Michael Powell's Blog, page 72
October 23, 2014
A Quiet Stay at Lake Prespa
Poor Lake Prespa, always playing second-fiddle to Lake Ohrid. This is Macedonia’s second-biggest lake, behind Ohrid. It’s not as old, not as fascinating, not as pretty, nor does it have water so blue. It’s almost completely bypassed by tourists and locals alike, and its shores (relative to Ohrid) are nearly devoid of life. But we spent four nights here, and gave the lake our full attention. It’s your time to shine, Prespa. Impress us!
We had been invited to the Lakeview Hotel, near the town of...
October 22, 2014
Malovište: Pelister’s Picturesque Vlach Village
After leaving Bitola, the road to Ohrid passes by the Pelister National Park. If you take a left into the park, you’ll reach Malovište: a formerly wealthy Vlach trading village. We spent half a day walking around its streets, meeting some of the locals, and photographing one of the most picturesque towns we had yet discovered in Macedonia.
We arrived after a gorgeous drive through the national park, and parked our car at the sign which welcomes visitors. It’s making an effort to attract touris...
The Stone Dolls of Kuklica
Once upon a time, long, long ago, a village girl was anxiously awaiting her wedding, which was scheduled for the afternoon. Having prepared everything days in advance, the girl wasn’t sure how to fill the morning hours. She’d heard about another wedding in the neighboring village and decided to see the happy couple who were sharing her special day…
Imagine her surprise upon discovering her groom-to-be, marrying another woman! Furious, she interrupted the wedding, and her betrothed sputtered, t...
The Monastery of Sv Joakim Osogovski
Found in the hills near the border with Bulgaria, outside the town of Kriva Palanka, Sv Joakim Osogovski is one of Macedonia’s most popular monasteries. But we were visiting on a quiet Monday afternoon, when the only other people present were the priest and a few workers cleaning the church’s carpets.
From Kriva Palanka, the three-kilometer road to Sv Joakim progresses high into the forests of the Osogovo Mountains. Along the way, there’s a break in the trees where, across a steep ravine, the...
October 21, 2014
The Church of St. George in Staro Nagoričane
Near Kumanovo, the tiny town of Staro Nagoričane is home to the Church of St. George. Built in the early fourteenth century, the church possesses some of the country’s most important frescoes, and we swung by on our way back to Skopje, after visiting Kokino.
There was a large tour group already inside the church, so we decided to start with a walk around the grounds. “Strange,” I thought. “Look at all these sheep bones laying in the grass.” And then I saw the femur, possibly human-shaped. And...
The Megalithic Obervatory of Kokino
Before arriving in Macedonia, I might have guessed that the country would offer gorgeous nature, good food, and beautiful mountain villages. But I was not expecting to find megalithic observatories! We had already visited Cocev Kamen near Kratovo, and now turned our attention to the “Stonehenge of Macedonia”, Kokino.
Kokino is more well-known than Cocev Kamen, and much easier to find. The observatory is atop a huge volcanic rock named Taticev Kamen, which itself is an archaeological site where...
October 20, 2014
The Forgotten Observatory of Cocev Kamen
Megalithic observatories aren’t really all that common. It’s not like you are going to find one in every town you come across, behind the Walmart. But Macedonia has been blessed with not one, but two megalithic observatories (and not a Walmart in sight). The most well-known is at Kokino, but we would first be visiting Cocev Kamen.
Cocev Kamen is slightly more well-known than the nearby rock dwellings of Golemo Gradište, but that doesn’t make it any easier to find. Again, there was no trail and...
The Rock Dwellings of Golemo Gradište
There are a lot of amazing spots in Macedonia, which almost no tourists know anything about. And it turns out, there are some spots which very few Macedonians are aware of. Near Kratovo, we found an ancient village carved out of rock. It’s completely unmarked and almost totally unknown, even to locals. Golemo Gradište wasn’t easy to pinpoint, but this was one of the most exciting discoveries we made in Macedonia.
We’d first read about the stone village in Thammy Evan’s Guide to Macedonia (publ...
Kratovo: The Town of Towers and Bridges
Nestled in the pit of a volcanic crater about an hour northeast of Skopje, Kratovo is famous for its distinctive architecture, including Ottoman-era towers and high stone bridges. We spent a day exploring its back streets, enjoying the lively atmosphere and walking along the steep ravine which divides the town in two.
Until the gold and silver dried up in the nineteenth century, Kratovo had been a prosperous a mining town. Ancient tunnels still snake through the rock, and the former wealth can...
October 18, 2014
To Gamble or Not to Gamble in Gevgelija
We showed up in Gevgelija prepared to hit the casinos. A small city on the border with Greece, Gevgelija has a reputation as Macedonia’s gambling “hot spot”, and gambling is a vice to which we’ve never been immune. One of the best casinos was across the street from our hotel, but when the time came, we couldn’t be bothered.
This is why Jürgen and I have a blog: to explore and illuminate fascinating topics like: “Why We Reluctantly Decided Against Gambling in a Macedonian Border Town”. If this...
