# From the Balkans to the Caucasus (Belgrade to Yerevan)



## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

*FROM THE BALKANS TO THE CAUCASUS (BELGRADE TO YEREVAN)*

Hi there to whoever is interested in this thread. It's a chronicle of a trip i took, as it says in the title, starting in Belgrade and ending in Yerevan. I only used ground transportation, mostly because budget constrains and masochism, i guess, the distances being quite considerable.
My route was: Belgrade - Niš - Skopje - Bitola - Ohrid - Sofia - Plovdiv - Istanbul - Ankara - Batumi - Tbilisi - Gori - Yerevan - Khor Virap - Garni - Geghard.
The return trip included a couple of more days in Istanbul and a bus trip to Craiova,Romania, a 130 km taxi ride to Turnu-Severin and a bus ride to Timisoara.


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

*Starting point, waiting for the train to Vrsac,Serbia at 5 in the morning*


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

*my hostel in belgrade just across the street from the train and bus stations*










*belgrade train station*


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

*heading out to find Tito's mausoleum*

















































































*Times long gone...*































*Cathedral of Saint Sava, the largest in the Balkans, dedicated to Saint Sava, founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church. It's built on the Vračar plateau, on the location where his remains were burned in 1595 by the Ottomans*











*one of serbia's biggest football teams, Partizan Beograd*







































*
after getting lost a few times and going in a circle, i finally found Tito's mausoleum, the House of Flowers*


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

*the mausoleum*


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

*medal from the first modern era Olympic Games, held in Athens in 1896, shown here inside the "25th of May" Museum, part of the Museum of Yugoslav History *

































*a small gathering of socialist-era appliances *

































































*got to love the propaganda photos*














































































































*the other big name in Serbian football, Red Star Belgrade (Crvena zvezda Beograd)*


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

*
The internal part of the church is still unfinished, although building of the cathedral began way back in 1935. The work stopped after the invasion of Yugoslavia and the bombing of Belgrade in 1941. The unfinished site was mostly used as a parking lot or storage by the nazis and soviets. Work resumed in 1985 and while the exterior is finished, work is still going on inside*


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## blumd6587 (Dec 12, 2012)

Beautiful


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

*
The building on the left is the 101 meter high Beograđanka*


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## tigot (Jun 8, 2010)

Absolutely amazing photos of Belgrade! You found some great perspectives from which to photograph the city. :cheers:

Can't wait to see more of Belgrade and the rest of your trip. Can I ask how long your entire trip took?


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

Thank you! The trip took about 3 weeks. I originaly planned it a bit longer but i ran out of time and money.


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)




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## tigot (Jun 8, 2010)

Was this your first time in Belgrade? What were your impressions of the city? As a foreigner who has been here for 7 years, Belgrade is nothing new for me so I like to hear others thoughts.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Interesting and very nice photos from Belgrade


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

It wasn't my first time in the city. I really enjoy walking around Belgrade, i like the fact that for an ex-socialist country, the city's central area, the core isn't filled with the typical communist era type buildings, like for example Bucharest or Sofia. Here they are confined mostly to Novi Beograd. Instead it has many inter-war period architecture which blends in very well with the more modern one. A very important element in the city's vibe is the Kalemegdan fortress and it's position overlooking the rivers,creating a great atmosphere, and the surrounding park. And the nightlife of the city is well known around Europe. The hostels I stayed in were always full with people coming to party in Belgrade for a few days.
And i also like getting lost walking around Skadarlija, finding some small place where there aren't any tourists or cafes, just some beautiful old crumbling buildings. And the recently finished Ada bridge also adds something new to the cityscape.
*
*

*
*


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

thanks christos:cheers:


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

*The Palace Albanija, the first highrise building in Belgrade and for a long time the highest one*


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## B~G (Oct 13, 2012)

Amazing photos, great job!
:applause:


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## Sawovsky (Oct 7, 2008)

Your photos are brilliant! :cheers:


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

*thanks a lot:nuts:, i hope you enjoy the rest as well*


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

*The Courthouse*


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## AnOldBlackMarble (Aug 23, 2010)

aldo_moro said:


> I agree with both of you.I know i'm posting a bit too many photos at once,but at the same time there are many left and that's why i'm rushing it a bit, cause it would take way too long.


I actually like it when it takes longer. Post only when you have time, a few pitures, maybe some descriptions or notes, and it doesn't matter how long it takes. If you post all your pictures at once, and then you stop posting, the thread will die. It will end up buried at the back. Nobody visits inactive threads. I've been visiting this site now for over two years, and I love old threads that are still going. Sometimes I'll go a week or two without visiting at all. So when I come back some threads that get posted too much I simply can't keep up with. But old threads with a few new pictures every week, are more interesting, because I'm always curious to see what is next. 

Anyway, I guess we all have our preferences. But non the less still great pictures.


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## AnOldBlackMarble (Aug 23, 2010)

I just noticed your signature below. There great threads you have there, but they are dead. No one has visited them since July and August. hno: They are just buried at the back. What's the point then. You are better off posting one picture a day, a few a week, and do this for as long as you have pictures. This way your thread will go on for years. :cheers: And who knows who you'll meet and what attention you might draw to yourself as a photographer. But like this it is as if they never existed. 


-----------------------------
SUBOTICA - SERBIA'S NORTHERN LITTLE GEM

TIMISOARA - THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CITY IN ROMANIA

LVIV - LITTLE PARIS OF THE UKRAINE[/QUOTE]


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## undertaker89 (Nov 11, 2010)

Great thread! Greetings from Nis.:wave:


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

undertaker89 said:


> Great thread! Greetings from Nis.:wave:



hey, thanks a lot, hope you like the way your city looks through my lens:cheers:


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

AnOldBlackMarble said:


> I actually like it when it takes longer. Post only when you have time, a few pitures, maybe some descriptions or notes, and it doesn't matter how long it takes. If you post all your pictures at once, and then you stop posting, the thread will die. It will end up buried at the back. Nobody visits inactive threads. I've been visiting this site now for over two years, and I love old threads that are still going. Sometimes I'll go a week or two without visiting at all. So when I come back some threads that get posted too much I simply can't keep up with. But old threads with a few new pictures every week, are more interesting, because I'm always curious to see what is next.
> 
> Anyway, I guess we all have our preferences. But non the less still great pictures.





AnOldBlackMarble said:


> I just noticed your signature below. There great threads you have there, but they are dead. No one has visited them since July and August. hno: They are just buried at the back. What's the point then. You are better off posting one picture a day, a few a week, and do this for as long as you have pictures. This way your thread will go on for years. :cheers: And who knows who you'll meet and what attention you might draw to yourself as a photographer. But like this it is as if they never existed.
> 
> 
> -----------------------------
> ...


[/QUOTE]





yeah, you've got a point.thanks for the advice, i'll try to balance it out so that it's easier to have a good look at the photos before people scroll on.
hope you'll keep coming back to this thread!:cheers1:


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

*this row of socialist housing fascinated me*






















*
The Skull Tower,a monument to 19th century Serbian rebels. It lies on the old Constantinople Road leading to Sofia. The monument was built using the skulls of the Serbs killed by order of Sultan Mahmud II during the 1809 Battle of Čegar, during the First Serbian Uprising (1804-1813). The skulls were first sent filled with cotton to the Sultan in Istanbul. There were 952 skulls, but today only 58 have remained. The rest were removed to be buried or were lost. In 1892 a this chapel was built around the Tower and the skulls are situated inside.*


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Very powerful pictures. The sense of a region still living alongside its history are very palpable.

I think posts of about 10 - 20 pictures are about right! ( IMO)

Just do what feels right for you though!

Good job.


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## AnOldBlackMarble (Aug 23, 2010)

aldo_moro said:


> yeah, you've got a point.thanks for the advice, i'll try to balance it out so that it's easier to have a good look at the photos before people scroll on.
> hope you'll keep coming back to this thread!:cheers1:



I'm back keep'em going. I glanced at your other threads, and noticed how good they were but I did not have time to really look a them, but I will. :cheers:


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

openlyJane said:


> Very powerful pictures. The sense of a region still living alongside its history are very palpable.
> 
> I think posts of about 10 - 20 pictures are about right! ( IMO)
> 
> ...



thank you! yeah, that amount sounds about right.



AnOldBlackMarble said:


> I'm back keep'em going. I glanced at your other threads, and noticed how good they were but I did not have time to really look a them, but I will. :cheers:


hope you enjoy them as well


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

*some shots of the skulls*


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

Unfortunately i didn't have time to visit some places, like Tinker's Alley, the bohemian street and Mediana, where remains of the Roman imperial palace are found, the birthplace of Constantine the Great on the outskirts of the city. I had to run back and catch the bus heading to Macedonia, for which i already had a ticket


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## eklips (Mar 29, 2005)

Interesting thread and pictures. Belgrade reminds me a bit of Zagreb, which is normal given their proximity.


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## JloKyM (Mar 3, 2007)

Great thread. I'm waiting for more pics from other cities


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## bagercho (Feb 7, 2010)

Hey! What's happen with other pictures? I'm waiting for them :nuts:


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## vectom (Feb 19, 2009)

nice thread, keep it going whenever you have time.

as someone who have been in Armenia and Georgia multiple times so far, I can't wait seeing some photos from there. 

Report from Nis was somewhat limited (probably by your time) but quite fairly seen, not unneccesarly beautified but as seen as it is in reality, this kind of approach is something I like to see in photo reports on forums. Keep it going.


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## Kingofthehill (Jun 3, 2007)

Belgrade looks fantastic! A bit rough around the edges, to be sure, but there is some really amazing architecture there - much better than I had initially expected! Thanks for the lovely photos and unique angles!


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

eklips said:


> Interesting thread and pictures. Belgrade reminds me a bit of Zagreb, which is normal given their proximity.


There are similarities of course, but Zagreb has a bigger older core, including the lower town and the medieval Gradec with the beautiful St Mark's Square and the surrounding streets.



JloKyM said:


> Great thread. I'm waiting for more pics from other cities


thanks!other photos are on their way....



bagercho said:


> Hey! What's happen with other pictures? I'm waiting for them :nuts:


i bet you're waiting for the Sofia photos, they are coming after the Macedonian cities. in the meantime hope you enjoy these



vectom said:


> nice thread, keep it going whenever you have time.
> 
> as someone who have been in Armenia and Georgia multiple times so far, I can't wait seeing some photos from there.
> 
> Report from Nis was somewhat limited (probably by your time) but quite fairly seen, not unneccesarly beautified but as seen as it is in reality, this kind of approach is something I like to see in photo reports on forums. Keep it going.


Thank you:cheers:. yep, like i said i had to run to catch the bus going towards Skopje so i didn't have time to walk around and document it properly.but i shall return because i liked it a lot.



Kingofthehill said:


> Belgrade looks fantastic! A bit rough around the edges, to be sure, but there is some really amazing architecture there - much better than I had initially expected! Thanks for the lovely photos and unique angles!


Thank you Kingofthehill and yes Belgrade offers much for tourists, photographers or partygoers alike.


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

So on my way to Skopje, capital city of Macedonia, with about 500.000 inhabitants. With long history, tragic past, beautiful bazaar, gigantic reconstruction project, the city is a must for everyone visiting the region.
Being part of the Byzantine Empire, from 972 to 992 the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire, tossed back and forth between the Serbs and Bulgarians, eventually becoming the capital of the Serbian Empire in 1346. 
In 1392 it conquered by the Turks, giving way for 520 years of Ottoman domination, which still holds an influence on the city's architecture. The city got the name of Üsküb.
During the Albanian Revolt of 1912 the city was captured from the Turks. In 1912, the Kingdom of Serbia occupied Skopje, changing it's name to the Serbian Skoplje. After WWI it became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, halting the strong Bulgarian influences in the city.
During WWII, the city's Jewish population, numbering around 3000, was taken to Treblinka. The most talked about and (still!) visible problem of Skopje's recent history is the 1963 earthquake, which destroyed 80% of the buildings in the capital, giving way to socialist reconstruction, which does not do justice to the city. But a huge reconstruction program, called Skopje 2014 started, costing hundreds of millions of euros and having it's supporters and critics. Details about this later, here come the photos.....


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

*when you walk around too much....*





*at the border*


 



 



*some night shots*


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates; keep them coming :cheers:


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## marlonbasman (Apr 21, 2012)

it's great to see the Eastern Bloc through photos. There are lots of beautiful heritage buildings 
but those photos of skulls and bombed-out buildings really got me down.
Thanks though for sharing them.


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

christos-greece said:


> Great, very nice updates; keep them coming :cheers:


thanks, i will



marlonbasman said:


> it's great to see the Eastern Bloc through photos. There are lots of beautiful heritage buildings
> but those photos of skulls and bombed-out buildings really got me down.
> Thanks though for sharing them.


yes, Eastern Europe with its troubled past, mixed etnical regions can offer some beautiful architectural gems. from its initial humiliating purposes, the skulls actually became a proud reminder of the Serbian Uprising and the Serbian partisans who fought the Turks and were executed.
so, in a morbid way it's a positive reminder i guess.


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)




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## FoSsiL-mk (Jul 4, 2009)

Did you like Skopje?


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## Sawovsky (Oct 7, 2008)

marlonbasman said:


> it's great to see the Eastern Bloc through photos. There are lots of beautiful heritage buildings
> but those photos of skulls and bombed-out buildings really got me down.
> Thanks though for sharing them.


Yugoslavia was not the ''eastern bloc''.


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## bagercho (Feb 7, 2010)

Sawovsky said:


> Yugoslavia was not the ''eastern bloc''.


Dude, don't make me laugh :lol:


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## capricorn2000 (Nov 30, 2006)

Sawovsky said:


> Yugoslavia was not the ''eastern bloc''.


what I know is that upto the 80's/90's, the continent was divided into *western **Europe* (which include up north the Scandinavian countries, Germany, Austria down to Greece and west of these countries and the *Eastern **Europe* is the east side of the countries I mentioned which ar the communist/socialist countries.

BTW, nice thread though, I regularly check this.


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

While still being a communist state, it's safe to say that Yugoslavia was not part of the Eastern Bloc, only being under direct Soviet influence until 1948, when relations between Tito and Stalin broke down. Also never being a member of the Warsaw Pact, more so the Yugoslav Army was prepared for both a western (NATO) and eastern (Warsaw Pact) invasion. Relations between the two countries "normalized" after Stalin's death, but were never the same as in the first post war years.
Generally the term "Eastern Bloc" referred to the Soviet satellite states and members of the Pact.


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

FoSsiL-mk said:


> Did you like Skopje?



yep, Skopje came as a positive surprise to me. I loved the fact that it's not yet touristy, the bazaar is really nice and people were really friendly. Entrance to the fortress was closed, i don't know if it's because of restoration work or is it always closed, but maybe next time


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

*my hostel and the surrounding streets, which at first didn't look that welcoming when i arrived at night in pitch black*:lol:


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## Sawovsky (Oct 7, 2008)

bagercho said:


> Dude, don't make me laugh :lol:





capricorn2000 said:


> what I know is that upto the 80's/90's, the continent was divided into *western **Europe* (which include up north the Scandinavian countries, Germany, Austria down to Greece and west of these countries and the *Eastern **Europe* is the east side of the countries I mentioned which ar the communist/socialist countries.


communist country =/= eastern bloc.

Yugoslavia is one of the founders of non-aligment movement 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Aligned_Movement


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

*bilingual Macedonian and Albanian sign on the post office*

 



 



*at the train station*


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

*construction along the Vardar river*


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## tigot (Jun 8, 2010)

Cool pics of Belgrade, Nis and Skopje! Lovely! It's interesting to see Skopje now, I was there last in 2006. 

I'm especially looking forward to the pics of Georgia and Armenia. I have been wanting to visit those countries for many years now.


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## Mannesmann (Feb 22, 2012)

Nice and interesting tour, I must admit I am pretty impressed by Skopje, Belgrade has a great potential but it's a long way, I can't wait to see the rest of your enjoying trip!
For some folks over here I need to remind them that the Balkan region was dominated for centuries by the Otoman Empire with deep influences in everyday life and culture of the many people living there, from my point of view, these influences are bad but I hope, with the joining the EU, in the future we will see new faces of the Balkan region.


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

tigot said:


> Cool pics of Belgrade, Nis and Skopje! Lovely! It's interesting to see Skopje now, I was there last in 2006.
> 
> I'm especially looking forward to the pics of Georgia and Armenia. I have been wanting to visit those countries for many years now.


thank you! skopje is changing due to the huge skopje 2014 project, new statues, buildings popping up, so a couple of things probably differ from 2006. still a long way to go till the georgian and armenian pics....hope it's worth the wait



Mannesmann said:


> Nice and interesting tour, I must admit I am pretty impressed by Skopje, Belgrade has a great potential but it's a long way, I can't wait to see the rest of your enjoying trip!
> For some folks over here I need to remind them that the Balkan region was dominated for centuries by the Otoman Empire with deep influences in everyday life and culture of the many people living there, from my point of view, these influences are bad but I hope, with the joining the EU, in the future we will see new faces of the Balkan region.



yep skopje is very interresting and i'm only at the beginning of the "city tour" so keep on watching!thanks


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

So a couple of words about this big project called Skopje 2014. It's a huge construction project, consisting of construction of museums and government buildings, erection of monuments depicting historical figures from Macedonia. Around 20 buildings and over 40 monuments are planned to be constructed. It's financed mainly by the country's ruling party, it's purpose is to give Skopje a more classical look by the year 2014. The project kicked off in 2010, but some construction began as early as 2007 (National Theatre). The 1963 earthquake, with a 6.1 magnitude, destroyed a big part of the city and the reconstruction following the disaster saw mostly socialist buildings being erected, the city losing it's former neoclassical appeal. Part of this project, buildings that were destroyed or damaged then are being built or reconstructed, like the 
the national theatre, the old city hall, and Kale Fortress.
Criticism of the project is focused on it's gigantic cost, some say kitsch new buildings, antiquisation policy of the government by depicting historical figures via big oversized statues(Alexander the Great or his father Philip II of Macedon), which only fuel the already long standing conflict with Greece over the "Macedonia" name dispute. According to some it will restore a missing sense of national pride, others say it's nationalism with bad taste. The construction sites depicted below are part of the project, including the new Art Bridge with its 29 sculptures leading to the new Financial Police Building. While the government claims the project will cost about 80 million euros, the opposition maintains that the actual price will be more like 500 million euros. So...whichever side your on, whoever you believe it doesn't matter just enjoy the pics

 



 



 



 



 



 







 



 







 



*The columns of the new Museum of Archaeology, in the middle the recently completed and established Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, with the new National Theatre in the background. The theatre was destroyed in '63*


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## FoSsiL-mk (Jul 4, 2009)

I must say...

You are a good photographer with a good camera... you have the eye for great shots and sceneries... 

just to add... 

The current estimated (calculated)* amount of the project Skopje 2014 is EUR 310 018 000.

*due to known sources, everything that might be hidden or missed is not included in the calculations.


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## tigot (Jun 8, 2010)

Aldo, what camera do you use and which lens/lenses? Sorry if this was already asked before.


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## snt3000 (Nov 13, 2007)

Impressive thread and excellent photos.

I have dreamed of taking a similar trip one day, thanks for posting your travel chronicle!


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

FoSsiL-mk said:


> I must say...
> 
> You are a good photographer with a good camera... you have the eye for great shots and sceneries...
> 
> ...


thanks for your appreciation of the photos and thanks for the pricing info




tigot said:


> Aldo, what camera do you use and which lens/lenses? Sorry if this was already asked before.



i used a canon eos 500d with a 55mm and a 300mm lens. Some of the Belgrade photos, especially the wintertime ones, are taken with a fujifilm finepix s5700, with 10x zoom and 7 megapixels.



snt3000 said:


> Impressive thread and excellent photos.
> 
> I have dreamed of taking a similar trip one day, thanks for posting your travel chronicle!



thank you and you should definitely take this trip if you can. If you have the time, money etc, you should also check out Azerbaijan or go further south to Iran.


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

*A better view of the new theatre in the background *


 



 







 



*Statue detail depicting the Boatmen of Thessaloníki, a anarchistic group active in the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century. Its members were young graduates from the Bulgarian Men's High School of Thessaloniki. In 1903 they launched a campaign of bombing in Thessaloniki, the so called "Thessaloniki bombings of 1903". Their aim was to attract the attention of the Great Powers to Ottoman oppression*




*The Stone Bridge, a symbol of the city, built by the Ottoman, it appears on the city's coat of arms alongside the Kale fortress. The coat of arms in turn is present on the flag of Skopje. It connects Macedonia Square (the square with the fountain in the earlier night shots) to the Old Bazaar. It survived WWII unharmed*

 



*On the other side of the Stone Bridge stands the huge "Warrior" monument, exceeding 25 m (i think it's about 28, anyone with better info just correct me please:nuts, another important peace of the above-mentioned project. Although it doesn't bare his name officially, to avoid (another) controversy with Greece, it's universally accepted that it's Philip II of Macedon*









 



 



*Another piece of the project, the completed statue of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, born in Tauresium,about 20 km from Skopje*


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## JloKyM (Mar 3, 2007)

Great pictures from Skopje despite the fact that this 2014 project is ridiculous. :cheers::cheers: Can't wait for pictures from Bulgaria


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

Thank you!:cheers2:hope you'll enjoy the Bulgarian photos as well


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

*The Museum of Archaeology with the Stone Bridge in he foreground*

 



 



 



 







 



 



 



 

*The 21 m high Porta Macedonia, part of the project, completed in early 2012. It is dedicated to 20 years of Macedonian independence. The reliefs on it are carved in marble, depicting scenes from the history of Macedonia. It also contains interior rooms, one of which has a function of a souvenir shop, as well as elevators and stairs providing public access to the roof. The Greek Foreign Ministry has lodged an official complaint to authorities in Macedonia after the inauguration because the arch features images of historical figures including Alexander the Great.*


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## Jape (Feb 8, 2005)

HOORAY, what a great thread! Being into less-known, undiscovered cities and marginal sights I find all this pure honey. <3 Love it how you find new angles and capture all those details suchs as roof tiles, antennas, lamp posts and rows of dowdy facades. Just awesome and very refreshing. Can't wait to see how you've captured Armenia and Georgia.

(As a little negative note - I'd consider this Skopje 2014 thing entirely comical if there weren't any real problems in Macedonia to be fixed with all those resources, unemployment for instance. "Improving national pride" being government's priority number one... huh. :nuts: But let's not turn this into politics.)

Btw. that "when you walk too much" picture awakes nothing but sympathy in me. Using ground transport, getting lost and walking till your shoes tore is definitely the way to go! kay:


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

Thank you:nuts: i'm glad that you appreciate these kind of photos. But i think the places themselves contribute more to the photo than me by having theses unique settings and atmosphere.:lol: All these places (balkans, caucasus, middle east, africa etc) offer much more to someone who enjoys photography than central or western European cities. Of course i enjoy these parts of Europe as well, but for other reasons.

as for walking too much i threw away 2 pairs of shoes because of overuse:lol:during the trip and i left the third one in a hostel in Istanbul under the bed because my bags were packed to the fullest and i found it about a week later when i returned:lol:


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

*Details from the 25 m tall "Warrior on a Horse" statue and fountain, probably the centrepiece of the '14 project. Just like the other huge statue it is not officially named after the person it's representing, in case Alexander the Great. There are also 8 bronze lions sculptures and soldiers decorating the fountain. It is located in the middle of Macedonia Square facing the Stone Bridge and the statue of his father, Philip*


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## FoSsiL-mk (Jul 4, 2009)

I was always wondering what strangers think of the life and atmosphere in Skopje... What does it remind u of.... a western city, eastern, balkan, communist, oriental... or just something undefined... ? Also, what do you think about the people living in the city?

thanks in advance..


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## Dancer (May 31, 2005)

This country look amazing! I really want to go there some day.


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

FoSsiL-mk said:


> I was always wondering what strangers think of the life and atmosphere in Skopje... What does it remind u of.... a western city, eastern, balkan, communist, oriental... or just something undefined... ? Also, what do you think about the people living in the city?
> 
> thanks in advance..


I enjoyed my stay in the country, not just Skopje. It was a positive experience, exceeding my expectations. Skopje seemed to me like a city in a transition, especially with all the construction and planning going on (I really would have liked to see the city before the whole project started). 
It strikes me as two distinct cities divided by the Vardar. The "new" part (losing its pre '63 elegance) suffers aesthetically, but makes up for it in atmosphere. The bazaar on the other side is very oriental obviously, but not yet touristy (which is unavoidable unfortunately, especially with the high-profile project going on), i loved walking around there, the view from the fortress etc., it felt authentic (which is ironic and in great contrast with the 2014 project hno. My favorite part though in the city was the clock tower and the surrounding streets, where i was almost alone, getting lost through those winding crumbling streets, great stuff. As far as the people go, from a tourists point of view, very laid back and helpful. I think the most enjoyable surprise to me was Bitola, loved it a lot and i want to go back there and hopefully other places to (like Kratovo, Saint Jovan Bigorski Monastery, Stobi, Kruševo, Tetovo, Brajčino village, Kriva Palanka)




Dancer said:


> This country look amazing! I really want to go there some day.


you should definitely do so!:cheers:


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

*The Memorial House of Mother Teresa. Lying close to Macedonia Square, it's built on the very location of the once Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church, where Mother Teresa was baptized. It was opened in early 2009.*


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## FoSsiL-mk (Jul 4, 2009)

Thanks for sharing your views on Skopje.

I am also interested... In which areas of Skopje did you go? Actually what did u visit and what was your route around Skopje? How many days you stayed in Skopje, and how many in Macedonia? And which of those areas and buildings that you will mention, you find most appealing and personally most attractive and enjoyable? Both, areas and/or particular objects/buildings... stuff?

Sorry for asking you so many questions, especially like this... kinda thrown... unconnected...


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

i don't mind the questions at all
In Skopje i visited the streets surrounding Macedonia Square, including the Mother Teresa house, the former railway station, bazaar, fortress, clock tower. What i regret not seeing is the Skopje Aqueduct and the Millenium Cross, from where i could have taken some interesting pics of the city.
I only stayed for 2 days, i had to continue the trip, because i was pressed for time unfortunately and i still had the majority of the trip ahead of me.
Originally i planned a visit to Macedonia combined with Albania, Kosovo or Montenegro, allowing me more time to spend there. But when and if i get to these places i definitely want to come back to Skopje because i want to someone else to see it as well, with whom is took many trips and would enjoy the place a lot.
The areas that i most enjoyed in Skopje were the Stone Bridge, especially at night, because i loved the atmosphere, the square was full, but especially the place around the bridge, beautifully lit and very atmospheric, offering some great photo opportunities. Other places included the clock tower and the surrounding streets, including the market not far from it. The difference between the clock tower area and the heart of the bazaar was the lack of people, which i loved, and if i had stayed another day i would have definitely gone back there. 
Other enjoyable buillding was the Church of Holy Salvation (where the sarcophagus of Goce Delčev is located), the Mustafa Pasha Mosque and the green area between it and the fortress walls, the Čifte Hammam, Bezisten. I regret not being able to visit the fortress and get a nice view from there. And i also really enjoyed the double-decker buses in the city. I read somewhere that they were introduced in 2011 being bought from China i think. Anyway very good idea.
If i were to mention a building in Skopje that i specifically hated, that was the Saints Cyril and Methodius University because of it's brutalist-socialist depressing look and feel:lol:
From Skopje i went to Bitola and from there to Ohrid.
Bitola was great, i loved the city with it's neoclassical old town, but the area which i most enjoyed was around my hostel (i will post photos of the city soon) because (again) there were beautiful authentic peopleless (don't know if that's a word) streets with lovely houses and a sense of discovery as i walked around (these streets are actually near the main pedestrian walkway,the Širok Sokak, minus the crowds and renovated buildings). 
Also another great place was the ancient greek city ruins of 
Heraclea Lyncestis outside of Bitola, but especially walking there i found this great cemetery on the way, with a great location and feel to it (i know it sounds weirdhno creating a great atmosphere with the ruins located nearby.
I really don't have anything to add about Ohrid, because it's just beautiful in every way, but i think everybody knows that and i knew that and kind of expected that before arriving. I really can't name something specific in a city like Ohrid, where you'll find something beautiful and new at every street corner. That place requires a minimum stay of a few days.
In all i stayed about 5-6 days in Macedonia. Yep, not a lot, but at least i got to visit it, having gone through without stopping before on my way to Greece and always regretting that.
hope i answered some or all of your questions. If you have some more i will gladly try to answer them as accurately as i can remember the country and details:cheers:

*
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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

oh, i forgot to mention the beer Skopsko,which is really good:cheers:


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## FoSsiL-mk (Jul 4, 2009)

Wow. Excelent!

I am also curious... 

What would you change in Skopje, if you had the opportunity to do so?


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## FoSsiL-mk (Jul 4, 2009)

aldo_moro said:


> oh, i forgot to mention the beer Skopsko,which is really good:cheers:


 yeah... it's good... a proper beer... though not something special...

However... Thanks a lot for this discussion, I desperately needed a detailed image of the impressions that people from other countries get when they visit Skopje... I appreciate it... :cheers:


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

FoSsiL-mk said:


> Wow. Excelent!
> 
> I am also curious...
> 
> What would you change in Skopje, if you had the opportunity to do so?



besides some aspects of the whole skopje 2014, just from the top of my head i would say, the train and bus station, i mean the whole Transportation Center. This is based purely on how it looks. It's pretty morbid looking in the daytime, but i remember arriving in Skopje at night and waking alongside it in the dark towards my hostel, it was seriously creepy:lol: But from a logistical point of view, i guess it's ok, i'm basing my thought on aesthetics.
The other thing would be the old railway station, the museum. not how it looks, because I love the fact that it's left as a reminder of the devastating earthquake, (and i hope no one will renovate it) but rather the exhibitions inside, put more on display, especially about the earthquake. It still does a good job, because anybody walking in not knowing anything about the tragedy, will get some great eye witness accounts and info. i thought that it would be great if they expanded the whole exhibition on this topic, because it (still) has a major impact on the city.


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

*View of the gigantic statue of Alexander*












*The Old Railway Station, a reminder of the july 26 1963 earthquake, with the clock on it's facade frozen at 5:17 am, when disaster struck. Now it's used as the Museum of the City of Skopje. Half of the building is left in a collapsed state which adds to the eerie feeling of it all*


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## Skopje/Скопје (Jan 8, 2013)

Nice pics. I think there is a plan for renovation of the Transportation Center, but I dоn't know exactly when it will happen. Greetings from Skopje.


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

that sounds great, hope it will happen soon


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

*statue commemorating the victims of the earthquake*













































*the former train station*














































































*inside the museum*


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## Mannesmann (Feb 22, 2012)

Excellent photo tour, please speed up the upload of the rest of your trip, I can't wait to see them!


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## Skopje/Скопје (Jan 8, 2013)

As far as the ruins around the Old Railway Station, there is planned to build a business and commercial center, if I'm not mistaken. A Turkish company got the tender and now is tearing down all temporary facilities around the station. I don't know the end date of the implementation of this project.


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## skymantle (Jul 17, 2010)

JloKyM said:


> Great pictures from Skopje despite the fact that this 20*14 project is ridiculous*. :cheers::cheers: Can't wait for pictures from Bulgaria


 I have to agree. Out-dated monumentalism that doesn't even look like they used the classical principles of balance, proportion, scale and harmony in those constructions. Couldn't someone point out the golden mean rule to those architects? It looks like it takes inspiration more from tacky Vegas than classical Athens. 

Pity really, instead of trying to stamp a false sense of cultural and architectural heritage they should have gone for something innovative and bold, which of course would have followed the principles and philosophy of classical thought, which they so much want to call their own. 

On top of that, I must add that a poor country should be spending money on hospitals and education instead of 19th century jingoistic monumentalism. perhaps that's why there's been so many demonstrations lately by the locals against their government too, with physical confrontations even in parliament.


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)




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## Skopje/Скопје (Jan 8, 2013)

skymantle said:


> I have to agree. Out-dated monumentalism that doesn't even look like they used the classical principles of balance, proportion, scale and harmony in those constructions. Couldn't someone point out the golden mean rule to those architects? It looks like it takes inspiration more from tacky Vegas than classical Athens.
> 
> Pity really, instead of trying to stamp a false sense of cultural and architectural heritage they should have gone for something innovative and bold, which of course would have followed the principles and philosophy of classical thought, which they so much want to call their own.
> 
> On top of that, I must add that a poor country should be spending money on hospitals and education instead of 19th century jingoistic monumentalism. perhaps that's why there's been so many demonstrations lately by the locals against their government too, with physical confrontations even in parliament.


The project Skopje 2014 has been approved by barely 30% of the population in Macedonia. Unfortunately, the current government is right-wing nationalist party, and there is no prospect that things will change in the near future. Certain buildings of this project were necessary for the city of Skopje (the Old theater, the buildings of some state institutions...), but I personally would have been happier if they were built in a modern style instead in a neoclassical kitchy style.


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## snt3000 (Nov 13, 2007)

Loved the vintage room (the one with the TVs), awesome retro design! 
Which museum is that?


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## Skopje/Скопје (Jan 8, 2013)

snt3000 said:


> Loved the vintage room (the one with the TVs), awesome retro design!
> Which museum is that?


I think it's in the Museum of the city of Skopje, which is located in the old railway station


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## JloKyM (Mar 3, 2007)

Waiting for more pictures :lol:


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)

Skopje/Скопје;99127825 said:


> I think it's in the Museum of the city of Skopje, which is located in the old railway station



yeah,that's the one



JloKyM said:


> Waiting for more pictures :lol:


coming right up


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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)




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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)




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## aldo_moro (Jun 28, 2012)




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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Great pictures, but it´s really depressing to see how a poor country like Macedonia wastes so much money for a ridiculous project like Skopje 2014 instead of building modern and proper flats for the people that are living in the slum-like houses you can see in your last pics.


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## gogo3o (Feb 23, 2011)

I'm more eager to see the Bitola and Ohrid pics.


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## JloKyM (Mar 3, 2007)

Beautiful pictures, but isn't it time to move on..With this tempo, we'll see all the pictures in like 2 years :lol:


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## bagercho (Feb 7, 2010)

I already gave up to wait for the pictures of Sofia :lol:


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## pobre diablo (Mar 2, 2010)

^^

He's taking them as we speak :lol:


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