Dates: 24-27 March 2025.

Cymru drawing Macedonia in World Cup qualifying offered a great opportunity to visit Skopje for a few days.

Mike, Jason, Simon and I all met in Heathrow for the short hop to Skopje via Warsaw and I started with a tidy brunch and some sugar:

We arrived in the early evening and headed straight out for food and drinks. A few days earlier, the country had suffered a terrible tragedy when a fire at a nightclub in Kočani killed 62 people and injured 193. Many Macedonians were angry at the government and in mourning, and there was a silent protest in progress that evening in the main old town square:

Instagram-worthy picture just off the main square, adjacent to the Vardar River:

The following day was match day, but it was a very late kick-off so there was plenty of time for the obligatory free walking tour.

Our guide went out of his way to give an air of impartiality but he was charmingly patriotic and wanted to make some key points. The first wasn’t too controversial: most of the statues in the centre were erected for the benefit of the tourist. Post-independence, the early government administration believed, perhaps correctly, that tourists love to visit and photograph statues, so tourism money will just come pouring in. Good move!

The second point involved the Greeks and their government’s insistence on Macedonia changing its name before being considered for EU membership. Therefore, in recent years, “Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” has become “North Macedonia”. Apparently, this now means the area of northern Greece that’s called Macedonia can sleep easy at night.

In addition, the Greeks also claim Alexander the Great – once a ruler of ancient Macedonia – to be theirs and theirs alone, thus we have this frankly absurd situation where Google Maps et al must refer to the statue of Alexander the Great in the old town square as “Warrior on Horse”. Our guide was not amused.

Thankfully, though perhaps to their collective detriment, the Macedonian government drew the line at the Bulgarian government’s attempt to revise history. During WWII, Bulgarian troops in Nazi uniforms occupied parts of Macedonia and implemented policies of forced assimilation, aiming to integrate the local population into Bulgarian society. They were also involved in the deportation of Jewish populations from the occupied regions to extermination camps.

Apparently, Bulgaria will block any attempt at Macedonian membership of the EU until Macedonia removes the phrase “Bulgarian Nazis” from their history of the WWII. Stand firm, Macedonia, stand firm…

Alexander the Great. On the left, obviously:

Mother Theresa was born in Skopje, and here is the Mother Theresa Memorial House on the left:

Some very small but expensive apartments, according to our guide:

If the south western side of the Vardar River is very Soviet, the north eastern side is very Ottoman:

A wander around the Old Bazaar:

Skopje Fortress:

After grabbing some local food, unsurprisingly involving grilled meat, we headed back to the accommodation to prepare for the game:

We found some fellow Red Wall members and some good beer. Indeed:

A nice stroll along the river to the ground with the Museum of Macedonian Struggle for Independence lit up on the opposite bank:

The Todor Proeski National Arena:

As for the game, we dominated like a home team for large periods but a late mistake by legend Joe Allen gifted the hosts a simple finish and an unlikely lead. Thankfully, up popped David Brooks deep into injury time to nab a deserved point much to the collective relief and joy of the Red Wall!

For our last full day the four of us jumped in the hire car and headed out of the city towards the Matka Canyon via the Millennium Cross.

The Millennium Cross and TV tower:

Misty:

The stadium in the distance:

Obligatory album cover photo:

Next-up we headed to the Matka Canyon and Matka Lake, the oldest artificial lake in the country. Nice view whilst we grabbed lunch:

The boat ride was very peaceful and gave “Deliverance” vibes:

Vrelo Cave, where, bizarrely, the boat pilot / guide had to turn the lights on and off:

Similar to Podgorica, Skopje also feels like a city that was minding its own business being a provincial city and now finds itself thrust into the limelight of being a capital city. The major difference here being the government employing a “build it and they will come” approach which appears to have yielded results. It was a great way to spend a few days with like-minded people, plus the football wasn’t too bad either.