SUPERMENG MALAYA: KEMBARA BALKAN - REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA (FYROM)

Sambungan dari kisah di Sofia, Bulgaria

Pagi tu aku dah selamat tiba di Skopje, ibu kota Republic of Macedonia atau dikenali sebagai Former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia.

Since sampai awal pagi tu masing masing yang sama sama dengan aku dari Sofia berkeliaran hilang ntah ke mana. Tapi ada jugak aku nampa yang cari port kat terminal bas tu dan sambung tidur.

Aku cari port plug sebab nak charge battery camera dan phone. Semalam seharian di Sofia memang tak sempat nak charge kat mana mana.

Plan aku hari ni nak cover Skopje ni dan ronda ronda. Tak de specific plan lagi mana aku nak tuju seterusnya. Kena tunggu kaunter tiket ni bukak dan baru boleh check destinasi seterusnya !

Ada gereja depan terminal bus Skopje

Sempat aku gi merayap kejap kat area tu tapi kawasannya berkunci. So tak leh nak jengah ke dalam. Sudahnya patah balik ke terminal bas. Masa berjalan tu tetiba ada sekumpulan lelaki menegur.

"Hey. How are you?"

"Good"

Aku cuba cuba menyapa.

"Are you Muslim?"

"Yes. Assalamualaikum"

Aku bagi salam dan mereka ramai ramai jawab.

"Where are you from? Are you from America?"

Terus buntang mata aku tak mengantuk lagi ! Awal awal pagi kalau di sajikan dengan puji pujian walaupun muka tak basuh dan gigi tak gosok lagi, pasti wajah wajah keriangan terpancar di wajah !

Eh ! Tapi kalau dia orang ingat aku orang America, mesti dia orang syak aku orang Negro ! Pftttt !

Sebenarnya orang orang tu adalah drebar teksi. Tapi tak de lah dia orang tanya aku banyak banyak soalan sebab aku macam malas nak layan ! ( since aku rasa dia orang fikir aku Negro !)

Skopje bus terminal yang terletak bersebelahan dengan train station

Tepat jam 6 pagi, kiosk kiosk tiket masih belum beroperasi tapi ada kaunter information dah di buka. Lampu dalam terminal pun siap terang terpasang. Toilet pun dah start boleh di gunakan. Time tu pak guard dah kejut semua yang bergelimpangan tidur kat kerusi tu supaya bangkit ! Dah tak leh tidur.

Aku guna kesempatan untuk ke toilet dulu bagi segar diri sendiri. Tak sempat nak mandi pun.

Lepas abis tu aku check kat kaunter tiket dan tanya jadual perjalanan ke destinasi yang ada.

Sebelum apa apa kena tukar duit dulu. Ada kaunter exchange kat dalam terminal tu

Maceonia ada matawang dia sendiri iaitu Macedonian Denar (MKD). Aku tukar 10 Euro dan dapat MKD850. Guna duit ni nak beli tiket bas nanti.

Dengan duit yang ada aku gi shopping tiket bas ke destinasi seterusnya. Pilihan aku untuk ke Prizren di Kosovo atau ke Lake Ohrid, Macedonia. Dua dua dalam list aku. Tapi bila aku check tiket, dari Skopje ke Prizren cuma ada jam 4 petang so aku rasa macam lama sangat nak tunggu pukul 4 tu.

Untuk ke Lake Ohrid pulak ada jam 8 pagi dan seterusnya 12 tengahari.. Petang ke malam ada jugak tapi aku fikir kul 12 tengahari pun macam lama jugak nak tunggu. Pukul 8 pagi macam too early sebab aku nak ronda ronda Skopje dulu pagi ni !

Solutionnya?

Aku ke Pristina di Kosovo dulu sebab jadual bas dia macam every hour. So aku plan kalau ambik pukul 10 still OK lagi dan sampai ke Pristina aku boleh ambik tiket ke Prizren.

So Pristina memang bukan dalam list asal aku tapi aku akan jejak ke sana selepas ni !

Agak agak OK tak plan aku ni Martin Garrix? Sapa ntah ni... glamer ke tidak ntah

Aku masih tak beli tiket lagi sebab kaunter belu, di buka, Just plan je. Tapi aku tanya mamat kaunter tu cemana nak gi city center, dia kata jalan kaki je 15 minit dari station bus Skopje tu.

Beres !

Aku tinggalkan beg aku kat tempat luggage dengan bayaran MKD50 dan mula menapak ikut kata mamat tu untuk ke bandar Skopje............. !

Jalan kaki ikut laluan

Ada nampak Mall tapi masih belum bukak

Nampak tanda Salib besar atas bukit. Perasan sebab bercahaya.

Tak sangka rupanya ini adalah salib terbesar di dunia dan ada di Skopje ni yang di kenali sebagai Millennium Cross

The Millennium Cross (Macedonian: Милениумски крст, Mileniumski krst) is a 66-metre (217 ft) tall cross situated on the top of the Vodno Mountain in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia. It was constructed to serve as a memorial of 2,000 years of Christianity in Macedonia and the world.

The construction of the cross began in 2002 and was funded by the Macedonian Orthodox Church, the Macedonian government and donations from Macedonians from all over the world. The cross was built on the highest point of the Vodno mountain on a place known since the time of the Ottoman Empire as "Krstovar", meaning "Place of the cross", as there was a smaller cross situated there. On 8 September 2008, the independence day of the Republic of Macedonia, an elevator was installed inside the cross. In 2009, a restaurant and a souvenir shop were opened next to the cross. In 2011 the Millennium Cross ropeway was opened, and is three and a half kilometres long. At night the cross shines down over the city.

Ada cable car untuk naik ke puncak bukit tu.

Aku bajet asalnya Skopje ni macam bandar kecik korok korok jer...

Tapi bila nampak ada bus double decker rasa macam something pulak.

Matahari dah mula terbit.

Jalan raya masih lengang dan tak banyak kenderaan,

Sinaran pagi

Jalan ikut laluan dan tepi sungai

Landmark

Pagi yang mendamaikan

Dan dari jauh aku dah nampak tempat tempat menarik yang menjadi tarikan kota Skopje ni

Bangunan bangunan yang menarik

Restoran dan casino

Menyusuri Vardar River aku dah nampak bangunan bangunan tersergam indah di kota Skopje ni. Banyak jugak jambatan jambatan di bina merentas sungai dengan air yang mengalir lesu. Dan yang paling menarik sekali yang aku perasan di sini adalah terdapat banyaknya statue statue di bina menghiasi kaki jalan dan laluan di sekitar kota Skopje ni.

Memang sah, Skopje dengan gelaran, Kota Seribu Statues

Oh ini bukan statue ! Ini orang tengah memancing di sungai Vardar tu.

"Hello ! Hello ! Saudara berdua? Saya ni Artis Antarabangsa baru sampai Skopje ni. Tak nak berkenal beramas mesra ke?"

Haram mereka tak layan !

Tapi aku perasan ada sekor anjing kaler hitam ni dah mula datang dekat aku. Nak sign autograf ke?

Anjing hitam aka Justin Bieber

Aku anjing anjing ni tak de lah takut. OK je as long as dia tak meleser. So aku biarkan je dia ikut aku sementara aku usha usha bangunan bangunan dan landmarks yang kelihatan di depan mata.

Laluan merentas Vardar River

Statues

Setiap statue ni biasanya ada tertulis siapa sebenarnya yang di gambarkan

Dan mereka ni terdiri daripada golongan cendekiawan, tokoh tokoh termasuk lah artis dan para negarawan Macedonia

Pagi di Skopje

Art Bridge

Pagi

Vardar River

Museum dan bangunan bangunan kerajaan

Archaeological Museum of Macedonia

Skopje

Dan dari situ akan kelihatan Stone Bridge yang menjadi antara tarikan utama kota Skopje ni.

Stone Bridge

Luna Park

Stone Bridge

The Stone Bridge was built in the 6th century by the Byzantine emperor Justinian. Since then it has been the symbol of the city and every ruler tried to leave a mark on it, even Skopje's last major who has been restoring it for 10 years now. The biggest reconstruction of the bridge was made in the second half of the 15th century by Sultan Mehmed II.

The stone fence and guard tower were added then. Unfortunately the guard tower fell down during the most recent restoration and is waiting to be reconstructed. It still is the main connection of the main square and the old bazaar. While walking over it try to notice the 6th century big stone bloks. The bridge has 13 arches and is 214m long.

Dan tidak jauh dari Stone Bridge tersebut, berdiri dengan megahnya Statue Alexander the Great.

The warrior on the horse.

Perhaps the main symbol of Skopje is the Warrior on a Horse (Macedonian: Воин на коњ) statue and fountain in the centre of Macedonia Square. It is typically thought to depict Alexander the Great, though it is not officially named for him. The monument was built in Florence and was officially completed on September 8, 2011 to commemorate 20 years of the independence of the Republic of Macedonia.

The bronze sculpture is 14.5 m (47.6 ft) tall and it sits on a cylindrical column, which itself is 10 m (32.8 ft) in height. The column consists of three large ivory sections, each separated by a thinner bronze ring. Each section contains reliefs. The column stands in a fountain. At the base of the column are 8 bronze soldiers, each 3 m (9.8 ft) tall. There are also 8 bronze lions, each 2.5 m (8.3 ft) tall, around the edges of the fountain pool, four of which act as part of the fountain, releasing water from their mouths. The fountain also plays music.

Yang menjadi simbol utama kota Skopje

Dan Macedonia Square yang menjadi kawasan tumpuan pusat kota di Skopje ni.

Alexander the Great

Siapa Alexander the Great ni?

Alexander the Great served as king of Macedonia from 336 to 323 B.C. During his time of leadership, he united Greece, reestablished the Corinthian League and conquered the Persian Empire.

Conqueror and king of Macedonia, Alexander the Great was born on July 20, 356 B.C., in Pella, in the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia. During his leadership, from 336 to 323 B.C., he united the Greek city-states and led the Corinthian League. He also became the king of Persia, Babylon and Asia, and created Macedonian colonies in the region. While considering the conquests of Carthage and Rome, Alexander died of malaria in Babylon (now Iraq), on June 13, 323 B.C.

Statue Lion

Penjaga

Macedonia Square

Macedonia Square (Macedonian: Плоштад Македонија, Ploštad Makedonija) is the main square of Skopje, the capital of the Republic of Macedonia. The square is the biggest in Macedonia with total 18.500 m2.

It is located in the central part of the city, and it crosses the Vardar River. The Christmas festivals are always held there and it commonly serves as the site of cultural, political and other events. The independence of Macedonia from Yugoslavia was declared here by the country's first president, Kiro Gligorov. The square is currently under re-development and there are many new buildings around the square being constructed.

In 2007, the Macedonian government announced plans to reconstruct the Army House, which together with the Old Theatre (also being reconstructed on the other side of Macedonia Square, across the Vardar River) that was severely destroyed in the 1963 Skopje earthquake.

In December 2008, a flagpole with the Macedonian flag was erected on Macedonia Square, near the Stone Bridge, as it was done on 68 other important locations throughout the country.

Dan usha kawasan sekitarnya....................