So, once again I have to change my plans:

My first idea was to cycle down South in Albania, till Tirana, then East, via Greece to Turkey:

I changed for the first time, dropping Tirana, and going north, to Kosovo, for a meeting which would not happen.

From Pristina, I could have gone straight east, via Serbia, than Bulgaria, but I got I very useful hint, not to do so:

Why?

Well, to enter Serbia direct from Kosovo is not a good idea: As the Serbs do not recognize Kosovo as an independent country, but as a part of Serbia still, they might ask for a Serb entrance tampon in my passport. Which of course I do not have. So, I will have entered Serbia illegally! This sounds crazy, but it is not a joke at all. I got the hint from the Luxembourgish head of mission for Cooperation and Development, M Weber. And the misadventure happened to a friend of his, who spent one day in jail!

So: Go South, to Macedonia.

On my route down there, I took some photos here and there.
Also from the Greek military base.
And got arrested straight away.
It took me a while to explain that I am not a spy…
When finally things were arranged, one soldier asked me: “Where do you go now?”
“To Macedonia”
Oops!
“Don’t say that again, or I kill you”
I hope he didn’t mean it…..

Skopje, the capital of “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” as one must say politically correctly, is not an inspiring city. Same as Pristina, it has no real Centre with nice buildings and so on, only a big centre square, with ugly buildings around.

The next day, when I ask for help to get out of the city, I hear: “Do you want to go to Aracinovo? Are you crazy? It is very dangerous there”

Again!

So, even here, despite the fact that Macedonia was the only Republic leaving Yugoslavia without war, there was fighting. In 2001 the Macedonians and the Albanians from UCK killed each other in Aracinovo.

Well, it was on my route, so I go, and, amongst destroyed houses I pass the village with no problem.

I stop for the night in Kriva Palanka, 20km from the Bulgarian border.

Nice town! Only one hotel. Only one guest (Me!) .
Nice price as well: 15 Euros, including dinner and breakfast.
For that price I did not want to complain about the cold shower, and the door I couldn’t lock.

In the evening I discussed for hours with Blaze Stanojkovski,  a young Macedonian who explained me their situation:

In the West: Albania: Not really the best friends.

Clockwise then, in the North: Kosovo, wit their Albanians: really not the best friends.

North-East: Serbia: No more friends

East: Bulgaria: They pretend, Macedonia should be part of Bulgaria. Not very friendly.

East: Greece: Definitely no friends: because of that stupid name issue, things go worse and worse.

As he said. It is not easy to be a Macedonian these days….

UCK cimetery in Kosovo

Polish KFOR troops at the Makedonian border

Destruction in Aravinovo

Kriva Palanka