A Wee Trip To Prilep, FYROM

Here we are studying the map of FYROM, planning the route of our drive up to Prilep for a Cambridge teacher-training assessment: Zissis driving, me assessing. We reach the Greek/FYROM borders and pass through quite quickly, much to our relief. Further west lies Idomeni, the huge, unofficial encampment where roads and rail-tracks have been systematically blocked by refugees/migrants angry having the borders closed to them.

 

                              

On the overpass we see the FYROM national flag and …… an expression of the enmity (!) that can be felt between the two countries – especially at the inability to agree on a name for the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia that cannot cause confusion  with the area of Greece we live in.

                                

                 

 

We reach Prilep safely and take a stroll in the afternoon sunshine to the town centre. Here we see the famous clock tower and a mosque which bears witness to the local people’s subjugation to the Ottoman Empire from 1395 – 1913. Prior to that, the turbulent history of the area, once the site of the ancient Macedonian city of Styberra, meant it had been overrun by Romans, Goths, Bulgarians and Serbs. It formed part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1944-1991.

                                      

                           

Incidentally, the Macedonian language spoken here is a South Slavic language whose closest relative is Bulgarian. We admire the impressive statue of a man, venerated as a national hero. My attempts at decoding the Cyrillic script written below came up with Kral Marco – deceptively like Karl Marx, the famous revolutionary socialist renowned for his polemic. But from his appearance it was clear that this prince was not a man of philosophy, but a warlord not to be trifled with. There we were standing in what was known as ‘The Realm of King Marco.’

It goes without saying that we pay homage to our own local hero, Alexander The Great.

                                             

We settle in at our gloriously named Krystal Palas Hotel , enjoying  a pre-prandial glass of local wine.            

 

                                                                   

Before our departure we are taken on a tour of the traditional Macedonian House which serves as a restaurant and a folkloric museum! Inside we see beautifully maintained household artefacts, agricultural equipment – even stacks of tobacco leaves drying - and fascinating traditional costumes. We’d like to thank Vesna and Dragica for their warm welcome, kindness and hospitality – we really enjoyed meeting you both! 

 

                    

As we drove south through the Pelagonian plain, we realized we were lucky in seeing it at this time of year to enjoy the luxuriant greenery of its tobacco crops  and its sprawling vineyards.

Recently we observed World Refugee Day, so it’s fitting to observe this, again unofficial, refugee encampment over the border, by the Greek roadside.      Little did we know then what lay ahead!