Traveling Solo: Walking Between Macedonian Villages Fueled by Passion

The pandemic closed the doors to our favorite cafes but opened the doors to new worlds. It pushed us to explore what we have at home and become more attentive to details. Slowly, we started falling in love with smaller towns and villages, discovering how locals live and tasting their traditional food.

Our motto, “Travel the way the locals live,” is thriving here in Macedonia, and we hope to expand it beyond our borders this year.

Kristina Paskoska, who has been dedicated to this for a long time, is happy that many people have started to take an interest in villages. She introduces her followers to the history and spirit of Macedonian villages. Kristina holds a degree in ethnology and anthropology and describes herself as someone in love with nature, dance, and music. Her story behind the travelogues is deeply connected to her love for Macedonia and anthropology.

She describes Macedonia as a mosaic made up of nature, people, religion, traditions, music, dance, art, education, folklore, and more — part of a rich cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible. It’s something worthy of protection, preservation, care, and true love. Woven into this mosaic are mountains, fresh air, rivers, springs, natural lakes, rich biodiversity, and meadows embroidered with colorful scents and flowers.

Kristina values the fertile land, developed agriculture, livestock farming, crop growing, and horticulture. Her goal is to visit as many places in the country as possible and share their stories through her own experiences.

She adds that Macedonia has fascinating villages and towns, each telling a unique story. Through them, we discover the authenticity of our country’s past and present. Every village and town, like a string of pearls, beautifies every part of Macedonia. Their locations, rich architecture, history, nature, and every alley and cobblestone create poetry.

From her experience so far, she believes there are many ways to promote villages — from creating statistical tables to categorizing them. For example, some people enjoy hearing legends, myths, and interesting stories connected to the village in question, says Kristina.

On her blog https://mekammk.wordpress.com/, you can find many fascinating stories about various places in Macedonia. She captures every detail that reveals the soul of the village. Kristina shares that her field research involved many interesting journeys and adventures, highlighting especially her explorations in Prespa, where she traveled kilometers on foot from one village to another entirely by herself.

She remembers when she stayed in the village of Dolno Dupeni and set off alone on foot toward the village of Ljubojno via a shortcut called Rudina.

Upon arriving, while looking for locals to talk to, one of the villagers asked how she got there. She answered, "All by myself, on foot." He then asked, "How does a young girl go alone? Aren’t you afraid?" Her reply was:
"I am an Anthropologist. That’s when I gain super-hero powers."

You can visit her website with one click here: https://mekammk.wordpress.com/