Quick Travel Guide: Macedonia

Hello everyone and welcome to my first official guide for traveling. I decided to make a Quick Travel Guide for people, like myself, who want something of a quick and easy reference that includes notable facts and information, local language help, and other information on a one page – printable blog. Truly, the whole purpose of this blog series is to be click and go, utilize it as you will and put it in your wallet, pocket, phone or tablet and enjoy your trip! Also, for those unable to travel as easily or unable to do so can refer to the Quick Travel Guide Series for interesting facts, pieces of information and a little language learning and integration. I hope you all enjoy these blogs! Please share, comment, and let me know if you have anything else you would like to see! 

Introduction: Macedonia, also known as “The Republic of Macedonia” and to a less popular and common extent, “The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” or FYROM, is a country in the Balkans north of Greece, east of Albania, south of Kosovo, and west of Bulgaria. The population as of 2015, according to the European Union, is close to 2.1 million people. The Official Language of Macedonia is Macedonian, however Albanian, Turkish, Serbian, Bosnian, Aromanian and to a lesser extent Greek and Russian are also spoken.

History: Macedonia, the name at least, was established by the first known Macedonian King named Caranus between 808-78 BC. Philip II (359-336 BCE) turned Macedonia into the greatest power in Europe at the time when he was able to conquer and unite the Greeks, Illyrians, and Thracians. Not long after that, Philip’s son, Alexander the Great (356-323 BCE) takes his armies and conquers the Persian Empire while traveling through Asia, North Africa, and even India. Two hundred years later Macedonia loses Greece to Rome and eventually itself is conquered by the Romans. Another three hundred years later and Slavs overrun all of Macedonia, mixing cultures and peoples. Around 1000 ADE the Slav Macedonians become entangled with and rebel against the Bulgarian rule. At the end of the 13^th century, the Ottoman Empire takes control, albeit with plenty of rebelling, fighting, and bloodshed, until Macedonia’s independence from the them six-hundred years later in 1903. Between the all the wars of the 19^th-20^th centuries, the denial of existence by the Greeks, and the inclusion of large populations of multi-ethnic peoples, Macedonia officially declared independence on September 8, 1991.

Current President: Gjorge Ivanov / Prime Minister: Emil Dimitriev (interim)

Fun Facts: -Ohrid Lake (located in Ohrid) is estimated to be over 4 million years old, is 940ft (288m) deep, and has 200 endemic species that have never been found anywhere else in the world.
-Mother Theresa was born in the capital city of Skopje and her museum house is located in the Center of the city.
-The name Macedonia, comes from Makedónes which is loosely translated to mean “higherlanders” or “tall ones.”

Popular/Need-to-visit spots: Skopje, of course. It is the capital city that has activities long into the night, family fun with many tourist attractions including a statue of Alexander the Great in the center, the Large Cross that you can hike/trolly up to, and the many bazaar style shops all around. Ohrid Lake is another joyous place filled with a serene and beautiful environment. If you get bored of shopping, you can head on to the other side of the lake and camp out, fish, or swim.

Flying In: Skopje “Alexander the Great”Airport and Ohrid “St. Paul the Apostle” Airport
Driving In: You can drive into Macedonia from any of the surrounding countries; Kosovo, Bulgaria, Greece, and Albania.
*Note*: If you plan to drive in, be sure you have a current International Driving Permit.
Boating In: There are no ports that connect to the country.

Basic Language:
Hello – Zdravo (Strah-voh)
How are you? – Kako si? (Kak-OH-ee)
I’m well – Jas sum dobro (Yass – SOOM – dough – bro)
I’m not well – Jas ne sum dobro (Yass – nay -SOOM – dough -bro)
Thanks – Fala (Fah – lah)
Thank you – Blagodaram (Blog – oh – dah – ram)
You’re welcome/Please – Molem (Mole – em)
Where is the… - Kade e…  (Kah-day ay)
…bathroom- toalet (toe-ah-let)
…restaurant- restoran (rest – oh - ran)
…hotel- hotel (ho – tell)
…hospital- bolnica (bowl – knee – tsa)
…police- policija (pole – ee – tsee – ah)
…club- diskoteka (disco-teh-ka)

Emergency Numbers: (Police – 192), (Ambulance- 194), (Roadside Assistance (196)