Skopje - Stobi Archaeological Site - Ohrid

I wake at 04:00 from a sleep permeated by strange dreams, and struggle to get back to sleep again afterwards. We are the firsts guests in the breakfast restaurant at 07:00, where there is a huge choice from the buffet.

I pick a roll with meat and egg, whereas David chooses cereal followed by egg, sausage, tomato and potato.

Skopje Sightseeing

As we opted out of the city sightseeing a few days ago when we were both feeling rather sorry for ourselves, Vladimir has arranged for us to make a quick tour with a guide before leaving the city this morning. We pick up a young girl named Neshana, which she tells us means ‘snow white’, for a drive-by tour of Skopje.

At the first junction, Vladimir turns left without looking, right in front of a taxi, who is obviously not at all happy about it, and lets us know by sounding his horn angrily for several seconds.

The Fortress

The National Theatre

The 2014 Project is a government and arts society plan to create and erect 400 sculptures and statues in the city.

Church of Saint Demetrius

Some more impressions of Skopje:

We take a coffee break in a quirky pedestrianised area.

Some interesting mosaics in a predominantly Muslim city

Neshana makes a new friend

After we drop off Neshana to go back to her job at the National Museum, Vladimir has a very close encounter with a person on a pedestrian crossing, and has to make another emergency stop, this time hurting my back in the process. There is also a lot of hooting from other displeased motorists as he straddles two lanes almost everywhere in town.

Stobi Archaeological Site

Once the capital of the kingdom of ancient Paeonia, and later becoming a Roman city, the ruins of Stobi are still being actively excavated today, with the earliest parts believed to date back to the 2nd Century BC. Only about 20% of the city has been excavated to date.

Today Stobi houses a wealth of ancient ruins, including the remains of palaces, baths, streets, temples and a 2nd century AD theatre. The theatre was used for gladiator and venatorial fights, as well as theatre performances, with a capacity of 7600 spectators. Towards the end of the 4th century AD, the theatre was abandoned and used as a source of building materials.

The impressive theatre

The Baptistry is a round quatrefoil structure decorated with fresco paintings on the walls and a mosaic floor illustrating the 41st Psalm of David. In the middle there is a circular piscine covered with a baldachin supported by six pairs of marble columns.

More images looking down on the very impressive mosaics:

Apart from the on-site archaeologists, we have the place to ourselves. As we wander around what used to be a bustling city, I try to imagine what it looked like in those days. I find it quite overwhelming and very humbling to think that people walked these exact streets some 2000 years or more ago.

Me sitting on the foldable stool that Vladimir kindly carries around for me, reading one of the many signs (which are in both Macedonian and English)

Blood red poppies grow everywhere, giving the site such a peaceful appearance

The Theodosian Palace
Built in the 4th century, and named after Emperor Theodosius I who visited Stobi in June 388AD.

The building consists of an open courtyard with a pool, enclosed on three sides by corridors and rooms paved with mosaics.

Ohrid

If you have read my Balkans blog from the start, you will know that this whole trip was based around Ohrid. North Macedonia is – or rather was – the only country in Europe we have not visited, and Ohrid has been on my travel bucket list for some time now. During a search online for a short break in Ohrid, I ‘accidentally’ booked a 24-day tour of the Balkans covering five countries. But Ohrid is, and always has been, the main reason we are taking this trip.

Nova Riviera Hotel

After settling in to the hotel, we grab a quick beer and something to eat before setting out to explore the town.

The hotel is near one end of the lake-side promenade - view from our room

Chicken fingers with mustard sauce

Described as chicken with gorgonzola sauce, it is more like a risotto, and very tasty

We stroll the length of the promenade until we get to the Old Town. That’s enough walking for me today. Thankfully there are several benches where I can sit if my back suffers too much from the slow walking.

Resting before turning back

Our hotel in the background with all the glass windows

Thank you to Undiscovered Destinations for arranging this 2025 Balkan Adventure