| BorisVM |
Macedonia is a wonderful diverse country that loves its music, has seen huge political change and is the birth place of an incredible woman
1. Snow business
Timing is everything, none more so if you want to ski in Macedonia. Snow is around for about 80 days in the year.
2. The pipes of Pece
Bagpipes. You either love 'em or you hate 'em. A man called Pece Atanasovski adores them. Or well he used to.
This talented Macedonian came out on top at the World Festival in Sicily in 1968, in a competition of 1,800 bag-pipers from around the world.
3. A Red Star
A certain Macedonian footballer took the sporting world by storm not so long ago.
Darko Pancev helped Red Star Belgrade win the European Cup in 1991 and went on to play for Italian side Internazionale.
A wonderful Macedonian indeed: Mother Theresa
4. No diving please
Macedonia has the pleasure of having Europe's deepest lake.
Lake Ohrid is 290m deep and is in the south-west corner of the country. It is also one of the world's oldest.
5. Who ate all the pies?
The chances are they're from Macedonia. Well, everyone likes a good pie and here is no exception.
They're usually crammed full of cheese or meat. Mincemeat is a popular dish, as is yoghurt and fish.
6. Not so nice fact
The capital Skopje suffered a devastating earthquake in 1963 which killed 1,066 people.
7. Crazy folk
You already know their desire for bagpipes (they call them gajda) but the Macedonians are a musical lot.
They love their folk music, playing the two-stringed lute (tambura), tinkling with the kaval (flute) and bashing the tapan (a huge cylindrical drum).
8. All Saint
For an inspirational female figure from the twentieth century they don't come much bigger than Mother Theresa.
She was born in the Macedonian capital and went on to help run hundreds of charities across the world helping the sick and less privileged.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/football/features/newsid_2314000/2314593.stm |