Zlata Golaboska | Live the World
November 23, 2022
When in Macedonia you can expect to meet great landscapes and nature. It is not a rare occasion to end up in a very welcoming Macedonian village, just because you decided to turn left or right spontaneously. Like Modric.
Modric is a village near Struga, in the southwestern part of Macedonia. Currently, it's (almost) abandoned, which is common when it comes to Macedonian villages. Let’s turn to the positive side of this problem. If you end up in Modric, you will have your own private paradise. There are only two brothers who live there permanently. Because of strong nostalgic feelings, anytime you visit this place, you will find someone who's back to visit it too, even just for few days. I formed a special connection with this place when I have visited it during the spring, and later during the winter. The first time I left Modric it was with green landscapes in my head, the houses barely noticeable among the trees, only to find it later completely naked and white like a dream. I had felt like Modric trusted me enough to show itself to me. I highly recommend that you visit this place in the same sequence as I did, so that you can experience this powerful natural transformation.
Except me being amazed of the transformational power of nature, both visits were guided by people born and raised here, so I had the chance to hear so many legends about this place. The people are retelling these stories not as legends, but as if they are proven history. This gave Modric a dimension of a fantastic yet real tale.
While walking around the village, I was seeing houses and churches (there are 5 of them!) and there was a story behind every stone! I was lucky enough that my guide was more than willing to share. There is one stone on top of the door of the church St. Atanasija, and this is its story: there was a German soldier that tried to reassemble the church and use the materials to build other buildings, during the second world war. He decided to start with the rocks right above the door but the moment he moved the first stone, he lost his sight. He couldn’t put it back without seeing, so he had to pray to St.Atanasija to help him. His prayers were heard, so he successfully put back the stone. His sigh was immediately returned. After this event, the soldier dedicated his life to the church, helping with its maintenance as a monk.
When you reach in the middle of the village, there is a place for gathering, like a café place. Here you can find someone to offer you drink, or to offer to you a company to guide you through the village. There is a story about this place, that was owned by Novo Dobrevski, who owned a white horse that was used for carrying drunk customers during the long celebrations.
Visiting Modric is closest to fairytale you can experience. The stories are levitating in the air and nature is surrounding you through a breathtaking landscape. What can you ask more?!
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