Valley of Stone Dolls & Ancient Observatory

Yes, it's another blog post in which I'd like to emphasize that Macedonia has much to offer and is a safe place to visit. I hope you don't get bored with it. :) It seems to me that this country isn't sufficiently appreciated by foreigners.

As some of you know, I really love hiking and spending time in the mountains enjoying the scenery. That's why I was captivated by this place. 

The pictures present an Ancient Observatory which is located near the Kokino village. It's a hill that could be used as a perfect place for observing the movement of the Sun and the Moon. Moreover, there were found some objects from the Middle Bronze Age.

Even if it takes about 10 minutes to go to the top of the hill (it's more a walk than climbing), the landscape is stunnig! I liked also the shape of all these rocks. ;)

While talking about rocks, there is another quite unusual place - a stone town, located about 55 km from Kokino. These rocks are naturally formed and at the first sight, there is nothing speciaI about them. During our visit in this ''town'', we had an opportunity to hear the legend, which has totally changed our perception of this place.

There are different versions of the story, but I want to tell you only one of them. Once upon a time, there was a man who was undecided. It was hard for him to choose between two women. He didn't know which of two women he should marry. For this reason, he decided to  marry each woman on the same day, but at different times. When the first wedding was taking places, another woman wanted to see this ceremony and a young couple. As she saw her future husband with another woman, she turned them into stone.

These stone blocks are called ''dolls'', because according to the story, they are reminiscent of human figures - wedding guests. Of course, the scientits have their own explanation of this phenomenon, but I think that this one is more pleasurable. ;) 

Skopje - part 2

The first word that comes to my mind when I think about Skopje is monument. The reason is very simple. The capital of Macedonia is full of monuments, especially statues. It seemed to me that there were .... everywhere. It wasn't easy to count them, so I don't know how many statues are there and what's more, I can't find any information on the Internet.

 

 

   A little bit of history: 

• Almost 80% of the city was severely damaged by the earthquake in 1963. Tens of thousands of people were left  homeless. The rebuilding of the capital was largely completed by 1980.  

• Thirty years later, in 2010, the Government of the Republic of Macedonia has decided to give Skopje a new, classical look. There were two main purposes of the project called Skopje 2014 (it was meant to be finished in 2014) : to attract more tourists and to present the most famous people from Macedonia, and in general the history of the country. It's worth noting that this project has cost more than EUR 500 million.

There is no doubt that the new look of the city brings visitors, but a lot of local people says that Skopje became the city of kitsch. Moreover, many Macedonians state that it's a waste of money. Bearing in mind that many of them live in poverty, it's true.  Sasha ( if you want to find out who he is, read my previous post :) ) told me that for example a signle student room in Skopje costs about € 70 per month and it's a big expense for many people.

Nevertheless, from my perspective, the result of the project is really surprising and impressive in some way. Sometimes, walking around the city, a tourist can feel a bit overwhelmed by all these monuments, but on the other hand it's an unparalleled view. 

Obviously, it was impossible to take pictures of all the buildings and statues, so I put here only some of them. ;)

Not everyone knows that Skopje is a hometown of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who was a catholic missionary. To commemorate her presence in the town, there was built the Mother Teresa Memorial House.

It's a modern version of her birth house. In the same time, it has a sacral character, because a part of her relics is kept inside. There is also a museum and a chapel.

In different parts of the city, tourists can find some of her thoughts like for example:

It's just impossible to describe this city in only two blog posts, I showed you only a part of Skopje. However, there are also other amazing places to visit in Macedonia. :)

The next stop

I'm finding it very difficult to write something about the next place that I've visited. There are a lot of thoughts going through my mind. Although I spent there only three days, this experience will remain engraved in my memory forever. I realized once again that it's hard to predict what might happen during each journey.

I'd like to present to you a person who has left a memorable impact on me. I saw him on the street in the capital of Macedonia, Skopje. We couldn't find the way to our hotel (even GPS had a problem with it ;) ) so I decided to ask someone about it. Sasha was sitting with his friends in front of the grocery store. It was he who came to us to offer his help. From the very beginning of our conversation, he was really kind, but of course, there was nothing surprising about this. Eventually, he said that he led us to this place (by the way, it was located in another part of the city). I didn't want to bother him, so I refused his proposition.

The next morning, Sasha was waiting for me near to our apartment. It was an unexpected meeting. It turned out that the (hotel) owner was his friend. We started talking about my first impressions of the city. Then, describing himself as a patriot, he suggested that he could be our guide. Without going into details, at this point, I'd emphasise that he was one of the most helpful and unselfish person that I've ever met. We were completely surprised by his behavior. I just couldn't believe that someone wanted to help us without hoping for something in return. To be clear, I'm aware of the fact that there are a lot of good people around. However, I get the feeling that nowadays, for some people, money, success, career are more important than relationships. The meeting with Sasha reminded me that there were still some selfless people.

We spent together almost 2 days,  exploring the city, talking about history, culture and daily life of the Macedonians. It was the best history lesson I've ever had. Below, as usual, I put some photos taken during our trips.

Panoramic view of Skopje from Vodno mountain

Skopje Fortress

At first sight, it's rather a inconspicuous building, as shown in the picture below. I mean that it's quite common to see this type of churches in Macedonia.  In the same time, it's worth pointing out that the church was constructed in 12th century. Inside, you can admire the frescoes, which are outstanding examples of the Byzantine Art. Even if the church was damaged by an earthquake in the 16th century, some of the frescoes have been repainted. 

Church of St. Panteleimon

The left picture shows one of the streets in the Old Bazaar. It's a typical local and a little bit crowded market.

On the right, you can see an iconostasis, located in the Church of Holy Salvation. It's a small church so it can easily be overlooked. There is no dobut that it's one of the most splendid examples of the traditional Macedonian woodcraving. It's absolutely worth seeing. This masterpiece presents a lot of commonly known biblical scenes, figures from the flora and fauna or various geometrical ornaments.
Moreover, there are still some old frescoes visible on the walls.

It's the first part of the story and one of some memorable meetings. In my next post, I'd like to present you another part of Skopje.

Budapest!

Unfortunately all good things come to an end. It's time to return to reality and Poznań. :) For me, every holiday season is a great opportunity to create some unforgettable memories. For this reason, during these three months I decided not only to work, but also to visit some new places. There is no doubt that all my working experiences were positive. However, in my today's blog post I'd like to share with you one of my recent travel experiences.

Before my trip, while browsing a lot of different websites, I came across some lists of truly amazing/unbeliveable/surreal/breathtaking places to visit before I die. I'm sure that you all know what I' m talking about. I'm aware that all of them are worth-seeing but in the same time, I wanted to make one of my dreams come true and visit at least three capitals. That was how I found myself frist in Budapest and then in the Balkans.

As I said, our first stop was Budapest. I've heard so many good things about this city and I wasn't disappointed at all. What's more, I really fell in love with the city and I'd like to come back there as soon as possible to see Budapest at night once again. It's such a charming view. :)

Of course, there are plenty of guidebooks with practical tips and useful information, recommended places and so on, but there is especially one thing that I love about travel. 
Each trip gives a perfect opportunity to explore the culture of a nation from another perspective, I mean, from your own perspective.You have a chance to confront and combat different stereotypes, but I'd like to raise this subject in another blog post.

As usual, I put here some photos I took during my trip. Most of them show popular tourist attractions and monuments, but there is no doubt that you can find something more in Budapest.

It's quite a popular destination, so I'm sure that some of you have visited this city. What was your first impression of Hungary's capital?

 

Jelonek

May was the month of students' festivals called Juwenalia. It was a great opportunity to participate in some amazing concerts.

During the festival organized by the Poznan University of Technology, I took part in the concert of Michał Jelonek. It was one of the best concerts I have ever been to. For this reason, I decided to write something about Jelonek and his music, which I really enjoy.

He is a Polish composer, also known as Jelonek, who specializes in violin. In his compositions combines different music genres like for example classical music, rock, pop, heavy metal, folk or even hard rock. It's an interesting combination, isn't it?

He released his first solo album in 2007 and he was formerly known as a member of a band called Hunter. He has performed over 1600 concerts in many different places in the world.

There are no lyrics in his pieces of music. You are in some way forced to listen to the instruments to discover what is the song about and what it means to you, how it makes you feel.

Here is one of my favorite compositions By the way, it sounds even better live than on album. :)

Vilnius

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to visit at least three European capitals. I am happy to say that I have achieved my goal in less than five months. That makes me feel more motivated and I strongly believe that I can reach also other aims. :)

 

So, it's time to write something about the third capital I visited. This trip was unplanned. It means that I had no intention to visit Lithuania (at least in the near future).. I think that sometimes it is good to travel with absolutely no plans and to make spontaneous decisions (which doesn't mean that this rule refers to all areas of life). One thing travelling always reminds me is how many places the world has to explore. It's also a great way to learn something about other cultures, people but especially about ourselves. For me, traveling isn't conected only with watching charming views, visiting places of historic interest, eating local dishes. Sometimes it gives an opportunity to experience something totally different.

Although I spent only one day in Vilnius, I vistied the most popular places, I met some interesting people and I have some funny stories to tell.  However, I would like to concentrate on historical monuments. 

Below I want to present some photos with a short description, enjoy!

 

  The Gate of Dawn - one of the most important religious, historical and cultural monuments.

 

The Gediminas' Tower on the left (the remaining part of the Upper Castle) and the new city center of Vilnius.

 

One of the streets in the Old Town of Vilnius and a place related to Polish culture.

The Rain Queen

I read this book for the first time a few years ago. There is no doubt that it's one of the books that has left a big impression on me. I was really captivated by this story. I think that it's worth pointing out that the book is based on real experiences.

The author of the book titled The Rain Queen is an Australian writer - Katherine Scholes. She was born in Tanzania (Africa) where her parents were missionaries. She spent most of her childhood there. Then she left Africa and she moved first to England and then to Tasmania. All of her books have been translated into numerous languages. However, it seems to me that these books aren't popular in Poland.

Generally speaking the plot focuses on two women. Both of them are connected in some way with Africa. Kate's parents, missionaries, were murdered during their stay in Tanzania. Kate was just a small child when it happened. This event has changed all her life. She wants to forget about all the painful memories and she starts a new life.

But one day a mysterious woman Annah moves in next door. She has a secret and wants to tell her version of the story associated with Kate's childhood.

I particulary like the way the author describes Africa. It's no longer a distant place on a map. The reader has the opportunity to discover many interesting things and details about this continent. You can experience a lot of emotions while reading this book and feel like you're there.