Godspeed to Olympos, Wed, 06 Sep 2023 | written by Simon
Simon at a Mountain in Europe, North Macedonia, Serbia

Not much happened today. I got up in a great mood and just chilled a bit taking in a great mountain view and vaguely starting to think where am I even going today. I’m the end, I made a general plan for the next two days and finally started a long drive around Kosovo to get to Macedonia. I’m making extra way, but it’s a beautiful mountain road and I’m enjoying it.

Close to the border I spent my remaining dinars on lunch and petrol, and drove or towards my first stop in Macedonia. Twice Google Map led me astray – first up the hills and via a ground mountain road impassable for cars and probably illegal to go through. The second time through something that seemed like a fenced military area. My initial arrival time of 2:30pm changed to 5pm, but it doesn’t matter. I was just enjoying the extra mountain views I got out of it.

This was all quite unlike me. Being so chill, patient, even. Me? Patient?

Eventually, I made it to Kokino, a mountain top used by stone and bronze age people as an Observatory and sacred site. Thrones carved in the rock, little gaps made to allow sun to shine at exactly the right spot during solstices and equinoxes, and a fantastic sunset viewing platform.

I thought I was alone, but then – imagine that! – a guy appeared from nowhere and walked up to me to charge me 5€. There were signs, so I wasn’t surprised, except with the dedication with which he found and chased me, the only person here, up and around the hill.

He left and I was alone again, just waiting for the sunset and taking in the sheer awesomeness of this entire journey. It has been so long since I travelled alone and I forgot just how much I love it. I was literally giggling and laughing to myself with the joy of it all day. I am grateful for every moment of this journey, the freedom of it all, the lack of plan, being with myself, discovering the unexpected, taking my time at my speed. I am planning nothing, I’m fully embracing ‘jakoś to będzie’, and I just feel so completely satisfied and… Kenough. Honestly, I feel like a new person.

The sunset was cloudy, but this didn’t matter either. It was perfect the way it was.

Eventually, I drove off towards Skopje, catching some WiFi on gas stations on the way. I found a perfect spot to park with the best view of town and I can’t wait to wake up and explore it tomorrow.

***

Overall, Serbia surprised me very positively. I heard people say there’s little worth seeing here, but I found some real gems. All the monasteries, beautiful nature views, windy mountain roads, countryside that seems lost in time, kind and welcoming people. And it’s amazing just how much more wonderful life is when everything is just this little bit less civilised, housebroken and safe. When underground tunnels are open, forest paths unmarked, waterfalls wild enough to swim in, roads windy and potentially leading nowhere… The freedom of it all is intoxicating and there is magic in the air which has been sanitised and killed in the West.

I hope that the rest of the trip will bring more of that!