Skopje, Macedonia

By Lee | August 28th, 2007 | 1 Comment »

The birthplace of Mother Teresa can’t be a bad place, right? She was born in Skopje in 1910 and her presence is felt throughout the region and especially in Skopje. Today the city beams with life, energy and excitement after the break-up of the former Yugoslavia.

Skopje is the capital and largest city in the Republic of Macedonia, with more than a quarter of the population of the country, as well as the political, cultural, economical and academic center of the country. It was known from the Roman period under the name Scupi. The city developed rapidly after World War II, but this trend was interrupted in 1963 when it was hit by a disastrous earthquake. Today, Skopje is a modern city with a range of cultural monuments and booming nightlife.

We stayed in the idyllic main square at the aptly named Square Hotel overlooking the square toward the landmark Stone Bridge connecting the two parts of the city. We didn’t do too much in Skopje at night because we had been travelling all day so we just had a nice dinner in the square and then walked around a bit before crashing around midnight, which is very early for Eastern and Southern Europe. We toured around a bit the next morning taking some pictures before catching our next bus…and the journey continues.