I was falling asleep last night and just couldn't concentrate - I forced myself to stay up and finally went to bed at 9. I woke up at 3:30 this morning and couldn't go back to sleep so I started my blog for this trip. About 6 am I thought I might try going back to sleep until about 8 but no luck so I got up again. That's the trouble with jet lag - getting adjusted to the new time zone. I hate to admit getting older but the older I get, the more jet lag affects me - it takes longer to adjust.
Tina and JB were up - they are early risers because of working so early. I decided to pay closer attention to my kidney diet today - there is so much salt in everything, I need more fresh fruit and veg. So I had some grapes and peaches with some yogurt that Tina and JB bought yesterday. Later Tina was having a slice of pizza for breakfast - I couldn't resist - so I peeled off all the meat which left mostly the pizza crust and a little sauce. I definitely felt full after that.
We decided to go out for coffee - this is very common I guess in Macedonia - they are big coffee drinkers. The first coffee shop wasn't open; the next one didn't open until 9 so we waited the few minutes then went in and ordered - I got tea - the waitress wan't even sure she had tea but she found one that had an almond and vanilla flavor. We sat outside at a small table. We were close to the school with a colorful fence that I could see from our balcony. A few parents bringing children to school passed us by.
My tea pot, milk and cup.
We got ready to head back to Macedonia Square - Tina called an Uber. We met him outside - he did not pull into the parking lot but parked at the end of the block. I don't think Tina liked his attitude about where he was dropping us off. Anyway we got out at the Triumphal Arch and walked a bit to Mother Teresa's Memorial - we climbed the stairs and entered a large room that contained pictures of Mother Teresa and her family plus others - some of which I had seen in newspapers and on TV. There were several letters that she had written when taking vows and others when she was setting up her order. She came from a wealthy family - they were also musical - Mother Teresa sang in her school choir, played an instrument, and danced in school productions. She had attended Loretto Convent in Dublin, Ireland which I did not know. I signed the guest book before we left. We did not climb another flight of stairs to get to the chapel - the steps were high, and we had a lot of walking to do so I decided to skip it.
Statue of Mother Teresa outside the Memorial House.
This is a model of Mother Teresa's home here in Skopje - her family was well to do.
Mother Teresa's sari
"I Thirst
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
I Sister Mary Teresa vow and promise to Almighty God and to the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the hands of your grace the Archbishop of Calcutta, for life, poverty, chastity, obedience and also to devote myself to the Service of the poor, according to the Constitution of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of Charity. Amen.
Sister Mary Teresa
Referring to the letter above:
"Final Vow Paper of Mother Teresa, MC
the words that Mother Teresa publicly pronounced as a Missionary of Charity
12 April 1953"
Mother Teresa won the Nobel Peace Prize for Peace on 10 December 1979 in Oslo, Norway
About to sign the Guest Book
Outside the Memorial House
Outside the Mother Teresa Memorial - you can see white steps from previous picture but I have no idea what the domes of stones may be.
We walked back to Macedonia Square - it was brighter today - more like what the vlogs showed. My goal today had been to go to a couple of museums just over the Stone Bridge. But Tina had to spend some time at school Wednesday morning plus the forecast was 70% chance of rain. So we decided to walk through the Old Bazaar today instead and save the museums for a rainy day. We were taking pictures as we went along.
I know this slogan applies to many of my friends!
Look at the size of this statue compared to the people on the ground! This statue ofAlexander the Great on his horse Bucephalus was made in Florence and cost $3.5 million dollars! For 1 statue!! Alexander's father Phillip II was born in Macedonia - he started building the Macedonian Republic. When Phillip was assassinated, Alexander extended the empire even further - to Africa, India and Asia Minor. The problem seems to be that Alexander was born in Pella, Greece so the Greeks claim him as one of their own which does not sit well with Macedonia. You can see how current the controversy is when you read the comments on the Macedonian travel vlogs - there are comments from Greeks, Bulgarians, and Albanians all claiming that Macedonia belongs to them while Macedonians refute all these claims.
Looking to the right as we head to the Old Stone Bridge - Archeological Museum of North Macedonia - we ate across from there last night.
Looking to the left of the Old Stone Bridge - all those buildings across the River Vardar are new since the 2014 renovation scheme. I believe the white statue is Byzantine Emperor Justinian I who was born near Scupi - the ancient name for Skopje. When Scupi was demolished by an earthquake in 518AD, Justinian rebuilt a new city now called Skopje.
The Old Stone Bridge connects the "new" side of Skopje with the Old Turkish Bazaar. It was first built in the late 15th century. The population of the city was rapidly growing because Skopje was becoming an important trading center. The nearest bridge across the River Varder was miles away further west. The new bridge was built under orders of Sultan Mehmet II the Conqueror. The bridge was badly damaged during the conflict of 2001and it took 10 years to restore it.
The bridge was originally built with stone pillar railings used by Ottoman rulers of Skopje to spike the heads of traitors and criminals. The bridge became a public execution place. Fortunately the restored bridge has no spikes!
Tina and JB starting over the Old Stone Bridge.
One of the whimsical statues of a woman about to dive into the River Vardar and another's feet sticking out of the water. These are just below the Stone Bridge.
A chain of locks to signify someone's love but the other things look like pieces of plastic bags - are they substitutes for locks?
Approaching the Old Bazaar section of Skopje - ahead is the statue of Phillip II, father of Alexander the Great - to the left is the bell tower of St Dimitry's and a minaret in the distance. The rounded domes of an old Turkish bath house on the right.
"Karposh
The leader of the peoples great uprising from the XVII Century. An important figure of the Macedonian History.
Executed in 1689 on the Stone Bridge in Skopje"
I wanted to take pictures of the statues of the saints on the other side of the bridge and of course Phillip II.
Saints Cyril and Methodius were 2 brothers who were missionaries to the Slavic people. The Cyrillic language was named for Saint Cyril.
Saints Kliment and Naum
Saints Clement and St Naum of Ohrid were scholars, writers and teachers of the Cyrillic alphabets. They were disciples of the Saints Cyril and Methodius. You can see the Stone Bridge on the right.
This may be a picture of Olympias, Alexander the Great's mother.
Here's Philip II
We stopped for coffee just after crossing the bridge.
I had the Schweppes Bitter Lemon - it is so refreshing! Notice the ashtray on the table - yes, people do smoke in the restaurants!
It was nice just sitting inside to avoid the sun - watching all the people coming and going.
The Jewish Memorial is across the street from Hotel Stone Bridge.
MEM in front of Olympias' statue/fountain.
MEM and JB mimicking the statue of Olmypias holding Alexander on the lap.
So after a break at the Hotel Stone Bridge, we headed into the old Turkish Bazaar. But before we did, JB took a picture of the Millennial Cross - there is a cable car that you can take up to it - views are supposed to be spectacular but tomorrow is supposed to be rainy, and we head for Bitola on Thursday.
A little closer up with Phillip!
The base of Phillip II's statue is suppose to be Olympias, Alexander, and Phillip II. It is a nice fountain.
JB wanted me to give a fist in honor of PhillipII!
This building of stone with all the domes is the National Art Gallery. It was a 15th century Turkish bath house - apparently it had 13 different sized copper cupolas - now there is only the roof of what was once the largest Turkish baths outside of Istanbul - that's Constantinople to me!
There are so many of these coffee shops all over Skopje new and old. I liked the colorful sofa and 2 chairs among other seating arrangements in this one.
Stairs lead up to the top of the Old Bazaar/Carsija - notice the street which is not always in good shape like this portion. This Carsija is one of the oldest and largest bazaars in the Balkans - it's been a trading center since the 12th century. We took a right turn!
I love the colorful umbrellas down this alley - the umbrellas provide shade during the hot sunny weather.
Pretty cheap advertising! These tiles were also in pretty good shape compared to a lot of other areas!
Lots of coffee shops on the left side.
Colorful Macedonian costumes for sale! I loved these. Tina said that people get dressed up for special holidays.
A minaret in the background - we heard the call to prayer as we walked along.
We had been walking uphill all this time and the street had a lot of broken or missing tiles so I was watching the ground more than looking around. So it was time to stop for coffee! I had another Schweppes Lemon - it is even better with ice!
I had put my cell phone on the table - my bag was on an empty chair with JB's jacket over it. A thin little child came over to the table and was trying to touch the ashtray, the vase and then my wallet. I picked it up before she could touch it and she scampered away. JB and Tina told me that she was a Roma child - I wasn't surprised - she looked a little scruffy and was barefoot - She was with an older girl who was asking people for money. It is very sad to see such young children begging for money or trying to snatch something of value. We did see a young boy trying to sell a slice of pizza, and a young woman stopped and gave him some cash while her 2 friends kept walking and laughing. It reminds me of Ireland's Travelers who roamed place to place - no one wanted to see them coming - they had reputations for being dishonest and for thievery - the Irish government built them housing - it was a difficult adjustment for some of them to live in houses but some of them are now.
Mural going down into the Beziten - covered market of the old bazaar - The courtyard between the two streets looks brand new and empty - no shops there yet. It ws originally built in 15th century to sell cloth and material.
This street sells men's formal and casual clothes as well as wedding gowns and other fancy dresses. In the old bazaars each street had a different craft - shoes, material and clothes, pottery, etc.
The antique shop made me think of Johnny and Vickie and their modern antiques.
Tina explained that brides wear these fancy dresses with their families and then wear a white bridal gown with the groom's family!
Notice the ads on the left for wedding gowns, but especially note how the street is getting a little uneven as we go further into the old bazaar.
Men's clothing shop
I think this is the back end of Daud Pasha Aman Baths which is now the National Gallery - we passed the front just after entering the Old Bazaar. It was built in the 15th century and was one of the most magnificent of its kind with 13 different size copper cupolas - it was the largest Turkish bath outside of Constantinople.
JB at the back entrance.
Minaret in the background.
Public drinking fountains - the water was cold and fresh.
We walked by the Murat Pasha Mosque but it was after the call to prayer so I didn't want to take pictures as people were going inside.
I was craving something sweet so we stopped for some Baklava - and some Tres Leche - we had bottles of water so did not get coffee or tea. We sat outside and suddenly were swarmed by wasps - Tina eventually had to get up but JB and I hung in there and finished off the different kinds of baklava and that Tres Leches - a bunch of wasps weren't going to keep us from that baklava!
Thought of my niece Lucy when I saw this stand with tea on it!
Caught myself taking a picture of Destan, the oldest restaurant in Skopje.
View of Kale Fortress - this site has seen some form of occupation since 4000 BC and has been a working fortress since 6th century AD - served as barracks to the Turkish Army during Ottoman rule and then to the Jugoslav National Army /JNA until the 1963 earthquake razed most of the fortress. Excavations have revealed artifacts dating back to the Thracian era of 200 BC when the Dardanians fought from Kale to defend the surrounding area from the invading Romans. In May 2010 archeologists discovered the largest find of coins from the Byzantine era ever unearthed in Macedonia. Some of the current visible structures date from the 10th century enlargement of the fort under Tsar Samoil. The ramp was partly built of stones from the ancient town of Skupi which was destroyed in 518 AD. Thanks to the Bradt guide book for this information.
We stopped at St Dimitry of Salonika's church on our way out of the Old Bazaar. It was originally built in 14th century - the present structure was built in 1896 and incorporates several frescoes dating from that time - the bell tower is separate from the main building. it served as a cathedral in the 18th century and the seat of the Metropolitan (I think an honorary title for the archbishop) of Skopje in the 19th century.
Grave of one of the archbishops outside the church - it is protected by a black iron gate.
There are no benches in the Church - people stand - but there are some very narrow benches for old people to sit on - if they can get up the step to them - you can just barely make them out on the sides of the above picture.
I loved these paintings or murals of various saints.
Metal spiral staircase to the pulpit.
When we entered the Church, Tina bought some candles for us. You light the candles outside because there was a renovation recently that cleaned the smoke from the candles as well as dust and dirt from the interior.
Tina lit her candles first but I didn't want to take pictures of that private moment. The candles are small and very thin - you light them and push them down into water covered sand.
I had 2 candles - praying after lighting my first candle - the second one is in my left hand - look how skinny it is.
JB made a wish that we had a safe journey - he gave me permission to state that.
This is a model of this church and bell tower maybe? Can you see the pictures of saints in some of the windows?
We sat on a wooden bench across from the church near the office. We watched our candles melt and fall into the water.
I'm not sure what the name of this bridge is but the top of the towers represents the plumes on top of Roman soldiers' helmets.
You might be able to see the 'plumes' on either sides of the bridge - I took this from the Stone Bridge.
We were just coming off of the Stone Bridge - we had heard cheering as we were crossing - there was a bride and groom in the middle of a big group of tourists - I don't know if they got married or what but this is the only picture I got.
Pointing out my tangerine sherbet/sorbet at Laterrazza for Tina to order for our last pause to refresh before heading home. We sat inside - had to go into the back room which was empty because of a man smoking a great big fat smelly stogie - I had forgotten how unpleasant cigar and cigarette smoke can be. Not only are public areas smoke-free in the US but also in Ireland and London - not so here yet.
Plaque on the Triumphal Arch recognizing Mother Teresa - her home was just a short distance from here.
"'If you can not feed a hundred people,
then feed at least one'
Mother Teresa, Skopje 1910 - Calcutta 1997"
Inscription on the top of the arch - Macedonia in Macedonian.
Scene of a plaque on the Triumphal Arch - looks like families carrying their possessions - they must be fleeing.
After having ice cream (shortly after having baklava and tres leches!) - we walked to the Triumphal Arch to a taxi stand. There were 4 taxis but one was not licensed. Tina asked one to take us to the apartment but he pointed to another taxi and said it was that taxi's turn. Well, of course that was the illegal taxi! Tina can hold her own with anyone - she said that it was an illegal taxi and she wasn't taking it. She was going to call for a taxi. Well they were all gibbering as we walked by - but we kept going. Tina called and couldn't get a taxi - because it was rush hour by now. Beyond the Arch was a sign "Taxi" with 2 licensed taxis - so we walked past the Arch again and got into one of the taxis and off we went. Traffic was heavy - at one point the taxi driver turned around and went back the way we had just come but it was to make faster time. Tina said he got a call saying he was late to be somewhere and he just wanted to get rid of us. He charged the same amount as the old crone had charged us last night - he was stuck in traffic - but she was just driving in circles to up the meter.
We were all tired so we just chilled for the rest of the night.
As we drove by, JB pointed out that there is beer in these cases that are on the street outside a store - anyone could walk off with some beer! I recognized the Heineken among the other beer.
Just one of numerous apartment buildings going up. You can buy an apartment over here - they are not condos - you pay your mortgage if you have one and a small fee for building maintenance - nothing as expensive as an HOA.
First church I saw in Skopje as we were heading to the apartment from the airport - last church I saw today.
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