MAVROVO NATIONAL PARK in North Macedonia is SPECTACULAR!! Here’s Why! 🇲🇰

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

THANKS FOR WATCHING!! 👍 If you enjoyed the video please consider LIKING & SUBSCRIBING - they really help me out! 👍 🇲🇰 My NORTH MACEDONIA Travel Vlogs → bit.ly/mwt_northmacedonia | 📷 Connect on INSTAGRAM → bit.ly/mwt_instagram | 📍 My videos on a TRAVEL MAP → bit.ly/mwt_map

[@majakoneska7031]

Macedonia❤

[@mariamm9460]

@@MattWhitingsEurope your videos are the best ,, following your journey always 🥰

[@ΚώσταςΖωγράφος-θ5σ]

@@majakoneska7031 βαρντασκα λέγεται με πρωτεύουσα τα σκοπια και ΟΧΙ Μακεδονία και είναι επαρχία της Σερβίας....

[@s.t.7941]

My beautiful country MACEDONIA!!!

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

👍

[@LetswalkaroundGothenburg3]

Thanks for sharing🌹🙏❤ Have a nice week!! 🍕🏠🎉 Excellent video! 🥰😘

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thank you! You too!

[@borisserafim]

Thank you for the video. God bless

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it!

[@mariamm9460]

Hi Matt, amazing video, love your journey..That cat so cute❤🐈hotel looks lovely too..beautiful views from the balcony and all the places ...amazing mountains ..Thank you for sharing, have a lovely evening, Mariam☕🍰🥰✨

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thank you Mariam, yes it was a lovely place and I enjoyed that morning view very much. Hope all is well with you?!

[@mariamm9460]

@@MattWhitingsEurope Hi Matt😊You are the most Welcome, thank you so much for asking, all is ok with me..hope all well with you too?.Have a lovely Friday and weekend..Stay safe and well 🥰☕🍰😍xx

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

You too! Enjoy the weekend 👍

[@mariamm9460]

@@MattWhitingsEurope thanks very much Matt, enjoy you too..🥰

[@peterrohrbeck2088]

It's great to follow your journey here. Thank you.

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@biljanafidanoska1242]

The region that you are in is Mijak region where are dotted beautiful villages. My village is on the other side of the Bigorski Monastery, called Bitushe. Beautiful to see my part of the world. And Galichnik is, in my opinion, the most fascinating village in Macedonia. You have to visit that village. You will like it. Especially in July there is every year ,traditional Macedonian wedding. Thank you

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thank you Biljana, I actually drove close to your village (which will be in the next video) and I likely saw it across the valley when I was at the monastery. I really liked the idea of visiting Galichnik, it looked like a fascinating place but alas I just didn't have the time. Would you recommend I walk there across the mountain top or just drive?

[@biljanafidanoska1242]

Hi Matt. From the village of Yanche there's a way to claim the Mountain to Galichnik and Bistra mountain. Is great to do that, but it takes sometime to reach Galichnik on foot. Unless is someone with you, I wouldn't suggest you to go alone. My mum used to take me with her,when I was little girl,we use to walk from Yanche to Bistra mountain, to collect mountain tea, which is very flavoursome. But,for you alone,I would suggest to go through the road towards Mavrovo. You can drive all the way to Galichnik by car. The nature is amazing, also chance to see wild horses roaming that area. And don't forget to try best cheese called Galichnik Kashkaval and another one that is called hard cheese. (Bieno sirenye) Good luck

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks very much for the information. Sounds wonderful! I love how you use to walk into the mountains with your mum to collect mountain tea, sounds so peaceful. I won;t be able to visit Galichnik on this trip but love the idea of one day returning to visit. Thanks again!

[@WITYTRAVELS]

Nice "wish sandwich". You got 2 buns and wish you had some meat. Lots of sounds in this area. Great video!

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

A slab of meat would have gone down a treat! Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

[@WITYTRAVELS]

@@MattWhitingsEurope 🥩

[@Hongaars1969]

Good afternoon Matt How are you? Well the first of Sept has arrived. 1) beautiful scenery from the balcony. Glad the door opened. 2) distinctly Ottoman influence/ architecture. 3) what a lush looking valley. Totally different landscape from the previous uploads. (Love the pussy cat….) 4) my goodness. Those roads. Very brave you. Just stunning scenery all around. As always, thank you. Zoltán

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Good morning Zoltán! I'm all good thanks, it seems as if summer is winding down now although that might not be the case for you in Croatia just yet. Glad you enjoyed my little drive through Mavrovo National Park, glad I was able to visit! The roads did get a bit sketchy at times but it all worked out in the end. Thank you as always for following along!

[@valorf666]

John of Debar was Macedonian, but you probably use wikipedia..

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Are you able to tell me what your source is for this? I'd like to have a read if possible?

[@87degreez]

He was neither Macedonian nor Bulgarian in todays sense of national consciousness... he was just fellow Christian.

[@WITYTRAVELS]

Great deal on the lodging. And what a view! Matt, you can't park your car inside the cafe! Keep it down cat. Matt ain't afraid of no barbed wire!

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Darn it! I thought it was a drive-through! I asked for a coffee to go but they told me to sit down. You'll need more than barbed wire to keep me away from an old bridge like that 🤯

[@WITYTRAVELS]

@@MattWhitingsEurope 😂😂

[@Highball1417]

I know you're just probably using Wikipedia but John of Debar was a Macedonian Slav not a Bulgarian, great video tho.

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks, do you have a source for that? I'd genuinely like to read more on the subject, facts are important.

[@Babel7078]

Hi Matt! You obviously have best intentions, but be very careful with the Balkans history! Especially in Macedonia with so many invaders in the past! Love to watch your chanel, keep going!

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks for tuning in! Much appreciated.

[@d-rzarkocubrinoski]

Македонија.

[@biljanafidanoska1242]

In national park Mavrovo, beside many wild creatures that live there, there is also Balkan Lynx living there. Biggest number of them are in Macedonia

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Wow that's incredible, what a magnificent area! Thanks for the information - I really enjoyed passing through the National Park Mavrovo.

[@MacedonianBro]

What an insult. John of Debar was Macedonian Slav and from Archbishopric of Ohrid which is continuing church of Macedonian Orthodox Church recognised today in orthodox world. This will angry lot of Macedonians.Better make public apology.

[@vladoz9299]

The door was at an angle? Perhaps you should first flatten it with the wall and then open.

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Good shout. Thanks!

[@AndrejNikolov-xw2gi]

Macedonia, sir. north is politics and disrespectful. So when you're going to a country its best to learn the rules and culture. Very disrespectful

[@ΚώσταςΖωγράφος-θ5σ]

Βαρντασκα λέγεται με πρωτεύουσα τα σκοπια και ΟΧΙ Μακεδονία και είναι επαρχία της Σερβίας. Εσείς είστε Σλάβοι μιλάτε και γράφετε βουλγαρικα και δεν μπορείτε να λέγεστε Μακεδονες...

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

The name of the country is North Macedonia, changed officially by the government a few years ago. I understand there are some bad feelings about the name but it would be best to address this with the elected government, not tourists like me.

[@ΚώσταςΖωγράφος-θ5σ]

@@MattWhitingsEurope Το όνομα άλλαξε από 20 άτομα και ΟΧΙ από τον Ελληνικό λαό. Για εμάς τους Έλληνες λέγεται Βαρντασκα η Βαρνταρ

[@ΚώσταςΖωγράφος-θ5σ]

@@AndrejNikolov-xw2gi Βαρντασκα λέγεται Βαρντασκα λέγεται σκοπιανε και είναι επαρχία της Σερβίας....

[@biljanafidanoska1242]

Matt, I can see that people aren't happy about the information for Bigorski Monastery, and it's founder. You need to understand the history in Balkans before you make the statements. I don't know where did you find that information about him being bulgarian. Definitely he wasn't. John of Debar was Macedonian. Nothing to do with Bulgaria. Debar is town in Macedonia very close to that Monastery. I would suggest if you aren't sure about history of any objects in Macedonia, try not make statements from Wikipedia. Macedonia is been under political attacks for centuries. Today isn't different. Most of neighbours around Macedonia (Bucharest treaty 1913)have taken big parts of the Country and they are trying to take even what is left Bulgarians are claiming that we are Bulgarians and our language is of Bulgarian dialect. Nonsense!! Greeks saying we aren't Macedonians and ancient Macedonian history belongs to them, only because they had to have 52% of Macedonian land given as a present (Bucharest treaty 1913). So anything, but absolutely anything that is Macedonian, they would deny and Wikipedia is full of false information when it comes to Balkan region. So, I just want you to understand why people get upset if some statements that tourists (not knowingly) are making about the history of Macedonia. No hurt feelings, most of them know you mean good. I am sure.

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks Biljana, I could only find 2 reputable sources on the monastery and both seemed to say the same thing. I'm definitely interested in learning more so if you have some recommendations on where I can read about it I'd be grateful. I understand there is a lot of history and many things have happened so thank you for the brief explanation about the monastery. It is definitely useful to read more about it and of course the last thing I want to do is upset anyone!

[@s.t.7941]

@@MattWhitingsEurope In the Holy icons of Christ our Saviour, of the Mother of God and all the Saints, the Church obtained the most beautiful adornment, thus constantly enlightening and filling itself with grace through them. The merciful God provided that in these icon-painted presentations, we should actually see the graceful and enlighten images of the Saints, and through them, through those images - the visual image of our incarnated Lord, and God Himself. Before this Divine image the flames of passion and all the vanities of the world are subdued, it strongly distinguishes itself as something beyond this world, which comes from its heavenly space, but acts and affects us here. A person can hardly believe his eyes, when they testify for this victorious, irresistible beauty, which emanates from the Holy icons. The all-merciful Divine Providence, which accords everything for our salvation, took care that the Holy Synodia of Bigorski should be honoured with a magnificent and miraculous icon of the great and renown Prophet John, The Forerunner and Baptist of our Lord. It’s with this icon that the history of the Monastery begins. The Holy Tradition conveys that in the time when Basil II (976-1025) was the ruler of the great Romeic Empire, and these wonderful mystical slopes were part of the Samuel kingdom (976 - 1014), here in these mountains, blessed by the invisible touch of the Divine hand, lived a very noble and virtuous monk called John. He was from the Debar area by origin. This most reverend Father was filled with every virtue, wise and smart, and constantly watched over the purity and humbleness of his heart, having in mind the words of our Lord: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”(Mathew 5, 8). He felt especially great love for “the greatest among those born of women” - St. John the Baptist.

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks for the info 👍

[@user-br3ou2cs9o]

I was also wondering where someone who is a tourist, potentially a tourist, might find "quality" English Translations of the areas history so as to not cause a civil war while traveling there in "whatever it's called" country and "whatever it's called" cities and towns of the region. I guess they could always ban tourism unless you're an Ethnic-Born-Historian of the region and maybe then they won't Snowflake-Out in the comments concerning your Cool😎 Travel Videos. Safe Travels Matt ✝️🕊️

[@BoringFly]

If you ask anybody in Macedonia what is you country name nobody will say n. Macedonia! Please stop sh!ting on everyone's head in Macedonia Matt!

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

It's the official name of the country my friend. If you're not happy about it then you need to direct your frustration towards your government, not tourists.