This summer we had a rare treat: celebrating my husband’s milestone birthday here in Macedonia with just his brothers and sister. No kids, no grandchildren—just the core family together. His colleagues had given him a new BBQ, so we made the most of it over the long bank holiday weekend with plenty of food, walks, and catching up.

The weather was good, so we explored quite a bit: Skopje, Matka Canyon, Vinica, Štip, and even Blatec, which we finally managed to find without the help of a donkey!

One of our days out was to Strumica, known for its waterfalls. We first aimed for Smolare, the highest in Macedonia. The path starts easily enough and passes wooden gazebos where you could picnic, but higher up it was closed off because of fallen trees. When you see a danger sign in Macedonia, you don’t ignore it.

Instead, we went to Kolešino Waterfall, just 350 meters from the parking area. It’s a short, shady walk and although you can’t go right under the falls because of the fencing, it was still a nice stop.

Back in Strumica we tried to find the fortress, or Czar’s Tower, but that turned into another story altogether. For this trip, we settled for excellent pizza in a park-side restaurant before heading home.