North Macedonia

North Macedonia is a country not many people know much about. Ethnic Macedonians make up the majority of the population, alongside a large Albanian minority. In the largely Albanian town of Tetovo, I visited the Painted Mosque, whose colorful floral artwork was unlike anything I’d seen before. It was another reminder that even the same religion can look remarkably different from one culture to another.

Wanting to better understand the country’s history, I later booked a walking tour of the capital, Skopje, with a local guide named Aleksandar. He walked me through everything from the region’s ancient past to its modern political challenges. The most fascinating topic was the controversial Skopje 2014 project, which filled the city with enormous statues and grand monuments that many locals saw as symbols of government corruption and political nationalism. It was a fascinating contrast between the country’s rich history and its more complicated present. I also couldn’t help but admire Aleksandar himself, who shared a genuine love of history and geopolitics. Someone with his depth of knowledge could have been teaching almost anywhere, yet he chose to share his passion by introducing visitors to his country, one tour at a time.