The right wing of HC CSKA and the Russian national team Daniil Shishkarev in the interview to Handballfast author Aleksandr Kruzhkov told about the time he played at European championships.
— You lived in Macedonia for six year. Was there anything you couldn’t get used to?
— I got used to everything except car traffic. Macedonians are bad drivers. They overtake, impede other cars, don’t use turn signals, fail to give a way to pedestrians at zebra crossing. Moscow is a model city in this regard. The contrast was especially strong after my vacations, I had always spent in Russia. Then I returned to Scopje and was struck: «What a bacchanal is on the road here!»
For the rest, there were no problems. My family and I felt comfortable in Macedonia. We adapted quickly, learned the language. At some point I found myself thinking: «I feel like home here!»
— Did you feel the same in Hungary?
— Hungary is a different story. I moved to Veszprem from Vardar in 2020 during the height of the pandemic and strict quarantine measures, when a special permit was required to attend a training…
Eventually, I spent only one season there, I didn’t even had a chance to see the country properly. I just walked around Budapest a little. We lived in a small town on the shore of Lake Balaton. There are crowds of tourists during summer, while in the winter almost nobody comes there. Empty streets, peaceful silence — such a yearning rolled me… I was convinced once again, that this rhythm of life is not for me, at least at the moment. If I were a retiree, I would probable see it in a different way.
— Mikhail Chipurin, who played for Vardar, told me that on weekends he often traveled to Greece with his family. What about you?
Obviously. As soon as I had a day off, I just got into my car and rode to Saloniki. At first, it took three hours to get there, and when the highway was built, even faster. The city is amazing with an incredible beautiful promenade and delicious restaurants with freshest seafood. In short, it is an ideal place to switch off your mind and change the scenery.
Photo: HC Vardar press
