Balkans                                          2016

Balkans 2016 Albania Kosovo Macedonia

Balkans - Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia - 2016

 

The weather looked a bit foreboding as we woke this morning.  The skies were overcast and the forecast was for a cloudy morning with rain in the afternoon.  Although the day began as forecast, things improved as the day proceeded, with the skies clearing around midday into patchy cloud cover and the forecast rains staying away.

Almost all the places of interest in Skopje are in or near the city centre, which meant they were within walking distance of our hotel.  This was a great day to save on fuel costs, even though it was at the expense of shoe leather (and the feet contained in those shoes).

We began our walk along the banks of the River Vardar before crossing it and venturing up the hills on the northern (opposite) side of the river.  Our first stop was the Kale Fortress, a large walled complex built to cover an elongated hill that dominates the site of Skopje.  Apparently there has been human settlement on the site since 4000BC, and it has been the site of a
fortress since the 6th century.  Most of the walls that are still standing (and not much is standing apart from the walls) date from the Ottoman occupation.
Although there is not much to see within the fortress, the views from the walls were quite good despite the overcast, hazy conditions this morning.  Interestingly, the fortress was closed until fairly recently because of political demonstrations, and it only re-opened in 2014,  Thus, we should probably feel somewhat fortunate to have been allowed to enter, especially
as entry is free until the restorations are finished (which I’d estimate might be a couple of decades).

Our second stop was just a short walk from the Kale Fortress, on the western edge of the old town.  Built in 1492, the Mustafa Pasha Mosque is the largest mosque in Skopje, and one of the most decorated.  Like many mosques in former Yugoslavia, it welcomes non-Muslims provided they remove their shoes, and dress and behave respectfully.  The interior was actually plainer than many other mosques I have visited, although there was some fine carved marble work and some beautiful blue patterning on the walls.

Our third stop took a bit of searching, mainly because our guidebook had placed it incorrectly on the map.  The Monastery of Sveti Spas (Holy Salvation) was supposed to be closed on Mondays, like most of Skopje’s museums.  However, when we arrived, a tour group was being shown through, and although this didn’t get us into the interior of the buildings, it did gain us entry into the courtyard.  Under Ottoman rule, it was illegal for any church to be taller than a mosque, so the church was largely built underground to give enough height for a belltower.

From Sveti Spas, we spent some time wandering through the narrow laneways of the old town of Skopje.  This was the main area of commerce and trading during the Ottoman era.  It has suffered its fair share of turmoil over the years, with earthquakes in 1555 and 1963, and damage from fighting in both the First and Second World Wars.  Although there were several individual buildings of note in the old town, especially some exquisite mosques, it was the overall atmosphere that impressed me most of all, with relaxed, friendly people, picturesque narrow laneways, old storefronts and lots of colour.

At the north-eastern corner of the old town, the Bit Pazar is the largest outdoor market in Skopje.  It is one of those markets where you can find anything if you know where to look, and in our case, we found the fruit and vegetable section where we made some purchases of nuts and fruit, and a much needed cool drink.

At the south-eastern corner of the old town was a more controversial sight, the statue of Skenderbeg (a.k.a. Gjergj Kastrioti)mounted on his horse.  Erected in the face of considerable public outcry in 2006, Skenderbeg was an Albanian national hero who opposed Turkish occupation in the 15th century.  Skopje’s Turkish community thus see him as a traitor, Skopje’s Macedonian community see him as a symbol of expansionist Albanian territorial ambitions, and Skopje’s Muslims see him as an apostate who reconverted back to Catholicism after initially converting to Islam.  On a more positive note, the statue does soften an otherwise fairly brutal example of Communist-era architecture on the edge of the old town.

A little after midday, the sun came out, so we left the old town for a while to get some photos of the new urban developments along the River Vardar and in the new city centre on the southern side of the river.  The graffiti and the colourful sprays from the paint ball guns used in demonstrations in April and May this year (yes, just a few weeks ago) were even more vibrant in the sunlight that they had seemed in the more muted light of yesterday’s overcast weather.  Known as the Colourful Revolution, the protests were against government malpractice, including the Skopje 2014 urban
redevelopment program and a long-running wiretapping scandal.  Skopje’s Arch of Triumph seemed to be a particular target, but graffiti and paint balls also adorned many government buildings and construction sites, and several of the statues in Women Warrior Park.  Even the lions surrounding the huge statue of “Warrior on a Horse” (a.k.a. Alexander the Great) didn’t escape, as many of them had their eyes and testicles painted red.

We made one other stop on the southern side of the river that involved quite a walk, this being to the Cathedral of Saint Clement of Ohrid.  The largest building of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, construction of the cathedral began in 1972 and was completed in 1990.  Built in a very eye-catching modern style, the cathedral comprises only domes and arches, and the placement of windows resulted in lots of natural light, contributing to its welcoming, open, friendly atmosphere.

By 4:00pm, I was ready for a rest, so we returned to our hotel for a while before setting out again at dusk, this time for dinner at the nearby Irish Pub followed by a final walk through the floodlit Disneyland that is Skopje’s city centre at night.

Our evening walk proved to be far more eventful than we had anticipated.  We began to suspect something was ‘different’ when we encountered riot police wearing full protective gear, with transparent riot shields, at each end of the bridges across the River Vardar, and in front of the government ministry buildings facing the river.  When we reached Makedonija Square, we saw a large crowd gathered around the “Warrior on a Horse” monument, watching young men beating upside down paint barrels with drumsticks and blowing whistles.  When we looked down, we saw that that were painting the black and white pavers of the square with red paint to symbolise blood (reflecting a demonstration a few weeks ago where they turned the water in the fountain red to achieve the same symbolism.

We were witnessing a full-blown protest, though thankfully without the paint balls this time.  In addition to the red paint on the ground, several newly painted graffiti signs were visible, such as the word ‘fascism’ and cartoon representations of the President.

It was not the typical, gentle after-dinner stroll we had anticipated.

 

Day 8 - Skopje, Macedonia

Monday 6 June 2016