Skopje, North Macedonia – STATUES

On By Rick McIn Art and beauty, travelLeave a comment

Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, is widely known as the “City of Statues” for hundreds of monumental sculptures.

In order to attract tourists to this little known city, in 2014 the city spent a LOT of money they didn’t have to revamp the city centre building historically inaccurate neoclassical buildings and monuments.

Locals argued that money should have gone to schools, hospitals, or infrastructure. And trash removal !

Many contracts were awarded without public tenders or open competition, leading to widespread accusations of corruption and money laundering.

In any case, all these huge statues are weird and wonderful for the tourist.

In 1963, an earthquake destroyed roughly 80% of the city. Spearheaded by a United Nations-backed master plan from Japanese architect Kenzō Tange, the city was rebuilt using raw concrete (béton brut). Designed to withstand the next earthquake — and reflect the (boring) socialist aesthetic.

Skopje Post Office

Visiting Pristina, Kosovo

On By Rick McIn travelLeave a comment

Pristina is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. 

I knew nothing about the city before arrival. My trip is exploratory.

Of the population of nearly 1.6 million, the vast majority are ethnic Albanians.

Kosovo is a developing country with significant economic growth over the last decade. It shows. They’ve applied to join the EU.

It’s NEW. The Newborn Monument was unveiled on 17 February 2008, the day that Kosovo formally declared its independence from Serbia.

“Newborn” was chosen as a single English word for the power to describe the birth of a new country, its positive connotations, ease of understanding by non-native English-speakers, and potential to present Kosovo as a new, contemporary, trendy country. 

The most interesting tourist attraction for me was the National Library of Kosovo. Though some call it “the ugliest building in the World”, I like anything different. Opened 1982.

Sadly, the exterior is already turning to rubble.

The impressive Cathedral of St. Mother Teresa (opened 2007) is still under construction. One surrounding superb park is already finished, but there’s still much more to do with the surroundings.

The main tourist pedestrian walk is called Mother Teressa Boulevard. The Albanian–Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary Saint Teresa of Calcutta is a legend here.

There’s a statue, of course.

Another statue nearby celebrates the life of Albanian hero Skanderbeg.

There are a number of large mosques, the most celebrated being Imperial Mosque. Built in 1461.

They love Bill Clinton here. He was key to the liberation, leading the 1999 NATO bombing campaign that stopped Serbian forces and ended the Kosovo War.

The future looks to be brighter for Kosovo.

Yet here in the capital city, there’s still a lot of trash. Abandoned vehicles and buildings.

I saw very few western tourists.

Those who do get to Pistrina will be pleasantly surprised.

Akimbo and the Elephants by Alexander McCall Smith

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This book is aimed at children aged 7 to 10.

But I enjoyed it.

Akimbo and the Elephants (1990) is the first installment in the beloved Akimbo series, which follows a brave ten-year-old boy living on a large wildlife game reserve in Africa.

Plot Overview

  • The Setting: Akimbo lives on the edge of a vast African game preserve where his father works as the head ranger to protect wild animals. 
  • The Conflict: Illegal ivory poachers are killing the grown elephants for their valuable tusks, leaving the helpless young calves behind to perish. 
  • The Turning Point: After coming across the devastating sight of a mother elephant killed by poachers, Akimbo becomes determined to stop them. 
  • The Plan: Realizing the reserve is too massive for the rangers to police effectively, Akimbo hatches a dangerous plan to go undercover, posing as an elephant hunter to infiltrate the poachers’ network.

Visiting Podgorica, Montenegro

On By Rick McIn travelLeave a comment

I’d not heard of Podgorica — though it’s the capital and largest city of Montenegro. 

It’s only been an independent nation since 2006 when split with Serbia.

I had no idea what to expect.

Would it be littered with wrecks from the old Yugoslavia and war?

Surprisingly, I found Podgorica welcoming for a western tourist. Good hostel.

Shopping malls are modern. Near Independence Square is a pedestrian-friendly zone of boutiques and cafes. The vibe upbeat.

The Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ is new. And very impressive.

The lower section reliefs are deliberately rough hewn — gradually increasing in resolution as you look higher.

I walked over the Millennium Bridge opened 2025.

Here’s the giant billboard greeting everyone getting off a bus.

Grocery stores are well stocked. Prices often 50% or less the cost of what tourists pay on the coast.

Good markets.

I stayed only 1 night — but quite enjoyed Podgorica.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Legal Tender by Lisa Scottoline

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Excellent.

Legal Tender (1996) is Rosato & Associates, Book #2.

Super high energy. Plenty of action.

Smart dialogue. Interesting characters. And humour.

In Legal Tender, maverick civil rights lawyer Benedetta “Bennie” Rosato is wrongly accused of murder – and goes on the run to prove her innocence and find the real killer. 

Publishers Weekly awarded it a “star” and raved that “Scottoline’s rambunctious legal thriller may change the way readers think about lawyers. Bennie, a delightful heroine, deserves an encore; and, again, Scottoline merits a big round of applause.”

The ending is super entertaining — and as highly improbable as any legal thriller you’ve ever read. 😀

Visiting Kotor, Montenegro

On By Rick McIn hiking, travelLeave a comment

Dubrovnik, Croatia, is now one of the most overtouristed cities in Europe, with visitors outnumbering permanent residents by a staggering ratio of up to 36 to 1. 

Still … it’s fantastic.

I crossed the border to nearby Kotor, Montenegro, hoping it would be Dubrovnik light.

I found Kotor just as majestic. BETTER for hiking:

But the promised ~40% lower cost looks to be fake news in 2026. I found it equally expensive. Death by cruise ship.

The old city of Dubrovnik is better. But the fortified city of Kotor is great too, also a UNESCO‘s World Heritage Site.

In any case, if you travel to one, you should visit the other.

Traffic in Kotor is worse. I wished I’d taken a boat from Dubrovnik instead of a bus.

I wandered the old city streets for hours.

The highlight for me was all the cats.

I caught the awful local bus to Perast, a charming little tourist trap nearby.

Perast, Montenegro old town in Kotor Bay in the afternoon.

It’s the jumping off point for Our Lady of the Rocks.

My main memory of this lovely place is a confrontation with an asshole local motorbike punk. Happily, he didn’t throw me in the ocean. 😀

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I Have a Drinking Problem

On By Rick McIn food, travelLeave a comment

I like a glass of dry red with dinner — but find myself drinking less and less over the years.

This might help. The cheap wine in Montenegro is Plantaže Vranac. Dark, robust.

Not quite as good as my favourites: Syrah and Malbec. But close.

I carry it in a Diet Coke bottle. Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink. 😀

Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith

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Not bad.

Tears of the Giraffe (2000) is 2nd in The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series of novels by Alexander McCall Smith, set in Botswana, which features the Motswana protagonist Precious Ramotswe.

A cozy mystery novel continues the heartwarming and slow-paced adventures of Botswana’s premier female private investigator.

  • The Missing American: Her primary case involves searching for a young American man who mysteriously vanished into the African plains ten years prior. 
  • The Wayward Wife: She tracks a local man’s wife to determine why she remains away from home for long stretches each day. 
  • The Unscrupulous Maid: An administrative plotline unfolds involving a deceitful maid working for her fiancé, which ultimately ends in a prison sentence for the culprit



Though Not Dead by Dana Stabenow 

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Kate Shugak, is an Aleut woman in Alaska, a private investigator alongside her fierce, half-wolf, half-husky companion, Mutt.

Though Not Dead (2010) is 18th in the series. Entertaining.

The residents of Alaska’s largest national park are devastated by the passing of 87-year-old Old Sam Dementieff, a beloved community patriarch and Kate’s uncle.

The Inheritance: Sam leaves his entire estate to Kate, along with a cryptic, one-sentence letter instructing her to “find my father”.

The Mystery: Sam’s father was an outsider who vanished decades ago, taking a priceless tribal artifact—a Russian icon—with him.

The Danger: Within days of launching her investigation, Kate is threatened by unknown entities who are tracking her every move.