IMPORTANT INFO
Lodging
Lodging is not included in the tuition price for these workshops. The students are at liberty to choose their own accommodations or we will be happy to book the right accommodation for our participants. If shared with several students, an apartment for the entire duration of each workshop will cost approximately 300E – 400E per person. The exact price will be determined at the time of booking.
Meals
Skopje is a city with very eclectic and interesting cuisine ranging from the usual street food, typical Macedonian tavernas to refined high end dining. We will provide a complete list of suggestions where you can grab a quick mid day bite or a place to savor a lengthy meal after a long day of rehearsals. For the budget conscious travelers, one can get a good and hearty lunch for about 5USD and a sit-down dinner for around 10USD. A light meal of typical “burek” with Balkan Yogurt costs roughly around 2 USD. Of course, one can fare with less or more expensive choices as well.
Getting to Skopje or Ohrid
Skopje enjoys a central location in the Balkans and it is well connected by Air, Train and Bus travel. Skopje International Airport is served by many excellent airlines with great connections through European hubs for any destination in the world. Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Aegean Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Lot Polish Airlines,… are just some of the airlines offering excellent connections to Skopje. In addition, Skopje is covered by several budget airlines as well: WizzAir, Air Baltic, Paegasus Airlines. However it is always recommended to get your entire travel itinerary on one ticket, meaning that you will have a connection flight booked on the same reservation (ticket) as your previous flight(s). Sometimes it can be less expensive to go through the budget airlines route.
Ohrid International Airport is mainly served by WizzAir and Air Serbia. It is well connected with several European capitals. Being a summer lake destination, each tourist season there are other charter airlines that offer flights to Ohrid. These schedules have not been announced yet. Although it is much more comfortable to arrive directly in Ohrid, sometimes it can be more economical to arrive in Skopje, and take a three hour bus ride to Ohrid.
Please contact us if you wish additional travel suggestions.
Life in Skopje
The capital of Macedonia is the city of Skopje. It is the largest city in the country and at the same time it represents an administrative-political, economic, cultural and educational-scientific centre. It is located in the northern part of the country, divided into two parts by the river Vardar. The city in the course of its existence, depending on the historical circumstances, was named by different names, and its ancient name is Skupi.
Skopje, is a charming, vibrant and cosmopolitan city. Its Ottoman- and Byzantine-era sights are focused around the city’s delightful Čaršija, bordered by the 15th-century Kameni Most (Stone Bridge) and Tvrdina Kale Fortress – Skopje’s guardian since the 5th century. From the eating and drinking scene in Debar Maalo, a lovely tree-lined neighbourhood, to the loud party scene late at night at the City Park Clubs, Skopje has something for everyone’s tastes.
https://www.macedonia-timeless.com/eng/cities_and_regions/cities/skopje/
Life in Ohrid
Ohrid – a city in the southwestern part of Macedonia, on the northeast coast of Lake Ohrid, which also has its name based on the city. Ohrid and Lake Ohrid are one of the main tourist destinations in Macedonia. Due to the large number of churches and monasteries, the city is known as the Balkan and European Jerusalem. Ohrid is also known as the “city of light”, a literal translation of its old name, Lychnidos. The Ohrid region is included in the UNESCO World Heritage. Modern Ohrid is the heir of the ancient Lychnidos.
Ohrid was not only the most important city in the region, it was also the most important educational center and source of literacy for all Slavic peoples. It is the home of the oldest university in Europe (9th century), while in the place Plaoshnik, near the city is the restored church of St. Clement, the findings of which point to the fact that there was a university from the 13th century.
Today Ohrid is a popular summer vacation destination. Other than its natural glories, it offers a world renowned summer festival – Ohrid Summer, featuring excellent artists of many different genres. It has a wonderful old town to be explored, excellent beaches to be descovered and a vibrant night life to be enjoyed.
https://macedonia-timeless.com/eng/about/about/did-you-know/ohrid-city-light/
Additional Activities
Although both of BOS workshops are full of rehearsals, lessons and activities, we can arrange different side trips for the two Sundays off in each session. Some of the excellent sites to see are the mountain and lake Matka, offering fun rowing excursions and rustic restaurants, beautiful village of Galicnik, Mavrovo, or the Monastery of Saint Jovan Bigorski, pictured above. At the beginning of each week, we will arrange a side trip for the following Sunday depending on the interest of our students.