Field Day in Skopje

Saturday was our first Field Day in Macedonia!  These events happen once a year during PST right before a group of volunteers heads home for their Close of Service.  Each year, the Field Day is hosted in Skopje, and this year it was hosted in the City Park (Градскиот Парк).  We arrived early in the morning as a race was wrapping up in the park.  The City Park is very modern and large, and it felt like I was back in an American city.  We all proceeded to the gazebo, where volunteers brought food and drinks for all to enjoy. 

City Park in Skopje

Field Day!

A Bro Pack

After we all mingled and ate, several groups split and headed off into the city.  A few made their way to the Peace Corps HQ, while others headed straight to the Irish Pub.  I followed the group along the river to the Old City, or Старата Чаршија.  The Vardar river was crossed by many bridges, and as we approached the center, huge statues and Greco-Roman buildings dominated the cityscape.  Many of these buildings and statues were recently added to downtown Skopje as a part of “Skopje 2014”, and many Macedonians jokingly call the project Skope Vegas.  The centerpiece of these monuments is a staute dedicated to Alexander the Great.  Yet the statue is named “The Great Horse Riding Warrior”, or something like that, in order to not offend Greece and surrounding countries by claiming Alexander the Great as Macedonia’s.  Once we reached to Old City, the acrhitecture became more Turkish and thus more authentic.  Walking through the Old City, I finally felt like I was in Europe, as the narrow streets were lined with quaint coffee shops and Ottoman architecture. 

The Vardar River and Kameniot Bridge

Alexander?

Lozers across generations

Old City

The rest of the day was spent relaxing over beers and coffee.  By 6PM, we gathered at the Irish Pub near the river and gathered for one final picture.  The next field day will not occur until next year, but I certainly look forward to my next visit to the capital.