Skopje, North Macedonia--love it or hate it. Skopje was once a charming but modest Balkan town. Then, in 2014, after Skopje became capital of North Macedonia, its Prime Minister, Nikola Gruevski, began a building spree of monumental buildings and huge statues dubbed "Skopje 2014." My Lonely Planet guidebook described the result as a "bizarre set design for an ancient civilization." But, if you like Disneyland, you'll like Skopje. And I do.
Alexander the Great ruled Macedonia during the 300s BC, and he ventured forth to capture much of the known world, from Persia to India. He died in 323 BC. Alexander's statue towers over Skopje's main square.
Alexander's father, Philip of Macedonia, was also a great conqueror, sweeping up cities throughout Greece and the Balkans.
Monumental sculptures show Alexander in the arms of his mother.
Sculptures also show Alexander with both his mother and his famous father.
Skopje is a gleaming city, with new and classic buildings and a picturesque river and bridge.
Our walking tour was fascinating, but long.
A highlight of our morning walk was the National Archeological Museum. We reached the museum by crossing a bridge over the river, lined with statues of warriors and other heroes from history.
The museum included artist's recreations of prehistoric people, relying on ancient skulls.
Galleries were filled with treasures from the Bronze Age and the Iron Age.
There were also treasures from Greece and Rome, such as this temple with mosaic floor.
Of course, the magnificence of Skopje 2014 demanded a triumphal arch!
The city also had a "Women's Park" which, ironically, had statues only of men, such as these.
Mother Teresa was born in Skopje, and she is a modern hero of the city. Wherever Mother Teresa lived in the Balkans, not only in North Macedonia, but also in Albania and Kosovo, she was claimed as the country's own!
There is a Mother Teresa Museum in Skopje.
Beyond the monumental downtown buildings, there was a bazaar with quiet corners where groups of men chatted next to the neighborhood mosque.
The local museum included paintings of less tranquil times, when the Ottoman conquerors ruled brutally.
We visited the fortress on a hill above the city, built in the 400s, ruled first by the Byzantines and then by the Ottomans. Skopje, like the rest of the Balkans, has been dominated by one major power after another, for thousands of years.
There was a giant cross on the hill, which we could see from the fortress. Christians and Muslims have been living in peace in Skopje, although 98% of the Jews who used to live there were deported to concentration camps during World War II.
It was a big day. Dave and I relaxed with ice cream cones. One constant in Balkan cities is ice cream shops.
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