A Stroll Through Skopje 🚶 City Centre, Bridges, Forts

9 months ago

Fellow walkers... we meet again... 😱

I haven't posted any walks here in a while. Mainly due to the fact that I have been taking the same routes I always take, so there wasn't really anything new to show. But yesterday, in the scorching summer sun, I decided to take a slightly different path home from my gym. Yes! I did all this just so I can make a post here! 😅

Some of these shots you would have seen from different angles, or at night. So if anyone remembers my previous posts there will be a great connective tissue for you.

Hope you all are ready to get another glimpse of Skopje - Onwards! 🚶

🔷 CITY CENTER, TEMPLES, UNIVERSITIES 🔶

Close to where my gym is located is one of the premium private universities in Macedonia - The European University. It is a posh school for posh people, but it's a brand. 😁 It's situated on of the more populated and popular streets in the city.

Right to its left is a building called New Macedonia. This is one of the older buildings in the city and has served several functions throughout the years. From a journalistic agency to a hub for ministries, to now a commercial building. All native Macedonians know of its existence. It's not anything special to look at, but it holds sentimental value to many Skopje residents.

Here we have one of the oldest theatres in town. There's a nifty little cafe behind it as well. This is known as Theatre Comedy.

And as we go down the street we catch this cool-looking building with all the different colored terraces. The color has faded slightly over the years - maybe for the better. 😅 It was too colorful. //Is there such a thing as being too colorful? guess it's a matter of taste

Next, we're gonna go through the center with some sights and sounds (noa actual sounds, sorry) of the city. 🙌

The last photo is of Skopje's biggest and baddest Orthodox temple. Not sure if the term 'baddest' has ever been used to describe a temple, but we're rolling with it. 😁 I have shown you extensive pictures of this place in previous blogs, so this time around it's just a hurried shot from across the street. There was a lot of scooter/foot traffic on the way, so I had to be fast with the picture-taking here. 😭

And this is the seat of government. I was two streets away when I took these shots, so forgive the quality. But you get the gist. 😀

And now a few more shots of the city before we move on to that sexy fort you see in the background of the image to the right.

I really like how this last shot came out. 😍

Now for the most famous bridge in the city! Or, I should say, the most famous traffic bridge. The Stone Bridge is the most famous bridge in the city, but that's only for foot traffic, so yeah.

🔷 GOCE DELCEV BRIDGE 🔶

Goce Delcev is one of the most famous revolutionaries in Macedonia's long and storied history. As such it only makes sense that the main traffic-based bridge in the city is named after him.

That's how it works right? You give your life for your country and then you get a bridge named after you a century later.

What follows are a bunch of shots of the bridge, its views, Fort Kale on the other side, and the four lion statues that line its entrances.

And as we get to the other side of the bridge we are greeted by one fo Skopje's main landmarks and historical sights - Fort Kale.

Looks straight up like something out of a video game, doesn't it?

🔷 FORT KALE 🔶

So, the name - Kale - means literally forty. 😂 It's like a cute version of a fort. Why? 🤷‍♂️ In Macedonian it makes sense, so let's not think too much about it. Let's focus on how cool this thing looks.

It's a fort constructed by Tzar Samuil, around the 9th century AD. And over the many centuries, only one tower has collapsed.

And as you do - if you have a fort you have to have many secret passages around it. Hey! Those are the rules, I didn't make 'em.

There are also plenty of buildings on the other side. Specifically this path that I'm walking on since the Kale is actually huge. You are only seeing half of it here.

And as we ascend the hill we see many pathways that lead to the backside of the fort. But have recently been sectioned out by the US. Yes, that US. Their embassy is just around the corner. I would've taken photographs of it, but I didn't want to get shot, thank you very much.

This is a pretty long walk, just FYI. 😅

Finally, we reach the home of one of Macedonia's top priests. It's pretty sectioned off and secretive, but it looks cool enough. Looked cooler back in the day, but time erodes all things.

And finally, we arrive at a very meh park that almost nobody ever uses.

But this is where we end our walk folks. Just over a hill up ahead is where I live. And I figured I'd show you that section during another walk. Since there is plenty to see and talk about, unrelated to the post you just read.

Didn't want to bring in doom in gloom right now. Maybe next week. 😅

I hope you enjoyed. I hope you are well. I hope you are loved and happy. Thank you for stopping by and have a nice day! Cheers. 🍻