SKOPJE, NORTH MACEDONIA: 24th August 2022

PRISTINA, KOSOVO: 25th August 2022

On careful review (Dave keeps a simple word document) we have discovered that as we landed at Skopje Airport and passed through North Macedonia immigration, that I had, in fact, hit country number 52! (not 50 as I mentioned previously)

Wednesday started earlier than most holiday-days should, with an alarm at 3.45am in order to catch our transfer at 4.30am, to arrive at Budapest airport in plenty of time for our 7.30am flight. The Wizz air ticket recommended arriving at the airport 2.5 hours prior to departure but actually the baggage drop off, security and immigration was extremely smooth and we found ourselves in the food court by 530am! Airport food courts are never the most gourmet of locations and this one was no exception 😉 We shared a ‘big breakfast’ (pic below) then found somewhere without a long line for hot drinks and both enjoyed a hot tea, not unlike what we would do at any airport at that time of day.

The flight was delayed around an hour, but we made up a bit of that time during the flight over Serbia, and we landed mid-morning at Skopje International Airport which is around 30 mins north of Skopje, North Macedonia’s capital city. The airport was pretty basic, and with only irregular flights landing each day, and our plane 1/3 full, we disembarked quickly and processed customs, with another passport stamp much to Dave’s pleasure. When our bags came up on the Carousel as we were entering the baggage hall I couldn’t quite believe it – the most efficient airport on our trip so far 🙂

No ride-share companies are allowed to operate in North Macedonia, but thankfully set-priced signage for taxis were displayed at the beginning of the large line of taxis, all of whom seemed pretty keen to get the 30 euro fare. North Macedonia use the ‘Denar’ even though the are part of the EU, but most places seem to take both currencies.

Hotels are very reasonably priced here, so naturally I choose a nice room which included a large bath 😉

The hotel allowed us to check in early (11am) and my first activity was to book a late afternoon Thai massage at the hotel, given there was a large hotel spa which included a Turkish bath and a 20m indoor pool. A midday nap (we are old people you know 😉 ) and then we set off on foot to look at Skopje. The hotel is located directly behind the city’s most well-known attraction – the Old Bazaar. Of course by now it was lunch-time and many hours since our early breakfast, so I sought out ‘Kosmos’ which I had read about in my research. The typical Macedonian meal included Kebabci (spiced minced meat grilled over charcoal), delicious warm fresh bread (Lepinje), super tasty white beans slow roasted in a clay pot, and the most common dish in the area – Shopska Salad, which is similar to a Greek salad except it’s topped with grated white goats cheese rather than blocks of feta. The staff were obviously family (including what I guess was a 14 year old boy, not sure why he wasn’t at school?) and they made us feel very welcome, in their broken English. The Tourism industry is still in its infancy in Skopje, but they are trying very hard to make it a succesful contributor to the struggling economy.

Following our very memorable lunch (dare I say most authentic meal yet) we headed towards the fresh food market which is very close to the Old Bazaar. Lots of wonderful sights and smells here and everything was so cheap (eg beautiful big tomatoes 50 euro cents per kg!)

Following a fabulous massage (including some slight miscommunication as we translated from Thai into Macedonian into English haha) we had dinner in the hotel restaurant which was actually remarkably good. The restaurant sits on top of the hotel and the view of the incoming storm at dusk was actually quite magical. I do love a summer storm!

SKOPJE DAY 2 – and a side trip into Kosovo

Some days are planned by me, others by Dave. The 25th of August was set down as a ‘Dave Day’ and he did a great job of organising a car and driver so that we could rack up another country and pop into nearby Kosovo. I am wondering, dear readers, what your thoughts are when you hear of us visiting Kosovo?

Even with a well-versed husband in all things international politics, the only word that came to mind when I thought of Kosovo was ‘dangerous’. I could not have been more wrong. I’m sure you have heard of the longstanding conflict with Serbia which, while more or less settled is still simmering below the surface. According to Petrit, our Kosovar driver and guide, Serbia still holds much negative influence over Kosovo, although economically they have made some progress since independence in 2008 when the Yugoslavian federation split up. The countryside, streetscapes, people and infrastructure all seemed moderately affluent despite the average wage being only €300 per month.

When Dave mentioned my interest in food to Petrit, his eyes lit up – ‘my favourite subject is gastronomy!’ he exclaimed. The day was suddenly looking up!

The 90km each-way drive took around an hour and a half. Our first stop was to ‘depart’ Macedonia by stopping at border control for passport checks then 500m later we stopped again to ‘arrive’ in Kosovo. Dave was very pleased with our stamps. Note that when you arrive and leave by car there is a little car outline on the stamp 🙂

Next stop was a underground cave. While it was interesting, we did mention to Petrit that we were more interested in people stuff then sightseeing, so he bypassed the cathedral and mosque visit and headed to the city.

We saw the statue of Bill Clinton that Will and Emma saw when they were here earlier in the year and of course stopped for an obligatory photo. It seems Kosovo has a soft spot for America who assisted them in the late 90’s when they were struggling to break away form Serbia. Bill wasn’t the only American Dignitary represented in stone!

Dave had pre-warned the tour company that he wanted to have Burger King for lunch (another Will recommendation), but once Petrit and I discovered our shared love of food, we decided on two lunch stops. Dave ate a hamburger and a strawberry Sunday from BK while I was very appreciative of the clean toilets 😉

Petrit showed us the local markets, some more statues and monuments, the post office (so Dave could post some postcards) and explained that ‘Kosovo has the best coffee in the world’. I had my third coffee this trip (which is more than I’ve had in the last year) and I must say it was pretty good 🙂 It had a chocolate topping swirl on the top rather than cocoa or cinnamon… each country seems to have its on version of a cappuccino.

Our final stop of the trip – lunch for me! Petrit recommended the cheese version of Burek which I have been wanting to try here since tasting it in Melbourne a few months ago. It is traditionally served with a thin natural yoghurt to drink, so of course I gave that a go too. Both were delicious and the serve generous. All for €1.70!

The trip back to Skopje involved a short nap (do you see a theme here?), two more passport stamps and a very informative discussion on politics, dogs, family, life (and love) in Kosovo. What a fabulous day! I would definitely recommend it as a country to visit, if only briefly and am very pleased that Kosovo could be my first letter ‘K’ in my ‘countries visited’ list, as number 53.

Finally my number of countries equals my age 😉