On the penultimate day of our long journey we move back to Skopje in Northern Macedonia. From Skopje, we will then fly to Bratislava the next day, ending our two and a half week Balkan tour.
Skopje
Our bus leaves the international bus station at 8am. Therefore, we leave the still sleeping hostel around seven o'clock. It is about a 20-minute walk from the hostel to the train station. We arrive at our destination with a reserve, which we use to spend our last Albanian money at a nearby bistro for a fresh snack. The bus tickets were bought online through GetByBus and although I always have my doubts about this online booking in the Balkans, the driver obviously already knew about us and the check-in was seamless. So we had an eight hour long journey ahead of us. Our first stop was about two hours later at a rest stop outside the village of Librazhd (named Nogu on the webside www.Mapy.cz).
Tirana - International Bus Station
Nogu resting place
After a break, there is a serpentine ascent to the Qafë Thanë border point, located at an altitude of about 1000 m above sea level. Compared to the sloppy inspection at the entrance to Albania, the Albanian exit inspection is surprisingly much more honest. The bus is pulled aside into a garage where we are forced to remove all our luggage, which is then searched. Presumably to see if we are carrying drugs. Why the Albanians are checking and not the Macedonians is not clear to me. I have my moment of fear when the customs officer pulls a bag of white powder out of my hygiene bag, which was originally solid soap from the hotel that had been crushed over the several trips. He sniffed and acknowledged that it was soap and let me through.
Climb to the Qafë Thanë border point
They didn't arrest anyone and let us in. On the Macedonian side, they just checked our passports and without any further delays with bullshit, we could continue. The first stop was Ohrid, followed by the classic stop after Kichev, at a place called Straža, and to our misfortune, a stop in Tetovo. We arrive in hot Skopje exhausted, fifteen minutes late. With such a long journey, every extra minute is an ordeal.
In Skopje, the temperature record is falling again and it is really to die for. We take our stuff and go to the old town, where we have a reservation in the already proven motel Atika. Here we take a quick shower and head out to make the most of the city in daylight. Before the actual sightseeing, we take out an ATM to have enough for tomorrow's ride to the airport and dinner, which we're heading straight for, that is, except for Patrick and Aly who want to explore the historic city first. Those of us who are left go to the tried-and-true restaurant Tavče Gravče, where Žanet and I order what else but pljeskavica, which I was quite looking forward to after the Albanian fast. Of course, the pljeskavica couldn't miss the Chopped salad.
Skopje - Old Town
Patrik and Ala join us during the meal and after a hearty dinner we all go for a tour of the city centre. We head to the bridge over the Vardar River to the statue of Alexander of Macedonia. However, crossing the bridge is again impossible without begging Roma children, strangely similar to the ones that were bothering us on our last visit.
Skopje - Old Town
Skopje - The Macedonian Square
Skopje - Statue of Alexander the Macedonian
Then our years lead us up to the Skopje Fortress, which we catch together with a view of the city before sunset. However, that's all we manage in daylight. We return to the old town, where we are intrigued by a shop selling Turkish sweets, where we make a solid spending spree. We for teas and the others for sweets and similar goods. The vendors are friendly and give us a taste of the local range as soon as we arrive. Their sweets are too sweet and sticky for me, so Janet and I just take a box of loose black tea. Since Patrik and Aala haven't eaten yet, they head over to Tavche Gravche and we join them in sitting down for our last money over a beer. That concludes the day.
Skopje - Skopje Fortress
Skopje - Skopje Fortress
Skopje - Night Old Town
The following day
In the morning we pack up and slowly walk out to the Holiday Inn hotel, where the shuttle bus to the airport leaves. Compared to our last visit, we didn't make a reservation through Wizz air and wanted to buy the ticket on the spot. We ended up paying for it when we got off the bus at the airport. We are going to check in straight away as the covid restrictions may cause a problem for Patrick who has not completed his vaccinations. Slovakia at the time required two doses of covid or a negative antigen test. Of course, this did not apply to transfers within 24 hours. That's what we were counting on for him, and that's what we ran into. They didn't care that we were going straight on to the Czech Republic, because the flight was their destination and not a transit. This meant that Patrick had to have an antigen test, which could be arranged before entering the airport, but there was a solid queue and a bit of a struggle with time. While Patrick waited for his test, the queue at the obstacle multiplied many times over. So the girls lined up behind him at the check-in line and took turns so he could go check in right away and not get stuck in this long line. Thanks to this strategy, we made it all in time with a margin and we leave North Macedonia complete.
Skopje - Holiday Inn
The flight passed quickly and without any drama. The same passport control in Slovakia, where we enjoyed the legendary 100 meter ride through the airport buses. But the drama started again at baggage claim when my backpack didn't arrive. The problem was that it was getting close to the departure time of the last bus that was still catching our train for our departure home. With all the bags gone and the belt no longer running, I go to the lost luggage desk to ask where my backpack is. There, I learn that the experts had unloaded it on the oversized baggage belt at the far end of the check-in hall. There it was, of course, and with it another surprise. I had trekking poles attached to the side, which were now broken. Deja vu from the flight to Bulgaria and the Slovakian airport owed me a third pair of trekking poles. By the way, these were also new. Anger at the Slovaks must go as I have about 5 minutes before my bus misses. I sprint across the green customs zone hoping they won't still hassle me here and sprint for the bus. I make it and everything works out fine.
I throw the broken parts of the sticks in the trash and we go to the train. Before Breclav, we learn that there is a suicide on the line to Brno and the train will take a diversion via Olomouc, but we need to get to Brno, where we have to change trains to Ostrava (the others are going to MB). So we are forced to get off at Breclav and wait an hour for the first train to Ostrava, which will be delayed on the way from Vienna. This is the end of our journey through the Balkans. I would definitely forgive myself for the long crossings next time, which are unavoidable in Albania, but it is better to spread it over several days. Slovenia did not disappoint again and we must definitely visit Albania at least once more. If Albania also appeals to you, get out there soon before it gets overrun and spoiled by mass tourism.
Useful links:
Official Czech Railways website
Bratislava public transport website
Official Wizzair website
Bus timetable from the airport to Skopje
Atika Motel website at www.booking.com
Bus Finder in the Balkans
