Bulgaria:Our first impressions is WOW

Bulgaria became a on independent country in 1908, so it was an established country before they were a part of the Communist Block. So when the Soviet Union broke up in 1989 they were already an established country and had their first multi party elections in 1990. 

Most people would say that by walking through the center city you have the visual history of Bulgaria. Alexander Nevski cathedral reminds you of centuries of Ottoman rule until Russia drove them out. A significant number of statues and building remind you of the communist rule as part of the soviet socialist republic. The Modern buildings and current lifestyle, that are sitting next to communist era buildings, remind of the transformation into a modern European Union country. Today we go on a communist tour that will explain what it was like during that era. I'm sure, after this tour, I will have a lot more information on this subject.

As we walked downtown, we noticed there was a Green and Electric Car Expo going on. The cars were beautiful. Many young families were there enjoying the activities and as allows the food was delicious.

We made it to Bulgaria

We did some laundry on Friday, packed and on Saturday morning left our cozy apartment in Skopje and headed to Bulgaria. We put Sofia, Bulgaria in our GPS and took off. After a short period we were on the Serbia border. The border patrol asked us where we were going an we said Sofia. He replied, "why are you going this way?" and then proceeded to direct us to another route. But at least we can now say we have been in Serbia. We turned around and headed to Sofia without going through Serbia. On the way we found this charming restaurant and had dinner. The food was delicious.

Tonight we are staying at the Metropolitan Hotel by Radisson. We will be here there night.

Last Day in Skopje

This has been an experiment in staying in one place for a full week. We always wondered what we would do every day. But it has felt good to feel at home here in Skopje. Everyday we are here, the more comfortable we feel. We have enjoyed the local people and the food.

Today we went back to the old down. We wanted to find one of the traditional breakfast dishes called Burek. It's fillo dough filled with meat, cheese or spinach. We had to go into the Muslim quarters to find it. It was very good with Turkish tea.

Then back to our apartment to do some laundry, clean up and packing as we are leaving tomorrow to drive to Bulgaria for a few day.

Matka Canyon and Macedonian Village

 Wednesday, September 16

    Today we took a drive to the most famous tourist destination in Skopje, namely, the Matka Canyon. Located only 10 miles from downtown Skopje although it's still a 45 minute drive through the winding local roads. Eventually the road narrows and we strive to park in any spot big enough for our car to fit. We were reminded that N. Macedonia has virtually no laws or rules regarding driving or parking and so far we have not seen any police. Parking in a spot overlooking the canyon below, we began the one kilometer walk to a 95 foot tall dam built in 1938.  After climbing the stairs to the top of the dam, we immediately saw the reason it is a favorite tourist sight. Behind the dam is a narrow lake with towering mountains on either side. Rather than walk the 5-7 kilometer trail up the side of the lake, we opted to take a 15 person boat ride. Crystal clear and deep water and the steep mountain walls diving into the lake made every turn another photo op.    After the boat trip we went to the restaurant having over the water, had some lunch and then made the return trip to our accommodations.  At our evening meal, the waiter suggested we visit a Macedonian Village tomorrow.

We had a delicious meal at the Monastery of Shopska salad and Chicken/Mozzarella. Both were really good. The salad consisted of very little arugula, cucumber and tomatoes. The cheese was very mild.

We also discovered hot chocolate with cream and blueberry juice.

At night we have an amazing dinner at the Italian Restaurant on our lower level of spaghetti and pork medallion. We were able to get to know the waiter as we have eaten there several time. The bread was amazing and he asked the baker to allow me to watch him bake the bread. I'm going to try it when I get home with my pizza oven.

Thursday, September 17

    After entering the Macedonian Village name into our google map, we were off. After 30 minutes of intense city traffic, we were directed up a mountain and the quiet of suburban villages.  After another 15 minutes the GPS said we were "there," however, we seemed to be nowhere.  Parking the car we saw some men under a tree near an old church. We approached them and found out the GPS had sent us to the "modern" church (only 150 years old) for the village.  One of the men took us on a tour of the church and explained how they were restoring the church and its icons.  Then supplied with a new address, we were off again. Five kilometers of winding upward roads brought us to a reconstructed Macedonian Village and the oldest Orthodox church of Macedonia. A cup of coffee and pastry and the conversation of the 16 year old waitress renewed us for a tour of this village. We bought a few items and toured the old church.  Then we retraced our route and returned to our accommodations.  An interesting fact is that our rental car is a 5 speed manual transmission yet almost the entire trip was in 2nd gear.