Personally, while I appreciate the effort I’d have preferred something a bit more authentic. I’m also finding it interesting to view such a construction project after visiting Bucharest and seeing what happened there. I just hope in 30 years or so the people don’t regret it. I would find it difficult to justify the cost when there are so many other things the Macedonians could use the money for.

I didn’t really enjoy my hostel either. There were quite a few people who live here for quite some time, and I felt like I was staying with people who agreed to let me stay, but then came to regret it. The girl who worked at the reception was friendly, but most of the time I felt like a third wheel. The communal area just felt like someone’s living room, which was OK but if I wanted to feel awkward in someone’s living room I’d just couch-surf. The WiFi connection was pretty poor too.

Skopje on a Sunday is like a ghost town. Nothing is open, no-one is around. I tried the Archaeological Museum, and I was sorely disappointed. It cost 300 Macedonian dinars (about 5 Euro; here you can get a meal in a restaurant for that), to get in, and while there were a lot of exhibits, there was little actual information about them. There was a room basically full of coins with little explanation of them. And, if I’m being honest, my interest in coins and pots and necklaces tends to waver after so many if I’m not distracted by something else. It was poorly lit, and had paintings on the wall, often tucked behind pillars. Again there was no real information — were they by famous artists or just a guy to fill up the wall space? I have no idea.

The Old Bazaar was kind of a let down too, mostly selling crappy souvenirs and other assorted junk. There were a lot of stray dogs too, which made me sad. This is something of a theme in the countries I’ve been to lately. One looked old and sad and was taking some cover underneath a tarpaulin. I felt so sorry for the little guy. I’m never sure if it’s a good idea to be petting stray dogs — I figure on balance it’s not a good plan — but I really wanted to.

I’d find it hard to recommend Skopje. I spent much of my time feeling a bit bored and wandering aimlessly, which is a bad plan because the drivers here don’t necessarily obey the pedestrian crossings. I don’t regret coming here, because that’s not what my trip’s about, and I have learned some things — I even heard my first muezzin — but I think on balance I’m done with Skopje. Written on January 14th, 2018 by David Seddon