We took a walking tour of Skopje this morning. The original city was located a few kilometers away from the city center, but it was destroyed by an earthquake. The "new" city was established by the Romans in the 6h century, then the Turks added on to the Roman fort when they took over in 1492.
The Old Bazaar has an "eastern" feel, with its winding streets and mosque. The church we visited was small (as dictated by the Turks) and in the shadow of a minaret. However, it is a UNESCO site due to the elaborate wood carvings in the interior.
We drove through Mavrovo National Park this afternoon. Scenery is beautiful - dramatic mountains, valleys, rivers and lakes. Near the western edge of the park we visited the Monastery of St. John the Baptist. This monastery is also a UNESCO site, with similar elaborate wood carvings by the same wood carvers who did the work in the church in Skopje. The carvers were brothers from a small village in Macedonia. Unfortunately, there were not photos allowed in the interiors of these churches, so if you want to see them, you have to pay a visit on your own!
Tonight we are staying in the resort city of Ohrid. We have a beautiful view of the lake from our balcony.
The Old Bazaar has an "eastern" feel, with its winding streets and mosque. The church we visited was small (as dictated by the Turks) and in the shadow of a minaret. However, it is a UNESCO site due to the elaborate wood carvings in the interior.
We drove through Mavrovo National Park this afternoon. Scenery is beautiful - dramatic mountains, valleys, rivers and lakes. Near the western edge of the park we visited the Monastery of St. John the Baptist. This monastery is also a UNESCO site, with similar elaborate wood carvings by the same wood carvers who did the work in the church in Skopje. The carvers were brothers from a small village in Macedonia. Unfortunately, there were not photos allowed in the interiors of these churches, so if you want to see them, you have to pay a visit on your own!
Tonight we are staying in the resort city of Ohrid. We have a beautiful view of the lake from our balcony.
While there are some traces of the old Roman fortress the main building that you can see is from the Turks.
We stopped at this church in the old town area. Gotse Delchev is buried here. He was one of the main organizers and leaders of the Macedonian revolt in 1903.
The old market place has many buildings from the 1400s. The Turks required it to be small and built next to the fortress where they could keep a close watch.
The main town square contains many monuments including one to "a Macedonian warrior" - everyone knows it is Alexander the Great - but the government of Greece has objected so they changed the label.
The old Roman stone bridge is now a pedestrian bridge leading from the old market area to the new town square. The statue at the right is of a group of students who were suicide bombers in the fighting after WWI.
One of these figures does not match with the others - guess which one!
When visiting the Monastery of St. John the Baptist Sandy had to wear a skirt over her pants and a scarf over here head! (The gentlemen in the background had on pants that only went to his mid calf - so he had to put on long pants.)
The monastery dates from the 1200's. The housing recently burned and is being rebuilt - but the frescoes and wood carvings from the 1400s are intact.
We are not allowed to take photos inside the churches here - but these frescoes are in the porch area so I took a shot!
The scenery in the park was great. Here is a hotel located at one end of the park. It has a hot mineral bath area that people bath in for good health!
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