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.
I have always wanted to visit Constantinople since I first saw a picture of it during a religion or history class in Junior High or High School at St Pat’s - or maybe it was during that Western Civ class at BC. I was fascinated by its history, its architecture - the domes, minarets, spires and steeples, its diversity although I don’t think that term was in vogue back in the 1960s! The Orient Express always makes me think of Constantinople. I’ve had it in the back of my mind throughout the years.
When my youngest son married a girl from Macedonia, my interest in that part of the world peaked. Not many people know where Macedonia is located - I knew Constantinople was near there somewhere - but I didn’t know much more about the region. That all changed in the winter of this year 2024 when my daughter-in-law Tina and my son JB suggested I take a trip to Macedonia with them this September. Tina and her mother were heading there in mid-August - JB and I would follow in mid-September. We would go to Macedonia and then try to visit Bulgaria, Romania, and perhaps Serbia. At some point Thessaloniki in Greece was added. I mentioned that I always wanted to visit Constantinople/Istanbul - and since we would be flying home from Thessaloniki to Istanbul then on to Miami, Tina suggested a couple of days in Istanbul before heading back to Miami! I was thrilled! I learned last winter what a travel vlog was, and I have watched hundreds of them about the Balkans and Istanbul on YouTube ever since!
Anyway it has taken me 60 years to get there, but JB and I landed in Istanbul on Monday September 16.
I had never flown Turkish Airlines before - Turkey doesn’t always have positive vibes in the news media - to me it can seem a bit sketchy. But the crew onboard the airline were very nice - welcoming us as we boarded. I was sitting in seat 24D - an aisle seat of course. I asked the young woman in the middle seat if those were her things on the aisle seat - no she said - the steward came and took them from me so I could sit down. He returned and gave them back to me - they were gifts from Turkish Airline - a small pillow that fit perfectly behind my head - a blanket which was handy when the plane got cold, a padded set of ear phones - and a little bag with a toothbrush and small tube of toothpaste, an eye mask, and a pair of slippers! What a lovely gesture! I’ve been on planes where you pay for a blanket, a pillow or ear buds - some up to $10 each - but these were all complementary! There was a very extensive selection of movies, TV shows, kids program, 5 live news programs - I heard about the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump on CNN and the BBC. So this plus the fact that it was a 10:45 AM flight helped make the trip to go faster.
Gift bag from Turkish Airlines
This bag contained sox, slippers, eye mask, ear plugs, lip balm, toothbrush and toothpaste!
We landed in Istanbul at 4:30 am in the pitch black - we could only see lights, no buildings as we landed. As we were walking up the ramp from the plane, an army of what looked like Segways with seats in front of them came rolling by heading to the airplane door to pick up some of the passengers. Then a young guy with a wheelchair spied my cane and insisted on stopping the passengers disembarking to practically throw me on the wheelchair and push me up the end of the ramp into a handicap area of the terminal. He told me to sit there and his friend would be coming with one of those Segway kind of things to take me to the next terminal. The army that went down the ramp returned - 2 of them were empty - I had to get on one then they made JB (who was holding my cane) get on the other - they even strapped him in! I had no strap which I regretted once we started flying thru the concourse! It was like a race to see who could get to the next stop the fastest! But thank goodness we had them - it is a long long walk.
Difficult to make it out but a guy on one of those Segway-like people movers that JB and I took a spin on.
They dropped us off at another handicap area and told JB that we should wait until our names were called because the gate for Skopje hadn’t been assigned yet. Next thing our names were called - there was one seat left in an extended golf cart - they had me take that and JB said he’d walk to the gate. I arrived at another handicap center where we dropped off a couple of people. I was wondering if I’d ever see JB again when he arrived and said that the gate was nearby. The driver came back and told JB to get into an empty seat, and we were off to the gate. I’m sorry that we didn’t take pictures of us with the drivers.
When we got on the flight to Skopje, someone was in my seat and wasn’t about to move. Luckily there was a stewardess nearby who checked our boarding passes - the woman had moved into my seat because a young couple had taken her seat so they could sit together - the stewardess made them move into their own seats, the woman in my aisle seat moved across the row into her middle seat and it was all sorted - I think I was the only one happy!
This flight took less than an hour and a half. They served us a snack but by the time they had served everyone, it was time to collect the trays before landing! Of course our bags were the last ones to arrive. Tina and her brother Ilce had driven up from Bitola where they live that morning to meet us. Somehow JB and Ilce managed to get 3 large bags and 2 knapsacks into the car - JB had one suitcase on his lap for the drive to the airB&B that Tina had rented. It is in a section of Skopje with a lot of new apartment buildings. Our apartment is on the 8th floor and is very modern. The elevator was plenty big enough for all of us and the luggage. It is a 2 bedroom apartment with a bathroom with a walk in shower, a kitchen/dining area and a sitting room with a large TV. The highlight is the small balcony! Tina told us that the development in this area has been going on for less than 7 years - it was not going on when she was here in college. Her father's friend owned an old apartment building here - the developer bought him out and gave him 2 apartments!
Macedonian custom is to leave your shoes at or inside the door - hosts provide sandals/flip flops for guests to wear inside the home.
There are large apartment buildings going up all over the neighborhood where we are staying - this home may be gone soon because of all the development.
Tina, JB and Ilce walked to the store for water and something to eat. After watching so many travel vlogs talk about barraks, I finally had a piece of a pizza barrak! They are made of flakey pastry and cut in a triangular shape - about the size of a quarter of a large pizza - they were filled with sauce and cheese, meat and onion, or chicken and onions. I love pizza so of course I loved the pizza one - the ground beef and onions barrak was good but too heavy for me at 9 am - I was full after trying a piece of each of those. They had also bought what looked like a hot dog in a flakey crust instead of a hot dog roll. I tried a little of the drinking yogurt which wasn’t too bad but not on my kidney diet.
JB and I had a rest for a couple of hours. Ilce drove home taking one of the suitcases with him. When we got up, the 3 of us took an Uber to Macedonia Square which is the main square in Skopje. I was finally seeing all the statues, the triumphal arch, and the buildings I have been researching and seeing in vlogs! It was overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time. The underwhelming part was because in the vlogs the square seems so big and mostly quiet - the statues were the main focus - the surrounding restaurants, shops, food stands weren’t really filmed - or maybe it was because many vlogs were made during covid - the square was empty - the shops and restaurants were closed. No matter what I loved it - there was the huge Alexander the Great on his horse - Tsar Samoil’s huge statue. The statues are way more than life size - almost overwhelming when you stand at the base looking up at them - it is difficult to see their heads from the ground! One of the first sites after the triumphal arch that we saw was the plaque at the site of Mother Teresa’s home. It is hard to believe that this simple nun from Skopje became world renowned. Very humbling.
Plaque on site of Mother Teresa's home - it was destroyed in the 1963 earthquake.
The shoe shine statues!
JB and MEM in front of Alexander the Great Statue in Macedonia Square.
Tsar Samoil was defeated by the Ottoman Empire while trying to save the southern Balkans. There is some dispute between Macedonia and Bulgaria as to whether he was Macedonian or Bulgarian - I believe the graffiti on the bottom of the statue says he was Macedonian.
I think this is a picture of a beggar
MEM and JB with Alexander behind us.
The arched Old Stone Bridge leads to the Old Bazaar - we'll be crossing it tomorrow!
Plaque on site of Mother Teresa's home - it was destroyed in the 1963 earthquake.
The restaurant was very nice - it had a combination of tables with chairs, tables with couches, a couple of small intimate dining areas - the windows opened out onto the river - one near us was open and it started getting cold - which I did not complain about since the forecast for Miami when we left was 110 degrees and very high humidity! It had been too hot and especially humid for me to go out while I was in Fort Myers so I was appreciating the cooler temps!
We had over half a pizza to take home as well as half of my entree. Tina was correct when she said that after cutting down on salt at home in Fort Myers, she finds food here very salty.
Inside the restaurant with the Old Stone Bridge out the window.
A page of the menu - there was a picture of all the foods with descriptions in Macedonian and English. Tina had the 3rd from the top - "Burger Lovecka" for 339 denars.
Different kinds of salads - JB had the Shopska salad - tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded white cheese - it's not pictured here.
Pizzas are big on meats and Tina said that no one ever orders a plain cheese pizza altho she thinks you could probably get one if you asked.
I had the chicken with vegetables for 369 denars - it did not come with rice or pasta or fries.
MEM, Tina and JB - The Macedonian Archeological Museum is beyond the River Vardar in the background. The picture doesn't really show the size of that pizza - the pizza alone was about $25 - but the whole meal plus 5 soft drinks was only $50!
We walked back thru Macedonia Square and took a taxi back to the apartment. Tina told the taxi driver that she knew the driver took us a roundabout way to the apartment - the taxi driver said it was good for us to see some of the city! This is why everyone says to take an Uber - taxis take the long way around to jack up the price. The taxi driver told Tina to take her phone number - she could take us to Matka Canyon - a big tourist site - Thanks but no thanks!
