My Experience in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia, by Samuel

What is the city of Skopje like? What's it like to live there? Do you recommend it?

Life is good there, I recommend it. It's calm and the Macedonian locals share a peaceful atmosphere.

What's the student vibe in Skopje like?

I don't know, I was a volunteer for a charity.

What's the cost of living like in Skopje?

A beer costs between 1 and 2 euros (330ml to 500ml). A coffee costs 1€.

Taxi's start at 0. 65€ and I normally pay between 2€ and 5€ (5€ because I live 3 and a half miles from the city centre).

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Skopje? Any advice to give?

You need to have a Macedonian sim-card to contact people about accommodation, but of course it's good to just have one anyway as you are living there. For my accommodation, I pay 130€ for around 80m2 with a garden, 3 and a half miles from the city centre. Electricity isn't included but it hardly costs a thing and I have two house mates to split the bill with anyway. If you buy new imported things, it will be at the International Court. My new bike cost 160€ and I really like it!

What's the food like in the city? What are your favourite dishes?

Cheese fondue and cucumber salad. Tomatoes and breaded chicken are usually on the table in kafanas (a restaurant/bar place). Everyone orders dishes for the table to share and you just nibble away for hours.

What places do you recommend going to see in Skopje?

You have to go to the The Old Bazaar town and see the stone Turkish Islamic Ottoman heritage. I've not actually been to the Bit Bazar but you should visit it as well as the artisanal market where you can find everything- vegetables and food or just bits and bobs! Take somebody with you when you go there if you don't want to get pressured or tricked into buying something! There is also a gypsy district north of the city you should visit.

And to eat in Skopje? What are your favourite places?

Restaurants treat you well, unless you go into a fast food joint. Your ashtray is changed every 2 cigarettes and you receive a quality service especially for the price you pay, which is within the local students' budgets!

Where do you recommend going out in Skopje?

I go to the kafanas with Macedonian friends a few times a week, and the nightclub once a week (which is quite a lot but I am calming down)!

What advice would you give to any future Erasmus students going to Skopje?

Be cautious with the culture- some people appreciate it, and some appreciate it less. For example, if a Macedonian plays you local music, it can be hurtful if you tell them that it's like gypsy music. This is just one example of what to be cautious about, there are many others.

With regards to architecture and scenery; you can really see some great things in Skopje because the landscapes are magnificent and the architecture dates back to the communist period when massive grey concrete buildings were in fashion. The government today are working on building a lot of really modern and contrasting buildings, but you'll always recognise where you are due to the memories that history has left behind in Skopje:

• The magnificent Islamic, Turkish and Ottoman style old city.
• The communist period.
• Modern buildings with a reflective glass hyper design.
• Statues that were designed to look very old (the government is fond of this style). Watch out you don't confuse some buildings which are hundreds of years old with the new ones (they were built last year and some are still under construction), nor the stone statues which seem to be historic, but are actually new.