When was the last time you heard about North Macedonia? I recall only the naming dispute with Greece, which lead to the renaming of the country from Macedonia to North Macedonia. I think it’s one of the quietest countries in Europe. Either they’re boring, or they must be up to something.

Before arriving in Ohrid, I thought it would be a decaying Yugoslav-era resort town, forgotten by both God and Allah — two flavours of faith are common here. Well, not quite.

Flip flops

First of all, the flag! It’s beautiful and used a lot.

Flag against the city

Flag at the fortress

The old flag with the Vergina Sun is also seen often, as well as the symbol separately, despite their agreement with Greece “to remove the Vergina Sun from all public spaces”.

Vergina Sun

Another source of appreciation for national symbols is the money. The design of the North Macedonian Denar notes is pure art, featuring religious icons and animals with gorgeous colour combinations.

North Macedonia Denar

Now, let’s explore. First, we walk the bridge along the cliff.

Bridge

Then, we climb the said cliff. Next, turn around.

Boat

There are a couple of beautiful churches on this hill.

Church of Saint John the Theologian

Church of Saints Clement & Panteleimon

Church entrance

The hill is big and the rest is mostly nature with great views. It’s possible to go down and swim. It’s surprisingly quiet compared to how busy the town is.

Hill

A dreamy place.

Dreamy

Back to the city. It is not very remarkable.

Main pedestrian street

Avenue in the outskirts

Vibe

The hostel where I was staying offered a boat trip and I wanted to go. But on both of the days I was there, there were apparently “waves”. The lake seems very peaceful to me. I wonder what they’ll think when they hear about the sea. Still, I’m not disappointed a bit.

The magical sunset.

Sun hides behind the mountains

The way light reflects on the water is what keeps me going in life.

Reflections

The day is about to end

This could also be a symbol of Macedonia. Consistency is maintained both visually and conceptually, since its function is similar to the Sun’s: providing energy.

New symbol proposal