As we were beginning our tour in Skopje, North Macedonia, we learned that the right side and the left side of the river had very different cultures, religions, and a different feel to them. On the left side, we walked through a Christian, modern part of town, while on the right side, we walked through a Muslim, Old Town. On the left side we saw a statue of Alexander the Great (or as the Greeks have told Macedonians to call it, “Warrior on a Horse”, a Mother Teresa museum (she was born in Skopje to Albanian parents! and lived there for her first 18 years of life, from 1910-1928), different types of architecture (some built by Japanese who helped Skopje recover after a large earthquake), and beautiful hotels and casinos. We then crossed the bridge to check out the right side of town, where we were welcomed by the beautiful voices of Muslims singing their prayers. We walked through the Old Town and saw tons and tons of real gold and jewelry, in many many various shops along a street. We ate Kebap for lunch, which were like little sausages, and along with it we had fresh salad, beans, and bread. For dessert we ate at a baklava place recommended from our tour guide, which was very soggy like normal, but it had great flavor. Skopje was a beautiful city with lots of interesting culture!
below: some pictures from the Christian part of town
below: Macedonians think he is Macedonian, Greeks think he is Greek… the statue that looks suspiciously like Alexander the Great is referred to as “Great Warrior on a Horse” (to appease Greece)
below: some pictures from the Muslim part of town
below: Memorial House of Mother Teresa, built in 2008. The Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church was there previously and is where Mother Teresa was baptized.
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