We went to Macedonia, because our son said we really shouldn't miss it. I encourage you to add it to your itinerary if you are in the region. The language is Serbo-Croatian and if you learn please and thank you, and maybe how to ask for the bill, that's pretty much all you need. We found English speakers everywhere. The currency is the Macedonian denar, and the exchange rates are favorable. You do need cash though -- not everywhere will take credit cards. We also found that folks did take Euros, even though it is technically not permitted. If you intend to visit the mosques, you will need to cover your head, take off your shoes and be dressed appropriately. The Orthodox churches are pretty much the same. Upshot -- don't wear shorts or bathing suits to see religious sites. Even if you don't believe, they do, and it's their country.
OHRID
We went to Lake Ohrid first and spent a week at Villa Kotlar (https://www.booking.com/hotel/mk/villa-kotlar.en-gb.html) , a small, family run hotel a 15 minute walk from the lake promenade, and five minutes from the lake itself. The lake is stunning, clean and swimmable. I can see why people from all over vacation here. After two days, we were casually browsing the real estate listings. It's that beautiful.
We enjoyed seeing the sites (Tsar Samuel's Fortress, Church of St John, Old Bazaar, ampitheater, Church of St Mary, the Ohrid boardwalk). We met very friendly people who seemed quite delighted to have American tourists visit (definitely not the case everywhere we travel). The food was quite good, but be aware the prices are higher at the waterfront restaurants. Still much cheaper than US prices, but high for Macedonia. The waterfront promenade and many of the shops in the Old Bazaar are geared toward tourists.
Lots of trees, flowers, birds, and places to walk to see it all. And cats, so many cats. Cats here are taken care of by everyone, but are free to wander. They are in the streets, the restaurants, the parks. Be careful when feeding in the restaurants because a) feed one, and they all come running and b) they are FERAL, so don't expect them to eat nicely out of your hand.
We will definitely return for a longer stay.
Skopje
Skopje is the capital of Macedonia. It is a city with one foot planted in history and one foot in the modern world. We stayed a bit too far out of the center of things and would try for a city center hotel next time. I have a preference for local hotels vs big international chains, but in this case, I think the big chains just have better locations.
We had a great time in Skopje. Great food, low prices, friendly people. It was still quite safe to walk around, despite being much more urban. Lots of graffiti, and sculpture everywhere. The city is nuts for statues. We went to the large central park, where we stumbled in a festival celebrating local wine and beer. Live music, lots of families out enjoying the day. We wandered farther down the river to the tennis club area (clay courts!!), the lake with many folks fishing or paddling boats. We also spent a couple of days wandering in the Old Bazaar. I absolutely loved it there. Cobblestone narrow streets, the calls to prayer, mosques hundreds of years old. And food -- the food in the bazaar was amazing. We didn't take advantage of it, but there are several very high end, very large shopping malls in Skopje. Judging from the Mercedes and BMWs we saw everywhere, Skopje is doing okay financially.
We enjoyed Skopje. With the exception of the air quality, which is fair to poor, and the state of the river (polluted), I could see it as a nice place to live. Its worth a week as a tourist destination, maybe even two weeks. It would also be a nice place to spend a month or two as a remote worker.
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