Greetings all. 👋
Name's Jovan, and I only just discovered this community recently. I primarily write short stories here on Hive, with the occasional gaming post in-between. 😁 But in real space my primary function is walking. // need to stop talking like I'm in cyberpunk.
So yea, I go on long walks all the time. I don't use Taxis or Ubers, and I don't like using the bus because I think they are the world's greatest disease transmitters. 😅 So I walk. Sometimes for hours, getting lost in my thoughts and what not.
You can imagine my surprise when I stumbled into Wednesday Walk. 😇
I hope this is the first of many posts. But enough of the chit-chat, let's get into this walk, shall we? 🚶
🚩 WELCOME 🚩
I live in Skopje, the capital city of Macedonia. I look forward to showing you the beauty it can offer, but not today. 😅 The photos I'm about to share have little to no actual representation of my Skopje. 😂 Instead, they represent a micro society of their own - a city within a city, as it were - Serava.
🚩 ENTRANCES 🚩
It's composed of hundreds upon hundreds of houses, all laid out in a roughly circular pattern. With tens of entrances from every which-way. It is fully self sufficient and has little foot traffic apart from the residents residing in its shabby houses.
🚩 LIVING CONDITIONS 🚩
It's pretty obvious that construction is the theme here. There's always something being made, some roads being dug up, some pipe that needs fixing. Mostly, IMHO its just greedy city officials laundering money, but eh, what do i know. 🙃
Conditions are rough though. A lot of these houses house up to 10-12 people. 😬 Not all of them, but the families tend to stick together more than the native Macedonians - its a cultural thing. Serava is comprised of 98% Albanians, which comprise the largest minority in Macedonia, up to 15%.
Not every house in this micro-society looks like it was built from the previous century, however.
The past year new buildings have started sprouting up. Which I think is a nice change to the scenery. 😁
🚩 SHOPS AND MORE SHOPS 🚩
Some of the best bread in Skopje can be found here. Bakeries spanning decades are still running in their prime. Convenience stores also litter the narrow streets around many corners.
The people are all friendly and outwardly happy. You feel welcomed when you enter the shops. They remember your name and always greet you with a smile. 😌
🚩 POLICE STATION AND SCHOOL 🚩
Both of these buildings are HUGE. The school is well known because it's used during the election season. Both are pretty close to the center of this town-within-a-town, but on opposite sides.
Every morning when i walk to work the streets are PAKCED with diligent little learners. Trust me, seeing them walking around the twisted streets all with their backpacks and handbooks, is pretty wholesome. 😀
🚩 FORGOTTEN 🚩
A lot of spots are just plain forgotten. Which is a real shame. I've found that a little bit of love can go a long way in making a more hospitable living environment. 💯
But it is what it is. The people appear happy, at least on the outside. Not much more you can ask for really.
🚩 CONCLUSION 🚩
I walk through this place every day. And every day I see something new. 😂 They just finished constructing a Mosque as well. This would be the first place of worship. Only increasing the centralized nature of the place.
If you wanted you would never leave this place. I find that fascinating. And a tad bit scary. 😆 This entire micro-society is settled behind my complex of buildings, so it was easy for me to take snaps since its so close by.
I hope to share different locations and environments from Skopje in the future. The city is just brimming with difference. That might sound weird but trust me, you'll see soon enough. 😂
Obligatory shout-out to the 🍕PIZZA🍕 gang, 🤙 gang. 🤙
All pictures were taken by me using an iPhone 11.
👊 Follow me on my HIVE blog 👊
Thanks for reading and I hope you guys have a great rest of your week. 😌