On to North Macedonia – in my almost brand new Renault Clio 5! It drives very nice and it has Apple CarPlay for my maps, music, and audio books. I’m all set! I left Sofia under overcast skies and light sweater weather about 9:00 am.
The 3.5 hour drive to North Macedonia’s capital city of Skopje (pronounced, “Mack-a-donia,” and “Skopp-gee”) was quiet and uneventful, with little traffic on the route. The highways and country roads were all excellent with nary a cobblestone in sight, unlike the cities where cobblestones are plentifully bouncy.
The only stop along the way was at the border crossing. With my Bulgarian-tagged rental car, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The Macedonians are not fond of the Bulgarians since Bulgaria helped deny Macedonia entrance into the European Union (although both are part of NATO)! Thankfully, my U.S. passport elicited only smiles from the border guards and I was passed through easily after telling them about my extended Balkans sightseeing trip.
The scenery driving between both countries was reminiscent of north central Spain and southern California – dry, brown grasses, scrub trees and bushes, and craggy rolling hills. Not much to see along the route.
After I checked into my $30 apartment, I hit the streets to do some afternoon sightseeing. I was only 15 minutes from the main tourist areas and the city is pretty flat, making the walking easy. Also the temps came back up to short sleeves weather along with some sunshine.
Crossing the Street – If you want to cross a road at a crosswalk, you need to be bold and walk out into traffic while looking directly at the oncoming traffic. If you look them in the eye, they’ll stop. If you don’t, watch out!
The waterfront of the Vardar River which runs through Skopje could use some upgrades! Many cities have made the riverfront a focus of efforts to attract visitors and residents. Apparently, Skopje spends on other priorities because the lack of maintenance and care are quite apparent.
I visited the Archeological Museum of North Macedonia (ho hum). But here are some more photos from the rest of my walk around the city center…
and to the world culture and historic heritage.l
And since rain was threatening, I decided to eat a cheap dinner meal in the room.
Expecting very heavy rain for the next 36 hours as I travel to Kosovo and Albania.
Before you go…
I told my wife she was drawing her eyebrows too high. She looked surprised.
A Captain’s Adventures 