North Macedonia

Skopje is the strangest capital in Europe. A few years before my visit, the government covered the center in statues, neoclassical facades and fountains to give the city a grand history it didn't quite have. The result is a giant warrior on a horse in the main square, a lot of bronze and a lot of columns, and it's honestly kind of great. I took the cable car up Mount Vodno to the Millennium Cross for the view over the city and the autumn forests.

I was there in fall 2020, during the Balkans trip, and a lot of my memories are small and local. I watched North Macedonia play Armenia in the national stadium, ate burritos and gazpacho in the strangest combinations, and had a Thanksgiving dinner with pumpkin soup, roast turkey and pie, which felt like home in an unexpected place. Lake Ohrid, a few hours away, is one of the most beautiful spots in the Balkans.