Nicholas ([info]nhw) wrote,
@ 2007-05-10 20:43:00
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Entry tags:kosovo, macedonia, may 07 trip

Mid-week; mostly Skopje
I spent most of my working week in Cyprus and Kosovo, and was basically feeling too ill to take many photos (see, if you are interested, my earlier galleries of Cyprus, Macedonia/Kosovo and Kosovo/Macedonia).

For somewhat complex logistical reasons, although I actually had business in Kosovo I flew into Macedonia, where the airports now proclaims its historical links with a local hero who was well-known for travelling, though better known for what he did while he was travelling.


 
The one thing that caught my attention in Kosovo was this poster expressing sympathy for the victims of the Blacksburg massacre, erected by the students of Pristina university - there were lots of these, all over the centre of town (and possibly elsewhere; I was laying low nursing my cold when I wasn't doing essential meetings). On an earlier visit to Kosovo I was struck by posters expressing solidarity with the USA after the 9/11 attacks.

 
Back in Skopje on Thursday night for a meal with my old friend V, and his wife T (who wrote the book).

 
And time for a few shots of Skopje the next morning before setting off on my tourism trail for the rest of the trip. Here are two pictures of the ancient fortress overlooking the city centre, with mosques baths and churches visible in the foreground:

 

 
And here is the Stone Bridge in the centre of town, like the Hagia Sofia reputedly built by Justinian (who was born in the neighbourhood). Another native of Skopje, of course, was Mother Teresa; there is a plaque in the (rather ugly) square on the far side of the bridge marking the site of the house where she was born.

 
I rented a car for the rest of the trip from Avis in Skopje, and would strongly recommend them - dealt with me efficiently by email, and made no problem about my wanting to return the car to the airport rather than the city centre.

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