Macedonia with the Boys!

I really cannot help myself but to post a traditional title "with the boys" for our legendary trips in the Balkans. Also note there is a post category called "Boys week" on the right side menu, which will filter out all the historical multi-day adventures with more or less the same boys!

This year we decided to go for a Balkan classic - starting in the Rila mountains (Bulgaria) where we finished off exactly two years ago. We then continued across the border to Macedonia, a country which is culturally diverse and geographically rugged. The biggest mountain range stands on the west, stretching from the capital Skopje towards the Ohrid lake on the border with Albania. A big portion of the mountains fall under the Mavrovo national park, while the highest peak is Korab. Not known to many, but this was actually the second highest peak in former Yugoslavia (right after Triglav in Slovenia). In addition, smaller mountain pockets are sporadically distributed across the country. This year we were really not lucky with the weather, but still we managed to squeeze three ski-touring trips and even more important, enjoyed quality time with the boys. The trip map and a few snapshots below.

We took advantage of stable weather in the first days and capitalized a round trip across Malovitca (2738m), booking 25km and finishing in pitch darkness:

Lonely Plenet mentioned "there is not much to see" in Kyustendil, and since Artač is a big fan of such cities, we had to make a short stop before crossing the border with Macedonia. In the end this common Bulgarian city rewarded our visit with a cheap and authentic lunch, draft beer and as you see on the photos below, a few tourist attractions also:

The last day in Bulgaria was cloudy and cold, but after passing the border the skies cleared up and we were welcomed with warm Macedonian sun. This was rather expected as the sun is strongly promoted on their national flag. After a few kilometers, Artač asked his rhetorical and (by now) legendary question: "I wonder what is hiding in this valley?" Before anybody could respond, we were already ascending south and passing deserted mining facilities. When Leon woke up, he could not completely comprehend this ad hoc ski-touring situation. After about 15 minutes, we were already ascending towards Ruen (2251m) and quickly found out that the lead mining in the mountain is far from being deserted. Even though most of the trip was completed in darkness, the mountain gave us the best skiing of the trip: 

Macedonia is full of cozy monasteries which played a crucial role in preserving Christianity during the long period of Muslim dominance:

Skopje is a city of paradox - the center is completely renovated with spectacular monuments which are suppose to revive the "Macedonian" heritage. You can find the Muslim quarters (Čaršija) just a few minutes away. Naturally we spent a longer time in Čaršija and enjoyed traditional pies (burek) and countless sweets such as Trileče, Baklava and Rice puding:

The next day we drove to the Mavrovo national park, and as the weather was looking slightly more promising, we decided to attach Korab (2764) - the highest mountain in the country. After overcoming a long and rocky road, we made a nice ski touring trip, but due to bad weather we did not reach the summit. No problem, we have to leave something for next time:

We then continued towards the south and finally reached Orhid, a very historical town and lake protected under Unesco heritage:

We spent the last day in Bitola, a lively city with a slightly Greek atmosphere. The city has a long and spectacular walking street, which is very unusual for the Balkans. We celebrated the success of our trip by a long night drinking in one of the local pubs. Obligatory morning burek to gear up for a long drive back to Ljubljana:

Although the weather was not really cooperating, the trip had other emphasis and we could really absorb the Macedonian culture and most important - free our Balkan soul.