I had booked a day tour to the Matka Canyon, the Vodno Mountain and the Millenium Cross in advance through Viator. The site had informed that the cable car to the Millennium Cross is under repair and hence, that would be off limits for the trip. I was asked to meet up with the guide cum driver at the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle for Independence by 7.45 am. It was just a 15-minute walk from my apartment, past the Macedonia Square and across one of the modern bridges over the Vardar River.
Quite close to the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle for Independence is the Holocaust Memorial Center for the Jews of Macedonia. It was opened in 2011 to commemorate the 7,144 Macedonian Jews and other Balkan Jewish communities who lost their lives during the Holocaust, primarily at the Treblinka camp.
Another attraction in close proximity is the Macedonian National Theatre, which is the premier and oldest professional theatre in North Macedonia. It was originally founded in 1945, but the original building was destroyed during the catastrophic 1963 Skopje earthquake. The current structure was rebuilt and opened in 2013 as part of the Skopje 2014 project. The building houses the Macedonian National Theatre Museum, which preserves historical costumes, props, archives, and artifacts.
Dua, the guide and driver for the day, reported early and the small group of nine left for the day's excursion ahead of the scheduled time. During the ride to the Matka Canyon, Dua kept up a lively conversation giving us a flavour of the life in Skopje and North Macedonia, in general, it's geography, history, culture and food scene.
We reached the parking lot of the Matka Canyon in under an hour. After a short toilet break, we trudged to the Matka Dam. It was by no means a simple walk. Often times I wondered why Dua had not brought us up any further than he did, because many taxis and even some vans parked much closer to the Dam. It was a warm day and did get a bit uncomfortable.
The Matka Dam is a concrete arch structure on the Treska River located in the Matka Canyon about 15 km from Skopje. Built between 1935 and 1938, it is the oldest artificial reservoir and first dam built in North Macedonia. It stands 29.5 meters high and 64 meters long. The objectives of the dam are to generate power through the Matka Hydroelectric Power Plant, aid local irrigation, and protect Skopje from flooding.
After a few minutes at the Dam, we walked further ahead, with rock overhang adding to the beauty of the surroundings, especially as the Matka Lake was shimmering in bright sunlight. Very soon we reached St. Andrew's Church at Matka Canyon is a medieval Eastern Orthodox monastery built in 1389 right on the edge of the Treska River. The church is open only once a year.
There are many activities one can indulge in in the area. For instance, one can explore the cliffside trails leading to medieval churches like the 14th-century St. Andrew's Monastery. The other is to rent kayaks to explore the canyon waters independently. Boat tours are the major attractions in the Canyon area. There are two types of boat rides; the first is a 30-minute 'cruise' and the other is a one-hour tour in the lake with a visit to the Vrelo Cave.
I took the boat ride on the Matka Canyon Lake to the Vrelo Cave, which is listed as one of the top 77 natural sites in the world. Vrelo Cave has many stalactites including a large one in the middle of the cave known as the "Pine Cone" due to its shape. There are two lakes at the end of the cave, with one larger than the other.
Though the exact depth of the cave is unknown, it is believed to be among the deepest in Europe. There are two lakes at the end of the cave, with one larger than the other. The smaller lake is 8 metres at its longest length and 15 metres in depth at its deepest point. The larger lake is 35 metres at its longest length, and 18 metres at its deepest point.
While the lake tour was indeed memorable with mangroves, rock outcrops and vegetation, the Vrelo Cave was not as thrilling an experience as I had expected it to be. Far superior are awesome spectacles of stalagmites and stalactites in the Borro caves near Visakhapatnam and the Belum Caves near Guntur.
From the Matka Canyon we drove to the Vodno Mountain, the highest point of which is Krstovar, 1066 meters above sea level. Halfway to the peak, at an altitude of 570 meters above sea level, called Sredno Vodno, there are large parking lots and several restaurants. Dua parked there for some time and explained that the access to the cable car station to the Millennium Cross is a short climb from the parking lot.
The Millenium Cross was built in 2002 in top of the Vodno Mountain and, at 66-meters height, it is one of the tallest crosses worldwide. It was constructed to serve as a memorial to 2000 years of Christianity in Macedonia and to honour biblical passages citing the evangelisation activities of St. Paul within the region. The Cross illuminates the city of Skopje at night. My days and nights in Skopje started and ended with awesome views of the Millennium Cross from the balcony and bedroom of my apartment.
The monument has become a symbol associated with Skopje. As a landmark, the cross turned into a tourist destination with the best observation point to see the panorama of the capital city. The summit is reached by a cable car system, which, unfortunately, was out of service at the time of my visit. The cable car route is 1,750m long, with the ride lasting 6–8 minutes. The adventurous and the strong trek all the way up to the summit.
From the parking lot of Sredno Vodno Dua drive us to the Church of Saint Panteleimon, a remarkable medieval Macedonian monument. The church was built in 1164 and was dedicated to the protector of health, St. Panteleimon. The small brick work church is constructed in the traditional shape of a cross and contains the most famous treasure of Byzantine painting from the time of the Comnenian dynasty. The views from the site are to die for too. The terrace used to be rented for functions, but that seems to have stopped in the event past with restrictions on drinking in the premises.
A few paces away is the traditional Macedonian village constructed for tourism. It is called the Makedonsko Selo. It is an authentic ethno-complex and cultural replication of a traditional 19th- and 20th-century Macedonian settlement. It features 16 distinct houses showcasing regional architectural styles from various parts of the country. Of particular interest to visitors are the cobblestone streets, traditional craft workshops, a hotel, and a restaurant serving local Macedonian cuisine.
Dua took us to a shop, where the craftsman was engaged in filigree work. His works are so exquisite that he has won many national and international awards for his creations. Besides the filigree work he also polishes rubies and turns them into marvelous pieces of jewellery. The remarkable feature is that the 'pink' rubies are embedded within pure marble slabs!
I also dropped in to check on a craftswoman doing filigreed work with gold and silver threads. The creations were so attractive that I was tempted to buy some of the pieces. However, before I left from there, I bought a few boxes of traditional sweets, lokum, commonly known as Turkish delight. I sampled a couple of flavours and fell for them. They are cut into small cubes and dusted with desiccated coconut to keep them from sticking.
After getting back from the tour, after resting a while, I visited the Church of St Clement of Ohrid, located opposite to my apartment. It is the largest cathedral of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. This rotunda-type church is composed only of domes and arches and is one of the most interesting architectural examples in recent Macedonian history.
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