Day 28-30 - Lazy days in Skopje - No More Taxi Drivers

February 12, 2015

Day 28-30 - Lazy days in Skopje

Skopje turned out to be a wonderful mess of a city. Macedonians call the city centre Disneyland, though after seeing it I'm not entirely sure why.

It's a jumble of monuments, statues, bridges, offices, cafes, and museums, placed somewhat haphazardly and each one done in a different style--and scale, as an architect pointed out. A total mess, but in a quirky way. Trees in the river (for once, not because of flooding), sculptures watching fishermen, a giant statue of a man in a chair--directly beside a tiny statue of a man standing, museums and bridges that suggest the government's financial priorities don't involve the citizens, questionable Mother Teresa quotes on plaques everywhere. And they're still building.

Lots of cyclists shunning the dysfunctional bike lanes in favour of riding the wrong way down the street. I did the same when I took my bike in for service. New chain, and I splurged on a new cassette to see if the slightly lower gearing will make a difference. I had to buy new cleats (no spare parts, apparently) because when I was in the mountains I lost a screw on one shoe and shattered the plate between the screws and the cleat on the other. Bought yet another pump, one that can inflate my tires properly without leaking--finally. The brakes, I think, will survive a few more days.

There are a dozen different architectural styles in this photo. Can you spot them all?

A museum exhibit about destroyed museum exhibits. Awesome.

Climbing an old church bell tower on the grounds of an old mosque.

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