North Macedonia
North Macedonia was simply a name on an itinerary when I signed up for a photo tour of five Balkan countries. Somewhere near Greece, I thought.
Actually its name is connected to Greece. It used to be called simply Macedonia but the Greeks protested since they have a region close by called Macedonia and they thought this was confusing. So a bit of a dust up occurred with the Greek’s winning.
North Macedonia it became.
The guides we talked to scoffed at the change and said, “We’ll never call our country that.”
We didn’t have much time in North Macedonia, but I really enjoyed the visits we made.
Ohrid
Most notable is Ohrid, a National Heritage Site, situated on Lake Ohrid, a large inland lake that is actually has shoreline on two countries. North Macedonia and Albania. Our boat captain says he goes freely between both countries via water and never shows a passport. I’m not sure that is legal.
I liked Ohrid. We saw some beautiful frescos there dating to 11th Century.
There’s a stand out church on a beautiful point . We photographed from several directions including from a boat on the water.
And what interested me the most were the houses that as the inhabitants became wealthier, they added a floor that extends out over the first floor. Sometimes more than one floor was added.
This made for fun photography and inspired the local outdoor lamps.
Skopje
The other major town we enjoyed in North Macedonia was Skopje, a a good spot for flying out at the end of the tour. I thought it was fun.
Speaking of planes, I wondered what this is all about. I think my grand son named Jet would like this street.
We meandered around, enjoying lots of sculptures and window reflections in a city called The Capital of Kitsch. I liked the reflections in the puddles and windows. Shadows always draw my eye. I’m not sure what to make of some of the sculptures.
I am always drawn to photographing brides as did a little person with her cell phone.
There were lots of impressive buildings and reflections of buildings. But what amused me the most was the way facades were built over old Communist style buildings to create a more impressive frontage. If you look closely you can see this.
This trip was organized by Fantastic Photo Tours.
Here are several upcoming exhibitions where I’m thrilled to be showing my work.
April 1-May 29, 2025
Photograph: Big Red Shoes
Exhibition: Walking
Dates: April 1- May 29, 2025
Location: Glen Arbor Arts Center
Comments
2 CommentsMarie
Apr 7, 2025Great photos of another interesting place!
And…congratulations on exhibits…love the image of Big Red Shoes!
Susan J. Smith
Apr 7, 2025Thank you, Marie. I appreciate your comment.