No, you are absolutely welcome to spend time in the capital city Skopje (or elsewhere). Thursday, July 24th is an open day with no events planned therefore you can spend that time however you please. However, please keep in mind that Kiril and family are helping to coordinate travel to Bitola on Wednesday, July 23rd only. The rest will be up to you and your company. So long as you are in Bitola by Friday afternoon for the Welcome Party, you can do what you please!
Cigarettes and coffee. Check the Things to Do tab for more details.
Kiril and family will help coordinate three main transfers: 1) Arrival day on Wednesday, July 23rd from Skopje to Bitola IF you are arriving between 2:00 - 4:00PM. 2) Baptism/Welcome Party day on Friday, July 25th from Bitola to Holy Virgin Church in Kravari and from Holy Virgin Church in Kravari to Kiril's grandmother's house. 3) Welcome Party departures from Kiril's grandmother's house back to your accommodation. If you need assistance with any other transfers/travels, just ask! We're happy to help.
The easiest landmark to locate and use for a central taxi stand is the Clock Tower (Saat Kula) near Bitola's Central Park. This is also right next to the main square of Shirok Sokak. Very common and easily located by anyone in the city. Taxis are typically parked near the roundabout parking area by the tower.
The crucial bit here is to make sure you share your flight details with Kiril & Hannah. We are happy to help coordinate rides out of Bitola to Skopje as we have contacts and resources in Bitola to help, but please keep in mind that varying departure details amongst many visitors will be slightly complicated. We highly suggest coordinating with other folks leaving on same days/times. Skopje is a small airport and most flights out are to only a few cities - you will probably be on the same flight as others. You are more than welcome to use your own services that you find, some suggestions are located in the Travel tab.
Kiril recommends it if you like to move at your own pace (and in your own space). The streets are fairly simple to navigate and the country is small, making travel by car very easy to any area. Google Maps works just fine to help direct. We suggest renting a car if you are sticking around after the 7/26 festivities and would like to join Hannah and I in Ohrid for a couple of days. This would make getting to the airport afterwards easier. However, Ohrid is a very popular destination and travel to Skopje from this city is very frequent and easily scheduled as well. If you do rent a car, DO NOT drink and drive. This is Eastern Europe with Eastern European police.