Skopje - My visit to the heart of the Balkans

Skopje is the capital city of FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) or shorter, just Macedonia. Located in the heart of the Balkan Peninsula, Skopje is populated with close to a million people. Here different cultures meet. I saw a lot of beautiful churches and mosques, it’s a place where both religions and more than 5 different ethnicities collide. But besides that, what I loved the most about this city is the people’s hospitality and the city’s nightlife. Also, Macedonia has rich agriculture so the food here is just amazing, and also cheap. The signature food of Skopje is a pastry called "simit pogacha", which is the most common choice of food after a long night partying. A very popular destination is the Old Bazaar, which dates back to 12th century. The Bazaar’s architecture is a mix between Ottoman and Byzantine styles. It’s very rustic, with nice bars, shops and galleries. Other popular sites are the Stone Bridge, the Kale fortress and the Skopje Aqueduct. If you get overwhelmed by the city, don’t worry, Skopje is surrounded by plenty of mountains. Vodno is the most popular get-away from the city for the natives. A forty minutes drive brought me to the magical canyon Matka, where I enjoyed kayaking in the turquoise waters of the river and diving in Vrelo Cave, one of the deepest underwater caves in the world. Macedonians love to go out, so you’ll never run out of bars and clubs in this city. Usually the bars close at 1 a.m. and clubs at 4 a.m., but maybe if you ask a local they can take you to a secret after party till the morning. The people here also love tourists so don’t be shy and introduce yourself to some locals.

Some of the pictures I took during my visit.