Skopie in Detail

 On the 14th we did a detailed walking tour of Skopie. We used Viator to purchase a self guided tour with our phone that explained the history and many of the sites. It put into perspective some of the statutes we saw on Sunday. 

Macedonia has a complex history. If you are interested, you can find some information on youtube.com. But what is interesting is that in 1963 there was an earthquake that destroyed most of the eastern city which was rebuilt. It was part of the communist block until 1991 when they became an independent country, yet it did not have a recognized name.  

Initially, they called themselves "Macedonia" however, Greece refused to accept it since Greece has a major region called Macedonia.  It was 2018 when they all finally agreed to the name North Macedonia.  

In 2014, they did a major rebuild of the city center of Skopje. The focal point is a massive statute of Alexander the Great on one side of the river and his father Phillip of Macedon on the other. Every bridge and building has lesser statutes, with Mother Teresa in the center of the walking bridge since she was born a few blocks from city center. 

Today, Skopje and the country are a mixture of peoples and religions. Major Orthodox churches and mosques dot the city. The Old City and bazaar feel very Turkish and muslim while across the river, the new city center feels very European. 

One thing I found out was that they discovered a "ruby"in the granite. They call it the Macedonian Ruby. It's a light raspberry color, almost pink, and has just been recognized as a "new" gem by the government and only a few jewelers carry it.  For being so rare they are not that expensive. I'm trying to track one down. They also are known for the Macedonian Pearls.