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By Kyra J., YES Abroad 2016-2017, Macedonia

On October 22, 2016, the YES Abroad group had its second cultural excursion, and its first beyond the city limits of Skopje. At 9:30am, Vesna, the YES Abroad Local Coordinator in Macedonia, and our group boarded a bus for a 45-minute ride to the beautiful town of Tetovo, Macedonia’s third largest city. 

As the bus drove down the long stretches of highway, I was amazed by the kaleidoscope of different-colored leaves that blanketed the mountains we passed. The beauty of this country is augmented with each city we explore.

After getting off at our stop, we were greeted by Simona, a YES ’11 alumna from Tetovo. She gave us a small tour of the main city streets and ethnic-Macedonian and Albanian sides of town before we ate at one of the best burek shops in the country. Burek is a traditional dish made from phyllo dough and either ground beef or cheese, eaten hot and with yogurt. This restaurant’s was definitely some of the best that I have had!

Our day continued at an Ottoman-era bath house turned art museum, located next to the Old Stone Bridge along the Pena River, which runs through the center of Tetovo.  While we learned about how Tetovo’s resources are struggling to keep up with its population boom, we met Prina, another YES alumna who had just returned from the U.S. this past June and is in her third year of high school. Simona and Prina took us across the masterfully-crafted Old Stone Bridge to one of the highlights of the day for me: the Colorful Mosque.

As we walked through a canopy of trees, we approached one of the most gorgeous buildings I have seen so far in Macedonia. The elaborately painted designs in gold, green, tan, and white on the outside of the mosque did little justice to the rainbow of colors and patterns that illuminated the inside.

Upon stepping barefoot through the mosque’s wooden doors, we were overwhelmed with the soft hum of prayer, Arabic inscriptions, bejeweled chandeliers, and stories dancing on the walls through the layers of patterns. Even more mesmerizing was the knowledge that the paints were actually created using over 30,000 eggs. In contrast with traditional mosques and Ottoman-styled architecture, the Colorful Mosque (or “Sharena Jamiya” in Macedonian) does not have a noticeable exterior dome and has clear illustrations of Mecca—the only mosque of its kind in Southeastern Europe.

It was a beautiful experience, and we are all grateful that the worshipers were gracious enough to let us have a glimpse of their sanctuary.

En route to our next stop, we passed the music school where Prina used to take piano lessons. We all wanted to look inside, so she led us in and showed us around. In one room, there was a piano up on stage, and we convinced both Prina and fellow YES Abroader Jeremy to play for us. Both performed beautiful pieces. The owners of the music school watched our group’s performances as well and were very gracious, supportive, and welcoming of us. Throughout my time so far in Macedonia, I have noticed this uniform nod of hospitality: people are genuinely excited to show you their work and for you to join in. Tetovo was no exception.

Our final tourist destination of the day was the Monastery of Lesok. Situated on the side of a mountain just outside of town, the monastery was actually destroyed in a bombing during the ethnic Macedonian and Albanian conflict of 2001 and reconstructed a few years later. We learned more about the building’s history at an adjacent museum, which only deepened our fascination and admiration for the gorgeous architecture and painted designs.

After a stop at the American Corner of Tetovo, we headed to lunch to take full advantage of all of the famous dishes that Tetovo had to offer. We ordered two different large plates and individual shopska salads. Stuffed with sirenye (fresh white cheese), meats, vegetables, french fries, fried zucchini, and bread (of course), none of us could eat another bite by the time we boarded the bus back to Skopje. We were all very thankful for the incredible and enlightening experiences we shared.