North Macedonia

North Macedonia is a small, landlocked country in the heart of the Balkans that spent 30 years in a name dispute with Greece before finally adding "North" to its name in 2019. That compromise opened the door to NATO and EU membership talks, but the identity question - what is Macedonian, exactly? - still generates passionate debate on all sides. What's undeniable is that the land itself is beautiful, with Lake Ohrid being one of the oldest and deepest lakes in Europe.

Skopje, the capital, was destroyed by an earthquake in 1963 and rebuilt in a strange mix of brutalist and neo-classical styles. The Old Bazaar is one of the largest Ottoman bazaars in the Balkans, and the city recently added a forest of statues and monuments in a controversial makeover called "Skopje 2014." Outside the capital, Ohrid is the star attraction - a lakeside town with over 365 churches (one for each day of the year, they say), medieval frescoes, and water so clear you can see the bottom at 20 meters. The food is excellent Balkan cuisine, the wine from Tikves is underrated, and the mountains offer hiking without the crowds.