MACEDONIA
Country Overview:
“A unique city full of history, nice people, and way too many statues”
Though traveling here during the COVID-19 pandemic and having to adhere to lockdown and curfew rules, I had a great time in Skopje. It’s a fun city, there’s a lot to do (including casinos) and everyone was really friendly. The city, thanks to the citywide Skopje 2014 project, is FULL of statues, monuments, and other bigger-than-life “things” honoring famous Macedonians throughout the country’s history. For someone who runs a blog, it was awesome, but many locals I talked to didn’t like it, and others online have described the city as “kitsch”. Say what you want, but I had a great time wandering around the city and taking in the sights.
Skopje Fortress
The Skopje Fortress commonly referred to as Kale (from kale, the Turkish word for 'fortress'), is a historic fortress situated on the highest point in the city overlooking the Vardar River. The fortress is depicted on the coat of arms of Skopje, which in turn is incorporated in the city's flag.
The first fortress was built in 6th century AD.