If someone told me even just two months ago that I would find myself in Skopje, I probably would have laughed at them. It was definitely not a place that came to mind immediately when I was trying to figure out what all I wanted to see on my trip. That said, it's exactly where Haley and I found ourselves following Yacht Week. You may be wondering what made us choose Skopje? It's really quite simple and comes down to the simple facts: (1) Haley and I both wanted to go to Greece, (2) Tickets from Croatia to Greece were $1,000 each, (3) Haley and I were both on a budget, and (4) Tickets from Croatia to Skopje (2 hours by car from where we were going in Greece) were only $166/person.
And so it was settled, we were going to Skopje and driving down to Greece. We had originally planned on meeting our friend Jared there as well and also touring a bit of Kosovo, but due to last minute changes, Jared was unable to make it. Therefore, Haley and I decided just to head down to Greece and skip the Kosovo portion of our traveling. Anyway, back to Skopje.
I think the thing that shocked me the most about our time in Skopje was just how nice and friendly everyone was to us! It all started when our flight landed around 10:30PM in Skopje. As we were trying to find our way to a Taxi, there was an incredibly nice woman named Hristina who was from there, but now lived in London. She graciously offered to make sure we were able to catch a taxi and have it go to the right hotel, and she even gave us her phone number should we need anything during our stay in Skopje.
Additionally, the staff at our hotel and attached bar/restaurant were equally as hospitable! We arrived quite late in the evening and were told that we should come down to the bar for a free drink - this sounded like a great idea after a long day of traveling! Then when asking them for directions, they just offered to walk us to make sure we didn't get lost! It's nice to think there is some form of chivalry out there!
We only spent a short time in Skopje, but they had some pretty amazing statues and buildings/bridges that were very cool to see. That said, I would guess in the old town, where we were, about 75-80% of the city was under some sort of construction/rennovation. In talking to the hotel manager, sounds like just in the last few years the country has really put in an effort to restore some of the older landmarks - I can only imagine how beautiful it will be once those are complete!
And, something that has come to make me happy while traveling are little pieces of home, so I was delighted to find the below on the main street in Skopje:
