Rrethi i Dibrës

Sometimes the world is small: While we went hiking in Marocco we met Bozo. He raved about his country Macedonia and gave us his number. Now, we took the chance and contacted Bozo again, which was the best decision!!

From Skopje we take the bus to Trnica and and enjoy two calm days in a mountain hotel close to the Mavrovo lake. As the lake is artificial, it was a special experience to visit the church of St. Nicholas which is partly sunken in the overflood valley.

On Friday at 6 am Bozo comes with his jeep and we drive to the police station Strezimir, our starting point to hike the Korab. After our experience with Toubkal, we have some respect for the hike up Korab. But soon we realize that Bozo knows the route and the best break points perfectly. We have time to get to know Bozo and become friends while enjoying the picturesque mountain landscape, the colorful flowers, the small rivers and waterfalls, the amazing views - and all of a sudden we reach the peak (2764 m. i. J.), highest point of Macedonia and Albania. :-)

After reaching back to the car, we stop in Tetovo to grab some food and search for a nice place to put the tents for the night. If there hadn't been rubbish everywhere in nature, the place near the road to Popova Shapka would have been really nice. However, we build up our tents and Bozo prepares a fire for barbecue. Unfortunately it starts to rain and we finally eat with our headlights in the car. Real outdoor experience!

In the morning, Bozo takes us to Popova Shapka, an known Macedonian ski resort and our starting point to hike Titov Vrv (2747 m). Although not far away from the Korab, the landscape in the heart of the Sharr mountains is very different: The peaks rise gently above meadows of lush green. We only meet very few other hikers and have very good conversations with Bozo. Apart from hiking experiences we talk about the Albanian minority in Macedonia, their culture, music, life and so much more. Especially it touched our hearts when Bozo tells us that his biggest goal is to make his sons not leaving the country to work somewhere in Western Europe.

In the evening, Bozo invites us to Parajsa E Sharrit, a well known restaurant close to Tetovo. We eat typical Macedonian food and especially like the peppers in cream sauce with homemade bread. Finally, Bozo drops us at the Matka canyon. We are grateful for the great time we spent together and the mountain hikes that would not have been possible for us without you! We hope to meet again one day, maybe to do some hiking. ;-)Read more