Drive on west part of the country, from Ohrid to Skopje, via Mavrovo NP and Radika river valley.
The Bigorski monastery St. John the Baptist is located in the immediate vicinity are the villages of Rostushe, Bituse, Velebrdo and Trebiste, along the river Radika, in western Macedonia. According to the Bigorski monument, the monastery was founded by the monk Jovan in 1020, and in the 16th century the monastery was destroyed by the Ottoman authorities and only one small church remained from the whole complex.
Drive on the narrow road through Mavrovo national park which occupies an area of 73,088 hectares. And it is the largest among the three national parks in Macedonia, Pelister and Galicica. Within the limits of the park are the mountains: Korab, Desat, southwestern branches of Shar Mountain, and most of Bistra mountain. The central part of the national park Mavrovo covers the valley and the river basin of Radika. The Mavrovo artificial lake is also within the national park.
Arrival in Skopje in the afternoon.
Skopje is the capital and largest city in Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic center. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; remains of Neolithic settlements have been found within the old Kale Fortress that overlooks the modern city center. River Vardar, the longest Macedonian river is dividing the city into the old part, located on the left bank of the river and the modern part of Skopje, located on the right bank.
The Mother Teresa Memorial House, dedicated to the humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mother Teresa, can be found in her hometown Skopje, where she lived from 1910 to 1928. Construction of the house began in May 2008. The project was financed by the Government of Macedonia and carried out by the Ministry of Culture. It is a modern, transformed version of Mother Teresa's birth house with a multifunctional but sacral character. Inside the house, part of her relics are preserved, which were transferred to Skopje with the support of the Roman Catholic Church of Skopje. There is a museum that includes realistic sculptures of Mother Teresa and members of her family. One sculpture shows Mother Teresa as a ten-year-old child, sitting on a stone and holding a pigeon in her hands.
The Old Bazaar is situated on the eastern bank of the Vardar River, stretching from the Stone Bridge to the Bit-Pazar.] As one of the oldest and largest marketplaces in the Balkans, it has been Skopje's center for trade and commerce since at least the 12th century.
Beside its importance as a market place, the Old Bazaar is known for its cultural and historical values. Although Ottoman architecture is predominant, remains of Byzantine architecture are evident as well, while recent reconstructions have led to the application of elements specific to modern architecture. The Old Bazaar is still home to several active mosques, two churches and a clock tower.
Overnight in Skopje