macedonia – Julian Worker Travel – A few ideas for your next trip in every direction

Playing Fountains

From my book on The Balkans In the main square the fountain next to the Alexander the Great statue was now coming into its own as night fell. There were sixty small holes in the main square, six rows of ten out of which water would pour. Each hole contained a light that could switchContinue reading “Playing Fountains”

Lake Ohrid

From my book on The Balkans The church of Sveti Jovan at Kaneo sits on a promontory above Lake Ohrid, from where you can see most of the lake and a lot of the lakeshore. In one direction can be seen boats, restaurants, and the waterfront of the town of Ohrid, and in the otherContinue reading “Lake Ohrid”

Travels through History: Journeys in the former Yugoslavia – Macedonia

This excerpt from the book about my travels in The Balkans Five hundred yards further on things started to get interesting. I saw a large equestrian statue on top of an enormous plinth. Even though the official name of this statue is “Warrior on a Horse”, when it was raised the Greeks were upset becauseContinue reading “Travels through History: Journeys in the former Yugoslavia – Macedonia”

Skopje plans for the future by fixating on its ancient past

Macedonia’s capital was rebuilt after the 1963 earthquake with a cutting-edge modernist vision. Now, critics say the hollow Doric columns and clumsy statues of ‘antiquitisation’ are transforming the city into a mini-Las Vegas

Sveti Jovan at Kaneo, Ohrid.

The prettiest church in Ohrid can be found by the lake and dates from the 13th Century. The church of Sveti Jovan at Kaneo sits on a promontory above Lake Ohrid, from where you can see most of the lake and a lot of the lakeshore. In one direction there are boats, restaurants,Continue reading “Sveti Jovan at Kaneo, Ohrid.”

Car Samoil’s Castle in Ohrid, Macedonia

Car Samoil’s Castle is named after the Bulgarian Tsar Samuel, who ruled the Bulgarian Empire from 997 to 1014. The fortress dates from his reign and the ramparts on the high walls offer wonderful views in all directions. This fortification couldn’t prevent the Byzantine Empire defeating the Bulgarian forces at the beginning ofContinue reading “Car Samoil’s Castle in Ohrid, Macedonia”

Skopje Fountains

In the main square the fountain next to the Alexander the Great statue was now coming into its own as night fell. There were 128 small holes in the main square, eight rows of sixteen, out of which water would shoot. Each hole contained a light that could switch colour. The water could either shootContinue reading “Skopje Fountains”

Matka Lake, Macedonia

Matka Lake is approximately 10 miles from Skopje and is Macedonia’s oldest artificial lake. Here old monasteries hide above the steep sides of the Treska Canyon- built out of sight of the Ottoman Turks, who forbade the building of churches – and nature is reflected on the calm surface of the lake, which is occasionallyContinue reading “Matka Lake, Macedonia”

Lake Ohrid

Heading southwards from Skopje towards Ohrid the road headed into the mountains. Gradually, it dawned on me that I was only seeing mosques in the villages and towns and that no Macedonian flags were flying, only the Albanian flag with its double-headed black eagle on a bright-red background. This continued for many miles as myContinue reading “Lake Ohrid”

Fountains in Skopje, Macedonia

If you like fountains playing to carefully choreographed music then I suggest you head for Skopje in Macedonia, where the main square has two sets of fountains dancing charmingly to classical music (excerpts from Johann Strauss and Wagner), which plays over loudspeakers attached to street lights. One fountain is in the main square and theContinue reading “Fountains in Skopje, Macedonia”