Unusual opportunity to explore the Republic of Macedonia, circling the land of lakes and mountains and exploring its Classical, early Christian and Islamic past.
£1995 (sgl supp £140) | Price without flights: £1620
Mon 10th - Mon 17th May 2010, 8 days with Dr Ffiona Gilmore Eaves
Tour Manager: Simon Ashley | Availability: Singles Last two| Doubles Available
Introduction
Lake Ohrid is one of the oldest on earth. Its lifeforms are so unique that it is under UNESCO protection, and the lake itself is huge, with wonderful views across to Albania. In spite of such natural wonders, and some fascinating archaeological sites, this is still one of the unexplored corners of Europe.
The name of Macedonia first became famous under its exceptional rulers Philip II and his son Alexander the Great. The area covered by our tour lay at the north-eastern extremity of their vast territory, which ran from the source of the River Vardar to its estuary at Thessaloniki in Greece.
It was traversed in Roman times by the important Via Egnatia, which meant that wealthy towns were established along its route. They continued to thrive as part of Byzantium, the eastern Empire, leaving a rich heritage of early churches and monasteries, many with beautiful frescoes, especially around Lake Ohrid. Slav invaders entered history in the 6th century, staying for centuries but leaving little in the archaeological record, and it was the Ottoman presence which really changed the appearance of the larger towns and cities.
Complex modern politics mean that ancient Macedonia is now divided between Albania, Greece and Bulgaria. Much of the Vardar valley and its tributaries has been redesignated as the independent Republic of Macedonia.
It is an area largely undiscovered by tourism, and, based in the capital Skopje and the UNESCO World Heritage town of Ohrid, we explore the many relatively unknown treasures.
Itinerary
Day One
Fly to Skopje and drive to our hotel.
Day Two
A day on foot in the capital Skopje, divided by the Vardar river: to the north an Ottoman town, with fortress, mosques and baths - which we will explore - and to the south Orthodox Christian architecture. Visits include the National Museum, the fortress at Kale, the Kurumli An museum, which has tombstones and stele from Skupi, and the Çifte Ama Baths.
Day Three
Drive to Skupi to explore the newly excavated Roman town, founded by Domitian in the 2nd century, a seat of Theodosius in the 4th century, and once one of the largest towns in the Balkans. The ramparts enclose an area of 40 ha. Skupi was the seat of a bishopric from the 4th century, and a Christian church (basilica) with baptistry, built c AD 500, has been partially excavated, but as with all the antique towns of FYROM, Skupi was hit with the massive earthquake of 518. The town was refounded, but relocated to the more defensible citadel site which grew into the current capital of Skopje. We continue to to the charming little 12th century St Pantelejmnon monastery at Nerezi, with outstanding frescoes.
An independent afternoon in Skopje to explore, or you may prefer to join Ffiona in a visit to the painted mosque at Tetovo and the monastery church of Matka in the Gorge of the River Treska.
Day Four
Stobi was the largest city in the northern part of Macedonia, first mentioned by Livy who tells us that in 197 BC, the Macedonian King Philip V defeated the Dardanians near Stobi in Preonia. Under the Roman Republic it became an Oppidum Civium Romanorum then a Municipium and the presence of an early synagogue tells us that there was a strong Jewish community from AD 100. A severe earthquake at the end of the 3rd century destroyed most of the town so that we we now see dates from the late antique period. We explore the extensive excavations of the Roman and early Christian town, with fine baptistry in the Episcopal basilica. On to Prilep to visit the church in Varos with excellent frescoes and spolia. Continue to Lake Ohrid and our hotel.
Day Five
Day on foot in Ohrid, a pretty town on the eponymous lake. A 17th century Turkish traveller described it as a large and prosperous trading centre, similar to Damascus or Cairo... he mentioned the beautiful houses of the Macedonian population and especially praised the fine lines of the house of the Pasha. Many of the early churches are still standing. Our visit includes the Classical theatre which is the only visible evidence of the Roman town, numerous Byzantine churches with excellent frescoes and a fortified upper city with early Christian churches.
Day Six
Explore the unspoilt territory of Lake Prespa, which has been a National Park since 1948 and covers huge pine forests and the granite dome of Mount Pelister.
The typically Macedonian village of Kurbinovo lies on the shore of the lake. We visit the Church of Sveti Gjorgi, where the date inscribed on the west side of the altar tells us that it was frescoed in 1191. There are indeed fine frescoes here (above). Radical restoration work was carried out during the 19th and early 20th centuries which saved the building from complete destruction.
Heraklea Lyncestis was founded by Philip of Macedon on what would later become the Via Egnatia. After the Roman conquest in 168BC, Macedonia was divided into four, with Heraclea as one of the capitals. The Roman city lay on the slopes of the hill and at its foot, and extended over 7-8ha. Some fine mosaics have been excavated here, and the Roman theatre, the smallest in Macedonia is thought to date to around AD150. The ruins of the city are beautifully situated.
Day Seven
A magical journey along the lake shore by boat takes us to some of the (allegedly) 365 churches, monasteries and holy sites here - one for every day of the year. We visit the monastery complex of Kaliste, and the monastery of Sv Naum. St. Naum was and is particularly venerated as a healer of the mentally ill. The popularity of the monastery was reflected in the huge outer range which gave accommodation to pilgrims and in the expansion and re-frescoing of the church.
Day Eight
Drive via the monastery of Sv Jovan Bigorski (above) beautifully situated in the mountains of Mavrovo National Park, and with a magnificent iconostasis in wood, one of the finest products of the 19th century woodcarvers of the area. The biblical scenes that decorate it are full of life and expression and charming local touches.
Continue to Skopje for return flight to London.
Included
WHAT’S INCLUDED
- Flights Scheduled flights from London to Skopje.
- Transfers private coach provided to coincide with group flights
- Local Travel Private a/c coach.
- Meals All meals included; (dinners with wine & water) except dinners Days 2 & 6
- Guide Lecturer Not to be confused with "guest lecturers"! The guide lecturer will be with you from breakfast to supper, and probably even a drink in the bar afterwards. There is the occasional site where they may not be allowed to guide because of local regulations (we normally manage to circumnavigate these) but otherwise the guides are just that. They will have been chosen because of specialist knowledge and their ability to communicate and interest you. After 22 years of making tours worldwide, we are highly appreciative of the attributes of a good guide, and intensely critical of people who do not possess them. If you would like to know more about Dr Ffiona Gilmore Eaves, please click her name.
- Tour Manager We never know how best to call the very special people whom we choose to accompany you on your tour. They are usually employed in this capacity only by us, and have been trained to do things in the Andante way - unobtrusive, friendly and quietly efficient.
- Local Guide
- Fieldnotes written for the tour.
- Entry & Tips entry to all sites in programme; tips included.
Flights & Visa
flight details to be confirmed
Visa and Passport Requirements (for British passport holders only)
Note: Passport must be valid for 3-6 months after your return homeHotels
3 nights in a comfortable, modern business hotel in the centre of Skopje, a short walk from the Old Quarter;4 nights in a hotel set back from the lake side in Ohrid, overlooking the old city - the best available.
Comments
What Did You Enjoy Most About This Tour?
"A well researched and planned tour, varied itinerary, a friendly, interesting country which values it's past. Beautiful mountain scenery and lakes. Lack of tourists at present- go now or soon!
Difficult to choose! The little church above Kurbinovo- the walk up, the views, the frescos, the flowers, the woods and especially liked the mosaics in the Basilica at Heraklea, and finally the great churches of Ohrid were truly memorable- but so were lots of other delights!
The beauty of the mountains particularly around Ohrid, enhanced by good weather. The absence of other tourists!
An excellent tour- eye-opening natural beauty at Ohrid/Lake Ohrid and the stunning drive back. Excellent lecturer and tour guide.
I loved the remote archaeological sites and cave churches and especially when we had the opportunity to walk through the countryside."
Reading List
This list is no more than a guide to some books that you may find useful to read in advance of the tour. Talks given on the tour will attempt to fill in the background to what we are seeing, so no prior knowledge or pre-tour cramming is expected or needed. In many cases, we expect that you will find some of these books even more interesting and useful to read once the tour is over.
There are very few books in English on this area. It's worth seeking out guidebooks/maps published before the fragmentation of former Yugoslavia, as they will contain chapters/sections on this constituent republic.
Lonely Planet Western Balkans. Consists largely of lists of hotels, transport etc. The chapter on Macedonia contains only very brief descriptions of towns and sites, but there are some interesting panels on various themes.
Thammy Evans Macedonia (Bradt Travel Guide 2007). Usual Bradt format. Much of the material is information on hotels etc. which is not of much interest, but in the absence of, for instance, a Blue Guide, you may find some of the contents, town plans, etc. useful.
Hugh Poulton Who Are the Macedonians? (Hurst and Co, London 1995). Interesting chapters on the origins of the ethnic and religious groups that make up FYROM, and their history, with reflections on the concepts of ethnicity, nationality etc.
Leslie Benson Yugoslavia: A Concise History (Palgrave 2001). A useful summary.
F. Singleton A Short History of the Yugoslav Peoples (CUP 1994). Useful for a succinct coverage of the medieval period.
Nikos Čaušidis Macedonia: Cultural Heritage (Skopje 1995). A rather stilted translation, but the chapters on Antiquity and The Middle Ages provide a useful background. Well illustrated, with a few plans.
Antonie Nikolovski, Dimitar Cornakov, Dr. Kosta Balabanov The Cultural Monuments of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia (Skopje1971). Despite its forbidding title and date, this is still the best description of Macedonia's monuments, from Greek to Byzantine. Essentially a catalogue, organized by area, it gives full and useful information, only a little of which is out of date. Second-hand copies available from Amazon, sometimes rather expensive.
Keith Brown The Past in Question: Modern Macedonia and the Uncertainties of Nation. (Princeton University Press 2003). The evolution of new nation-states has spawned a vast literature from sociologists interested in questions of the perception of nationality (see Hugh Poulton, Who Are the Macedonians?). This is particularly pertinent to Macedonia, which has undergone more carve-ups than most of the Balkan states. Books such as these may be of interest to you when visiting an emergent country, whose history and archaeology may become battle fields for nationalists of one sort or another. Not an easy read, but thought-provoking.
Robin Cormack Byzantine Art (OUP 2000). Although it touches very little on the frescoes of Macedonia, this gives a general overview of developments from 330 to 1453. The timeline, although complicated, might be useful, as are some of the panels which summarize particular topics.
Lyn Rodley Byzantine Art and Architecture: an introduction (CUP 1994). Covers the 6th to the 15th centuries, but again with little specific reference to Macedonian examples.
Travel books
We recommend to you a publishing company with a mission to keep the classic works of travel literature in print. Eland and Sickle Moon Books produce an excellent catalogue of travellers' literature, old and new.
+44 (0) 20 7833 0762 - www.travelbooks.co.uk info@travelbooks.co.uk
Archaeology books
Oxbow Books, based in Oxford, are suppliers of probably the biggest range of archaeology and history books. They produce a quarterly catalogue, and can be contacted on
+44 (0)1865 241249 - www.oxbowbooks.com oxbow@oxbowbooks.com
