10 km per day

Thursday, September 10, 2015
Three Continents

After just a few kilometers I reached Skopje, the capital of Macedonia. On my map were 3 campsites located. The search for the first two campsites proved to be a failure. It was getting dark when I started looking for the third campground. Luckily, two tour riders suddenly came to meet me. Annette and Cord were also in search of this ominous campsite, which is next to a highway connected directly to a hotel complex. We went there together and talked until late into the night.

Unfortunately I did not find the infrastructure and surroundings so inviting. On the second night, when a disco next door opened its loudspeakers until the early hours of the morning, I decided to look for a hostel in the city center.

The next day I cycled to the airport to pick up Tania, who accompanied me to Athens for 3 weeks. First, we looked a little at the city.

As in much of the country, different ethnic groups live together in Skopje. The religions with the most adherents are Orthodox Christianity and Islam Sunni. There is also a minority of Catholics. Protestants, Reformed and few Jews. At 5:17 on July 26, 1963, a major earthquake hit the history books. On this day, the earth shook and the disaster claimed 1070 casualties. Around 75 percent of the population lost their shelter and 3,300 people suffered serious injuries. Almost the whole old town was razed to the ground. Since 1991 Skopje is the capital of the independent Republic of Macedonia.

The government under the leadership of the conservative party VMRO-DPMNE has been investing in many ethno-Macedonian cultural institutions since its inception (parliamentary elections in 2008). In 2014, a large number of monuments (mostly "ethnic-Macedonian heroes"), buildings and monuments were built. That's what I saw once in Turkmenistan. You feel like in a fantasy world. The government's policy on VMRO-DPMNE is deteriorating both domestic and foreign affairs, and protests over the establishment of a new Orthodox church between Albanians and Macedonians in the historic Kale fortress have further escalated intra-ethnic relations.

We also visited the Mother Teresa Memorial House. The site of the memorial house used to house the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, where the beatified had been baptized one day after their birth on 27 August 1910.

After that it was finally time to go. We decided on a route off the tourist routes. In addition, the media reported major refugee movements on the border with Greece in Gevgelija. The main route leads from Greece via Macedonia, Serbia and Hungary to Austria and Germany. However, since Hungary wants to build a border protection fence by the end of August, many are currently trying to get across the border in time by train.

After a long study of our road map we finally found an alternative route. The traffic on the narrow streets here in Macedonia is no fun for cyclists. But as soon as you drive a bit off the main roads, there are very low-traffic routes with landscapes like those from a Winnetou movie.
As in much of the country, different ethnic groups live together in Skopje. The religions with the most adherents are Orthodox Christianity and Islam Sunni. There is also a minority of Catholics. Protestants, Reformed and few Jews. At 5:17 on July 26, 1963, a major earthquake hit the history books. On this day, the earth shook and the disaster claimed 1070 casualties. Around 75 percent of the population lost their shelter and 3,300 people suffered serious injuries. Almost the whole old town was razed to the ground. Since 1991 Skopje is the capital of the independent Republic of Macedonia.

Problems finding a place to sleep? Not in Macedonia! Just go somewhere where you like it and set up tent. From a corn field to the Byzantine royal temple, we had everything on offer. On the second day of our trip we got to know the Macedonian hospitality.

In Štip, a man spoke to us in front of the Orthodox Church. Vanco grew up here and immigrated to Brisbane in Australia as a young man. He invited us to lunch with his mother at home. Then he drove us to the fortress hill Isar with his car and allowed us to take a refreshing shower.

The next day we found a route through the mountains south of Strumica along the Mantovo and Vodocha lakes. At Mantovo Lake we were met by a herd of cows, which spurred us on our way. Although the farmer could not speak a word of English, he had a mobile with which he immediately called Igor, his nephew. This could speak very well Englsich and received us a few miles later right on the lake. We were invited by him right away.

Part of the family was busy harvesting tobacco leaves. Gabrevtsi, the village where they live, lives mainly from it. His brother just returned from the lake. He had caught some fish that were immediately roasted on the fire for us. Tania also received a course in traditional dance. After that, Igor showed us his whole village. All the people there welcomed us with open arms. Especially the old ladies in the village had great pleasure in Tania.

Igor recommended a route to Rich in the direction of Lake Vodocha. This should be the only rainy day on the trip. Tania needs her dose of coffee every morning. Otherwise, it's no fun to be traveling with her. We were both very relieved when a shop appeared in Rich. The owner invited us for a coffee. Zoran, one of the guests, manages the nearby quarry. He invited us for a visit followed by a coffee.

Two villages further we wanted to fill up our supplies. The village shop was unfortunately closed. But within a very short time a man appeared, the natural immediately took the owner. We were invited there as well. This time, however, the women of the village took the whole in hand. They gave us so many things that the bike bags were almost bursting. Completely overloaded, we drove on for a few more kilometers and set up our tent in Macedonia for the last time.

The drive to Dojran Lake went pretty fast this time. For the first time in a long time, we managed to drive more than 10 kilometers in one day. Lake Dojran is very popular with locals for swimming. The beaches were completely crowded. The heat still rose during the day to 40 degrees. A little bit wistfully we crossed the border to Greece a short time later.

Macedonia was a very positive surprise for both of us. The hospitality of these people sometimes almost blew us away. A big thank you to all who welcomed us with open arms. You are the biggest!