Magazine

All the legends about this area speak about the waters and the so-called Holy City on the mountain Plachkovica. There, once lived a woman who had the power to heal.

Legend has it that Pelister was a handsome young guy whom two sisters fell in love with. Their mother, angry with their affair, chased them to the mountains and cursed them – to remain close but still, not to be able to see each other. The sisters wandered through the mountains. Overwhelmed with fatigue and despair partly because of their unrequited love, partly of the cruel mother curse, they threw themselves on the ground and began to cry. Their tears created two beautiful blue lakes – the eyes of the Pelister.

The cosmopolitan spirit of Skopje attracted an ambitious entrepreneur and great hedonist of Greek origin. His amusing way of life, an incredible mixture of Mediterranean warmth, and Balkan joyfulness make him an icon for the big Greek artists who made him the emanation of the Greek identity, which became well-known globally.

I remember when he was old and no one was cultivating the land anymore, I asked him: Why don’t you sell it? The answer he gave me, then I did not understand … it probably took time. He said to me: “What is bought with altani (golden coins) is not for sale!”