Why Macedonia?: The question all our friends are asking....
We have been trying to get to Macedonia for a few years. When we say we are planing a trip there, the first question from most people is "WHY???", then a vague placement of the country somewhere vaguely Balkan. So here's some of our answers in potted form.
Macedonia is one of the Balkan states that used to be within Yugoslavia - hence its 'official' name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) used by the UN, NATO etc because of a naming dispute with Greece. It has no coast line, but a couple of big, old, deep lakes. They use the Cyrillic alphabet, which was formalised by St Clement of Ohrid in the 10th C. in what is now Macedonia (although part of a Bulgarian empire at the time).
Why travel in Macedonia?
- History: it's complicated. Waves of imperialism by Greeks, Romans, Persians, Byzantines, Bulgarians, Normans, Ottomans, Serbians and finally absorbtion into Yugoslavia has left layers of influence that are entertaining to unravel. Makes a place interesting.
- Culture and politics: it's complicated. Although the majority of the population is Macedonian (~65%), about 25% are Albanian and there are also areas with large Turk and Serbian populations. Also a decent number of Roma and Vlachs. The demographic map of the country is like a patchwork quilt. Makes a place interesting. How do they negotiate language, religion and cultural differences? Approximately 2/3rd of the country (i.e. the Macedonians) identify as Christian (Eastern Orthodox) with the remaining 1/3 as Muslim.
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- Mountains, lakes and streams: Macedonia has some lovely scenery! Who doesn't like a nice mountain range or drink of cold fresh spring water...
- Food: Think grilled meats, lots of salads (tomato, eggplant, capsicum and cucumber), cheeses, bean and meat stews, cabbage rolls and stuffed vine leaves, burek and pide style pastries, baklava style sweets; sour cherry juice; plus lots of wines, beers and other stronger drinks! So 'balkan' but with some distinctive Macedonian twists. We have a favourite Macedonian restaurant in Sydney, so had some familiarity with the food which piqued our interest in the country itself.
- Music: Macedonian traditional music is quite distinctive, with lots of complex rhythms (such as 11/16 with different patterns of 2s and 3s groupings). The гајда (bagpipes) make an awesome sound and there are other reed instruments, accordians, guitars and drums typically involved. We heard Macedonian music on one of the 'multicultural' radio stations in Sydney years ago and have wanted to visit the country ever since.
- There are lots of Macedonians from today's Macedonia but also from current-day Greece (Aegean Macedonians) living in Sydney. Including my father's secretary for many years, my dentist... so Macedonia is not somewhere I have 'never heard of'.
- It's small. We only have 3 weeks to explore.
That's enough reasons I suspect.
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