Skopje, the city, can play the music I tastes like, sounds like and smells like Skopje in the four seasons? 
It is no other power that is stronger than the truth. She always wins, anywhere. Also in Skopje, the capital of Macedonia. The capital of this small country in the Balkans has seen many things: a lot of uncertainties, disasters and destruction. But she always managed to start over. to overcome everything and to live. Traces of the old Skopje today too, but what we feel today in Skopje, the smells, the colors and the sounds of a new modern era. The spirit of modern times, the spirit of the XXI. Century, there in the center of the city. In the urban commercial center (Gradski Trgovski centar) can be the XXI. Century in Skopje do best. And what smells the modern era? Not bad. Different fragrances by Naomi Campbell, Aqua di Gio float, Davidoff and others in the air from Skopje. One can already feel the modern era in the nose. The scents are with the sounds of the fast life of Skopje mixed and sometimes, one may think that you are in a great world city.
In this center you can also buy fragrances for such ridiculous prices. There are a couple of people who every day are there to sell their goods. Where do they find these easily evaporated fragrances, no one knows, but sometimes, if you have so much money on him, but desperately needs a fragrance, these perfumes fit well, although only one copy of the original have.
"The Skopje are always in a hurry!" I heard once. But not only the Skopje, I was thinking, but also the air in Skopje is in a hurry. She smells like every second a new Geruch.Am morning here in the center at its best. A particular smell of freshly baked bread from the bakeries captured near Skopje. You have to be hungry. The result is a big possibility that he was given only because of the smell. This odor irritates every part of the human body and you will never leave this region. If you're hungry, you can delete it easily. The Skopje love it, the "Zuzu" or "Vegera" to eat. You are in the same vicinity. "Zuzu" is at the entrance of the trade center and "Vegera" to stop "record." The crescent rolls from there taste delicious, but they also have a special smell. Skopje smells really after their morning croissant.
At noon, the center is full of students. They go to school or home and the center is as loud as ever. Then the center is particularly lively. It smells everywhere for the young, pretty soon after the passing youth. An old friend of my father always says: "If you want to feel younger, at noon in be the center of the city. The air is cleaner there, and you can breathe easier. There is an air without any worries or problems. "And at night anything can happen. The smells of alcohol and cigarettes are there every night is inevitable. The loud music from the cafes contribute to a special atmosphere. But after twelve clock takes over the night and then the most important role is the rule of the night smells in Vordergrund.Dann smell it everywhere for stars, for the moon or, indeed, for romance. The Skopje have reserved a good spot for it. On the quay of the river Vardar. In the night you can see many on the banks love dove. The river contributes to the romantic situation. The Vardar white everything that happened. But the Vardar can keep secrets. And he maintained. Pride and dignity. But if you want to recover from the city and its sometimes harsh smell, you do not always go far. Just a few steps from the center is the city park.
There are several discos and pubs, and for the people who love animals, even the zoo. In this park you can feel the smell of freedom. The smell of freedom to Skopje. The Skopje love this smell. Therefore, the parks are always full of people. Sometimes people go to healthy life aspiring to it. The air is fresh and the smell of freshness in a blend with the smells of nature. The smells Nature can sometimes irritate the nose, especially after it rained. But they are definitely natural odors: odors of trees, dry or soft (depending on the season) grass of the dung of birds or other animals that have since found their home. Or even the smells of the zoo ... It is best at noon. Fresh air, a good green scenery and sounds of birds add to this beauty. At night, the park is particularly lively. The melodies of the guitars, which amuse the young people are ready for a good mood. Especially in summer, because sometimes interferes with the cold, the mood. The smells of alcohol and cigarettes live there every night, but they are not stronger than the natural odors. The waste of the parties is sometimes next to the garbage cans instead of inside. "But man, the waste is also a part of nature", said a drunken boy. Who is to blame, I do not know. The rule of nature plays the most important role ever since. You can overcome anything in their own way.
In Skopje there are several villages: Aerodrom, Cento, Novo Lisice, Centar, Avtokomanda ... And each looks different and sounds different. Only one thing is common to all. And that's the smell. If you move next to the houses or buildings, one may think that you are in the realm of eating is. On Friday, it smells like the pot "Grav" (made with beans in a special way, Macedonian), in the autumn after Ajvar (the specialty of the Macedonian cuisine), early in the morning to smell bread, etc. This goes very quickly through the nasal cavity and conquered every soul, regardless of whether it is a Macedonian or a foreign soul. Then everyone wants to stay here.
"Anyone who comes here wants to Skopje never leave! There is something special in the air here, and it makes everyone who visited Skopje, skopje addictive. "With the smile on her face told Mr Stefan Petkovski, who for 20 years as guest workers abroad worked. After 20 years, he moved back to Skopje. And he wants to stay here until the end of his life. "The smell of the Macedonian cuisine is somewhat strange. It smells of unity, sacrifice ... namely, to love. This could not live anywhere. "
His father, the old Pero, I wanted to show something. So we went together to the old station in the center of the city. Today, this old station survived as a museum of the city Skopje. Over the entrance door of the museum you can see an old clock. And the time will remain there unchanged. It still shows 5:20 clock, the time of the earthquake in Skopje in 1963 when Skopje and Skopje, the greatest catastrophe experienced.
The old Pero was standing right in front of the Clock and sank into deep thought. What he wanted to, I could not understand. "Can you feel it? I always come here when I want to feel the smell of the old Skopje. This is not only the clock but the time has stopped. It smells just like 43 years ago, before the earthquake. Not everyone can feel it. I can and I also live longer. "
And how is the smell? "At best, it smacks of carelessness, for peace ..." the old Pero told through tears. Unbelievable, I thought. Frankly, I expected only a smell of rubble, and tears of sorrow, but ... This clock, the memory of the earthquake 1963 keeps you awake, has brought the time to stop. Unbelievable, I must say. What kind of resistance is this? And not only by the Skopje, but also by a simple construction.
I once went to visit him. He wanted to give me something. On entering his house I could feel the smell of food. Tetka Mare, his wife has cooked something nice. Yummy, I thought. It was the smell of proja that you have with corn flour and eggs and even small pieces of cheese inside zubereitet.Tetka Mare asked me if I want to drink a coffee. The variety of coffee do not ask the old people. They have only one, our traditional coffee, Turkish, strong, black coffee. The coffee has become a major part of the Macedonian cuisine, but the name remains from the Turkish period, the time when Macedonia was occupied for five centuries by the Turks. Every Macedonian cuisine has at least twice a day, the smell, the smell of the black, Turkish, Macedonian, most recently, called coffee. And it tastes good. The old
Pero claimed an interesting reason why he likes this coffee, "I have always thought that if I drink this coffee without sugar, while some take care of him to drink a lot of sugar that I'm suffering, the bitter fate my people drink, and when I austrinke this coffee, then no more suffering remains. Then I can be quiet, my people will suffer no more. "
The gift was actually a book. The book "Go sakam Skopje" (I love Skopje, Skopje 2000) by Danilo Kocevski. "Although they say that the picture is more than 1000 words, Mr. Kocevski Skopje has beautifully described with words." I have translated some phrases from his book: "In the history of Skopje, times, events and the objects change so quickly, and you can almost be certain that the nostalgia is the best and most faithful friend of Skopje. The Skopje often resort to anything that remains in memory of the old time. In this way, they want the Smells and atmosphere of the old Skopje to life. "(" The old and new Skopje ")" In the unforgettable childhood dreams of Skopje, the fall of the empire of the jams. The realm of apple jam, but mostly the realm of quince jam. In the dreams of older Skopje, autumn is the realm of tomatoes, peppers, hot peppers of, but most of the kingdom of Ajvar. Open this autumn Konfitüreneinmachglas and try it out please. That is enough. They do not need another story, to feel the old days of Skopje. "(" The smell of quince ")
" One can easily observe, but only if you look with attention, that is the whole center of Skopje full of chestnuts. Since there is the smells. Maybe we notice the chestnut not always, but they mark the history of the city, their hearts beat for the life of Skopje. The chestnuts can remember the history of communism, even to the pluralism precisely because everything was done under them or near them, or is happening. You can see everything and talk about everything, but still has the impression that they keep quiet for a dignified and judicious manner. "(" Chestnut ")
Skopje but has a totally different taste to the new station. And it tastes not so good. Here you can the rapid pace of Skopje to do best. Or rather, the fast cars that drive the Skopje, you do best. Cars, buses, and a heavy traffic that goes on my nerves. This is also the smell is there not the best. The air smells of exhaust gas from the car and you get the feeling that you can not breathe properly. The noise of the fast cars raises the nervousness and the polluted air disturbs the nose. Therefore I would advise all to walk past the new station only. Or only a few minutes to stay there. More is not better!
An old man once told me: "I Skopje experience in every season different. Skopje is the city that The Four Seasons can play Vivaldi! "I have long wondered what he meant. Well, it can be.
A colleague of mine, Lela, has written about "Skopje, my city" at a seminar on creative writing: "Summer is the clover and the quay, short skirts and my bike. Autumn is the golden park and for the world-famous Ajvarsaison. The whole city has Ajvargeschmack. My favorite season is winter, because of snow, the Christmas and New Year. In spring everything is colorful and happy. "For me, the spring in Skopje, the smell of flowers, the summer in Skopje, the smell of dry grass, the smell of Autumn in Skopje the fallen leaves from the trees and the winter in Skopje, the smell of roasted chestnuts.
Yes, the man was right. Skopje is actually the city can play the music. And no bad music, but the best music, the music of the four seasons.
Aneta Krstevska
