Travel
I don’t really like to follow suit though, particularly when it comes to where I should or shouldn’t go on holiday.
It’s deserving of another over-sized foam thumbs up because of its rich natural beauty; there’s more than you can shake a stick at and even as someone who’s relatively new to driving abroad, I found it really easy to get around with car hire in Macedonia. Matka Lake and Canyon is only a 30 minute drive from the capital. Much smaller in comparison to Lake Ohrid but peacefully impressive, it was a great opportunity to escape into the great outdoors for a few hours before heading back in Skopje for a taste of Kompir Mandza, a typical meat and potato stew.
Photos via Flickr Creative Commons
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Travel
Breaking the Mould: Why You Should Give Macedonia a Chance
For most of us, our lives are filled with a set of rules of which to follow; go to school, get a job, buy a house, get married and have a family. Live our 9-5 lives and use our measly few weeks of holiday every year to visit some of the world’s very best destinations; Rome for the great food and inspiring Colosseum, Paris for the Mona Lisa and Eiffel Tower and of course a mandatory, family friendly beach holiday in Spain.
I don’t really like to follow suit though, particularly when it comes to where I should or shouldn’t go on holiday.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Italian food as much as the next person and I welcome a sunny day with open arms but I’m not a lover of crowds and shock horror, I get bored stiff after more than a few hours at the beach. I like to do something a bit different, travel to some destinations a bit off the beaten track and that’s why Macedonia made it onto my list. Yep, a country in south east Europe, which most of you have probably never even heard of, except perhaps, from their annual appearance in the Eurovision song contest. Even then, their acts haven’t been particularly memorable.
Macedonia actually has a lot going for it though. As a land locked country there is no bucket and spade beach culture to speak of but its lack of ‘Brit-Abroad’ filled beaches are replaced with something far more appealing; Lake Ohrid, the oldest lake in Europe. The beautifully clear waters lap gently on the shore which is lined with hotels and holiday villas, none of which are seedy. Quite the opposite in fact; it reeks of sophistication. Moreover, Ohrid’s UNESCO listed Old Town will charm your socks off, as it did mine. It’s like it’s stuck in a bit of a time warp and The Church of St. Sophia with its fantastically well preserved frescoes is just one of many highlights.
There are a handful of cities and towns to explore, albeit some nicer than others, but the most significant is of course the capital, Skopje. It’s no typical city however, in fact, it’s rather humble and really, it’s only claim to fame is that Mother Teresa was born and raised here. It certainly doesn’t have any world famous attractions to speak of and on the surface; it runs the risk of sounding a bit boring but I definitely didn’t find that to be the case.
Without a top 10 list of attractions you absolutely have to see, I got to explore the real Skopje; I took my time walking around the mass of cobbled streets of the Old Bazaar and poked my head down nondescript alleyways, keen to soak up as much of the city’s secrets as I could. I stopped for a cheap beer when I felt like it and had a bit of an awkward conversation with a local, rather than getting pushed pillar to post in a desperate rush to tick off the next item on my itinerary. That’s how I like to experience a city.
It’s deserving of another over-sized foam thumbs up because of its rich natural beauty; there’s more than you can shake a stick at and even as someone who’s relatively new to driving abroad, I found it really easy to get around with car hire in Macedonia. Matka Lake and Canyon is only a 30 minute drive from the capital. Much smaller in comparison to Lake Ohrid but peacefully impressive, it was a great opportunity to escape into the great outdoors for a few hours before heading back in Skopje for a taste of Kompir Mandza, a typical meat and potato stew.
Further afield though, there are no less than three national parks, Mavrovo, Galičica and Pelister which are blissfully free of crowds and are instead filled with great walking and hiking and fantastic views among dense forest. Mountainous Mavrovo piqued my interest though thanks in large part to the mysterious Saint Nikola church, semi submerged, in the centre of Mavrovo Lake.
Within just a few days, I got to see some of the best of Macedonia but I know there’s plenty more on offer, even if it doesn’t hit holiday destination headlines. One thing’s for sure, it has a character that sets it apart from the rest of Europe and that’s why Macedonia is definitely worth breaking the mould!
Photos via Flickr Creative Commons
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- The Top 5 Summer Holiday Destinations
It’s not too late to book a last minute summer holiday, and if you do some research beforehand you could find a real bargain as the season winds down. So if you’ve been mulling over whether to get on a plane and get away from it all, we’ve found...
- Tips For Your Next Summer Holiday In Europe
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