Skopje to Lake Ohrid and Back to Thessaloniki

We left Skopje with some difficulty as the roads were closed due to a marathon that was on in the city and our GPS kept wanting to use those roads. We eventually found the right way, after getting lost down some backroads and dead end streets!

We then ran into really bad weather over the mountains – cold wind, - it got down to 8C and pouring rain, really heavy.  Thunder too.  We were headed to Lake Ohrid – and thought if the weather kept this up, we would not be staying at the lake for long.

We arrived at the lake at midday to brilliant sunshine so were really lucky.  This is the view that greeted us.... 

Lake Ohrid  straddles the mountainous border between southwestern Macedonia and Eastern Albaia. It is one of Europe's oldest and deepest lakes at 289 meteres. It has a unique aquatic ecosystem that is of worldwide importance, with more than 200 endemic species. The importance of the lake was further emphasized when it was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1979 and when, in 2010, NASA decided to name one of Titan's lakes after Lake Ohrid.  The lake is otherwise densely surrounded by settlements in the form of villages and resorts - in both basin countries.

The stats are: Altitude 695M, Length 30.8km, Width 15.8km, Depth 289m.

We were enticed onto a boat by a nice man offering to take the three of us to the Church at the end for 5 euros, which was a great price so we jumped at it. I’m really pleased we did this as it gave us our bearings for the walk around the township/village afterwards. It was extremely beautiful, and the lake was crystal clear and a beautiful colour.

Anne and Vivie enjoying the boat trip...

Anne in charge....

Some of the houses along the lakeside...

Our destination - Saint John the Theologian, Kaneo, a Macedonia Orthodox Church situated on the cliff over Kaneo Beach overlooking Lake Orhrid in the city of Ohrid. The church is attributed to John the Theologian. The construction date of the church remains unknown but documents detailing the church property suggests that it was built before the year 1447. Archaeologists believe that the church was constructed some time before the rise of the Ottoman Empire very likely in the 13th century. Restoration work in 1964 led to the discovery of frescoes in its dome.  .

Colourful fishing boats dotted the lake...

And our skipper..

Once off the boat, we started exploring the old town in Ohrid itself..  Ohrid is the largest city on the lake and the 8th largest in Macedonia with over 42,000 people (2002). Ohrid is notable for once having had 365 churches, one for each day of the year, and has been referred to as a "Jerusalem (of the Balkans)". The city is rich in picturesque houses and monuments, and tourism is predominant.

Architecture of the area was the same as Bulgaria.  There was much ruin and restoration going on. Note that there are completely differen churches in this following image - so close to each other.

 Exploring the alleyways...

The cobblestones were smooth and worn and really nice to walk on..

I came across a great way to use up old hats and bags...

More interesting alleyways...

Office workers having a teabreak.  I took this image because their cups (red Nescafe) are the same we had a number of years ago ourselves!!

Some of the housing was old....

We suggested to Vivie that she take a photo of this one and text her parents to say she was staying here!!!

We found some turtles!  And we also ended up talking to a another Kiwi.  Fancy bumping into a New Zealander in Ohrid!

Our destination was the same church we saw from the boat, and as we were pressed for time, we tried to hurry, but there was so much to see, and it was all so different.  And beautiful.  This is a group of Macedonian dancers in the square.

I came across a lovely Macedonian girl selling her artwork outside her house. I bought the picture, took a photo of her holding it, and got her to sign it.  I cherish it, and have it tucked away safe.  I will be framing it.

Then we turned a corner and saw the church. I saw lizards sunning themselves on the stone wall. The lake sparkled, sun shone, and we couldn't have a better day in such a wonderful place.

Vivie and Anne dawdling while I was keen to get ahead!

This lady insisted on Anne and Vivie taking her photo.  I took this one as her attitude, and expression and her seeming sense of fun was hilarious, If a language hadn't stopped me from talking, I would have loved to know more about her.

 Red poppies lined the cliff face and were really beautiful.

We climbed down hundreds of steps to the beach from the church and walked along the pathways to head back to our car and to get some lunch - we were starving. A storm was brewing which made for some pretty dramatic skies.

There were little bars and restaurants on floats over the water, but they were pricey so we decided to go back into the town instead... besides the wind was getting up on the lake..

We passed old houses and doors, old boats, and the view over the lake was to die for...

A great place for a portrait...

The pathway around the cliffs towards the town...

Part of the old town wall and fortifications...

 Old and new...

Back in town we decided t move the car to a new parking spot, and asked for recommendations for a good cheap budget meal of local food.  Turned out we should have left the car where it was and just walked over the road!!

The food was amazing – we  had a variety of differnet dishes to try – which were all good,except the meatballs were awful.  All upo it cost about 15 euro for the three of us – I was most impressed, with the quality and cheapness. The tree outside was amazing too...

We then got back in the car around 4pm – 2 hours later than we should have been and started the trek back to Thessaloniki.  We were really late and missed the drop of time for the car rental, so rang them and they agreed to let us drop it off at 5.30am instead the next morning on the way to the airport.  We were later again as the ring road was closed due to  road collapse, so the GPS sent us once again on a wild goose chase!  But we got there in the end, but very late.  Anne by this time wasn’t well, but I was definitely on the mend.