Three days in Prilep

Macedonia is a little-known country just north of Greece, and it is the origin place of the Greek conqueror Alexander the Great. While I was in the region, I decided to drive up to Prilep (the fourth major city in Macedonia) for a short three-day trip. I had a good travel insurance for my trip, so no worries about traveling around; so here’s my itinerary.

Day 1
I arrive in Prilep after a few hours of driving from Greece. It’s not as far as I thought, being from Canada the distances between places are quite large, but in Europe everything is so compact. I sign in at the Kristal Palas, the most luxurious (and safest) hotel in Prilep. The location is perfect (a mere 10 minute walk from the city center), the rooms are clean and the service is prompt and friendly. As I am hungry, I take a quick shower and head down to the restaurant. A simple menu, with a touch of the local food. I love to taste local food, so I wasn’t disappointed.

Prilep

The city isn’t the safest at night, so I decide to take a short walk around the hotel neighbourhood before the sun sets. The architecture is simply stunning; a fascinating mix of the very old and the very new. Ancient 12th century churches battle for space with modern office buildings. Tired from my day of driving, I head back to my room and fall asleep instantly–I don’t understand Greek very well, so I can’t watch TV.

Day 2
I decide to stay close today, and visit the Prilep city centre. There is much to see, and the nice front desk staff at the hotel help me put down an itinerary on my map. I stop by the breakfast buffet for some well-deserved food, and I take some of it along with me for snacks, should I get hungry during my long walk. I start with the Prilep city square, an expansive space with a beautiful mosaic floor. It is high tourist season so the place is filled with vendors; I buy a few local trinkets for which I happily haggle with vendors in a broken mix of Greek and English. I go towards the clock tower, one of the most popular sights of the city. The Old Tower is at the heart of the old Turkish part of the city, and is right next to the ruins of a very old mosque which is also a favourite sight.

I find a restaurant with an English sign, ask for the house specialty and have a hearty local meal of lamb with Turkish flavours. Delicious! My afternoon is then dedicated to seeing the most interesting architectural buildings of the city centre, including fountains, monuments and statues. I return to the hotel tired and hungry, have a quick dinner and doze the evening away with a good book on my Kindle.

Day 3
As it is my last day in Prilep, I decide to head to the outskirts of the city to see the sights just outside, like the St. Archangel Michael monastery and Markovi Kuli. The city is surrounded by volcanic mountains, and the views from these sites are breathtaking, worth taking an extra memory card for your camera. But sadly my time is up, so I head back to the hotel, grab my luggage and say goodbye to the welcoming staff. Happily nothing unfortunate happened during my short time here, but I am glad I got that cheap travel insurance; without it I couldn’t have afforded the room at the Kristal!