A small and beautiful country nestled in the southeast of Europe, Macedonia offers its visitors a unique blend of natural wonders, traditions and cultures- as well as a long tradition of unrivaled hospitality. From their savory cuisine to their love of music, dance and general merrymaking, Macedonians know how to make their guests feel at home. Combining these qualities with the country’s dramatic mountains and canyons, its deep lakes and rivers, Macedonia has something for everyone…
Macedonia – that unforgettable name evoking images of ancient, great civilizations and exotic adventure – is also a warm and welcoming modern-day republic in the very heart of southeastern Europe.
Skopje
Being the capital city, Skopje is one of the largest cities in Macedonia and one of the best places in the country to appreciate Macedonia’s diverse architectural influences. There are an impressive amount of churches and mosques located in Skopje Old Bazaar which is a fantastic place to explore on foot on a warm day. Skopje is definitely home to some of the most interesting places to visit in Macedonia and exploring Skopje’s Old Bazaar and Main Square are two of the most rewarding thing to do in the city.
The Matka canyon
is located in the lower course of river Treska, 15km southwest of Skopje. With it’s geological, geomorphologic and hydrological characteristics, and the flora and fauna, it is an exceptional object of nature. The main phenomenon of this natural treasure is the canyon, a distinguished geomorphologic entity with well preserved natural and geographic characteristics in which rare and endemic species find their escape. This outstanding work of nature, with sides 1000m high and step notches of over 250m, was created by vertical erosions of the Treska river during the long geological history. The area of the canyon is characteristic by low mountains. The Osoj hill is the northwest boundary, Suva Gora mountain and Vodno occupy the southeast and the east of the canyon. The north frontier is an entrance to the Skopje valley, following the course of the villages of Matka, Šiševo, Glumovo and Saraj. The caves and abysses as special categories of late geographic forms are mainly concentrated on the right side of the canyon, under the area Visoki Rid (High Hill) on 885m attitude. There are about ten of them, but most known are: Vrelo, Krstalno and Ubava. In the Matka canyon, on the left side of the valley high in the rocks, there is a very interesting phenomenon of a natural bridge, created by the erosive processes in the carbonate rocks.
Ohrid
Ohrid is certainly one of the top eastern European cities to visit and one of the most popular places to visit in Macedonia because of its location overlooking the beautiful Lake Ohrid. Ohrid has lovely beaches where you can enjoy a ton of water activities, as well as a charming old town filled with landmarks and monuments such as the statue of Kiril and Metodi and a Roman Amphitheater where the Ohrid summer festival is held. Another of the top attractions in Ohrid old town it’s Samuil’s Fortress, which offers stunning views of Ohrid lake.
Bitola
Bitola is Macedonia’s second city and historical-cultural center as well. It’s the seat of Bitola municipality. According to the 2002 census, the urban district of Bitola had a population of 95,385. The metropolitan population approximates 122,173 inhabitants. Bitola is situated in the Pelagonia plain (southern Macedonia), on the both banks in the river Dragor, at an altitude of 617 meters above the sea level. Bitola being the largest city in the region has always been an administrative, cultural, industrial, commercial, political and educational centre, with a developed network of institutions in all domains.
Prilep
Prilep is a city in the Western Macedonia, nicknamed “The city under Marko’s towers” (referring to the fortress). The city is the Macedonian tobacco capital. The population is 76,768 (Prilep municipality). The city was the capital of the medieval kingdom of Kings Volkasin and Marko which explains the large number of churches and monasteries in and around the city.
Smolare Waterfall
It can be found above the village of Smolare, at an elevation of 630 meters, located deep in the Belasica Mountains where the Lomnica River springs hidden among the hundred-years-old beech trees. The waterfall is a unique waterfall in Macedonia with the water falling from the height of 39,5 meters, the tallest waterfall in Macedonia. It is located above the village of Smolare in the Municipality of Novo Selo in the southeastern region of the country.The waterfall is part of the Lomnica River and is located deep in Mount Belasica at an elevation of 630 metres. Crashing down the smooth, black rock face, and surrounded by 100-year-old beech trees, this waterfall is visited by tourists throughout the year, largely by train.To reach the majestic beauty of Smolare Falls, visitors must wind their way up a nature path that includes 300 stone steps made from natural materials.
Mavrovo
One of the most beautiful mountain valleys, Mavrovo, together with the lake and mountain Bistra, is placed in the western part of Macedonia, only one hour driving from the capital city Skopje. Mysterious and romantic, sheltered by the high hills of mountain Korab, Mavrovo region was famous during centuries, by the hospitality of its well-known inns in the past, and by its ski center Zare Lazarevski today. The total length of the eleven ski lifts and three chair lifts is 5.700 meters, with capacity of 11.100 persons per hour. With an infrastructure like this, it is very possible to ski at a height of 1.255 to 1860 meters above sea level. The tracks prepared with six ratracs are suitable for beginners, advanced skiers, as well as for professionals in the alpine and nordic categories. The length of the skiing trails under the chair lifts is 5.000 meters, and the length of the ski lifts 10.000 meters. At all trails under the chair lifts there are light and sound devices, so skiing is possible at night, between 19 and 24 h. We have a whole team taking care of the quality of the trails: four professionals driving the machines for snow stamping and Trekking, one ambulance motor sleighs that glides on the tracks during the day, ski patrol, several ski motor sleighs, a machine for artificial snow production and a lot of kind people employed at the ski centre.
Tikveš Wine Region
Macedonia’s winery heartland, Tikveš, has produced wine since the 4th century BC. It features rolling vineyards, lakes, caves and mountains, plus archaeological sites and churches. It’s especially beautiful at dusk, when the fading sunlight suffuses soft hills laden with millions of grapes. Tikveš’ local grapes generally retain an ideal sugar concentration (17% to 26%).
Kozjak lake
“My favorite is an iPhone shot I took while on assignment for National Geographic Magazine. It’s of a fisherman in Dibi, Oman, standing on his Dhow, a traditional Omani fishing boat. It was one of my favorite cultural shots from the assignment. My assistant on the shoot almost took away my iPhone after that shot because I was shooting so much with it so I could post on Instagram that I wasn’t shooting with my “real” camera.”
Go-To Camera @jimmy_chin on Instagram
“I’ve shot with the iPhone 4s and the iPhone 5. My feed is a mix of iPhone shots and photos I’ve taken with my cameras while on shoots.”
‘I often go without filters, but have definitely used Valencia and X-Pro II a lot. It’s hard to say what is a favorite. I think it’s depends on the mood I’m in or the mood I’m trying to create.”
In this shot, pro skier Kye Peterson shreds one last sunset session
“I think photography is such an amazing creative outlet for people and it’s a ton of fun to take a few moments to find that interesting composition or angle to create an image. Looking for an image when the creative inspiration strikes is half the fun. Spontaneous moments are great too. Not to over think it too much, but pacing my posts is definitely something I think about. I never really post more than one image a day. I shoot a lot and choosing what I post is a fun part of the process as well. It’s my little creative assignment for myself everyday. I guess the ultimate goal is just to have fun with it.”
Alex Honnold: Climber
“My favorite that I posted is from our Green River trip, it’s just a picture of three of us climbing up a chimney thing while doing a first ascent. I think I even captioned it ‘my favorite photo of the trip..’ I have no idea about favorite photo I’ve seen. There’s so many.”
“I have a 4s, and I just use the normal camera. I don’t have any photo apps or anything. Half the photos I post are taken by friends anyway. We all share. I don’t really love taking pictures. I don’t like using my phone that much. So I find it easier to just beg photos of my climbing friends who are much more into the whole photo scene.”
“I normally just click my way through them until I settle on something I like. There’s no real method to it. Like I said, not huge into taking or processing photos. I just like sharing cool adventures.”
Here, Honnold rides through the eastern Sierra as professional climber and filmmaker Cedar Wright shoots.
Anson Fogel: Filmmaker
“I use a 5, and shoot mostly with the stock camera app. Occasionally I’ll use Slow Shutter, but generally, no. The best add on is the volume up button on the phone for the shutter!”
“I don’t use any stock or Instagram filters, but always treat images in Snapseed, as well as Lens Light, Cross Process, MExtures and Square Ready. ”
Renan Ozturk: Artist and Filmmaker
“I love this image because it was such a rare moment that occurred in the upper chamber of the oldest monastery in Nepal, at 13K in the Everest region. The weather had been bad for weeks the first bit of light that emerged happened to come in through the skylight and catch this lama during his blessings for our climb.”
“I’ve shot with most the 4s and 5 with no add ons.”
“I would say when editing your photos, try to stay on the conservative side and not take it too far over the top with filters and different apps. Instead, try to let beautiful natural light and authentic moments make your Instagrams special!”
“I love the ‘sienna’ filter because it does a good job of lowering contrast and bringing over-processed Instagram back down to reality.” Filter or not, we love this slacklining shot above Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
I hope you enjoy guys! 🙂
What will be different about this flight?
A lot of us have done a lot of very precise flights, like I’ve hit the string on balloons, and gone by the arms of the Christ statue, and flown through a waterfall. But in those jumps I was only super precise for a split second—two seconds max. This time, I’m going to have to be super precise for somewhere between 10 to 30 seconds. The length of time makes it different.
So can you describe for me the feeling you get after a megastunt? Take the jump at Tianmen Cave or what you might feel after you’ve done “The Flying Dragon”?
I can’t tell you what I will feel after this one, because it’s always different. And these feelings are a little bit complicated. You have all these dreams. It takes you months, and in some cases years, of practice. When you finally get to the place and succeed in turning one of your dreams into a reality, the feeling is one of pure joy. It makes you feel like you can do anything. It’s very powerful. It gives my life meaning.
