I had taken the advice from Tom and Vicky's adventures back in 2009 to make it to Lake Ohrid (said ock-rid) on the border or Macedonia and Albania. With the temperature in Tirana dragging me down I took the 4pm with my mate Hanna to the Macedonian side of the lake. The noticeable change was the prices and the tourists...hundreds of them. Albania on the other hand just does not have anything but locals - save a few lost souls. But the tourists were primarily local as the summer holidays are in full swing for those in the Balkan states this month.
We arrived shortly before 10pm to Sunny Lake Hostel in the old city. Here I was made welcome by a familiar face from Budapest and a merry band of solo travellers drifting in for a late night feast of the local Aubergine, Red Pepper and Chilli dip called Ajvar (said Ivar) with hunks of bread. It was instantly a place I felt at home. Chatter reverted to relaxation and how long could each of us drag this lake time out for. Dahi wins on that score after cycling from Ireland on his way to India - I wonder if he has left yet!
On my first day I was hit by the Herring curse at Lake Ohrid or thats what it will be known as anyway as a thunderstorm swept the city having me diving into a restorant (intentional spelling that is how they spell it here!) for some of the local food and a sample of their wines. Now if you like lakes and you like wine and you like life to be cheap then Macedonia has this in abundance. I really enjoyed the Mustar, Sauvingnon, Merlot and Vervac that I drunk whilst in Ohrid..and yes that does mean I became a lush while I was there. I have succumb to drinking alone in warm climates with a sample of food and a bucket glass. I couldn't be more content with this fact.
The layout of the city on the shores of the lake is simple. 365 churches, a fortress at the top and a lake to dive into for refreshment any time you please.
I only saw a half dozen of the churches but they were all beautiful and one day trip out to Sveti Naum was a highlight with a long day lounging in the sun, reading and swimming.
Here are some of my photos....can you tell I'm a bit too relaxed for time in front of the little box for spouting about the experience and how serene it is even with thousands of tourists.
I had a revelation during my time in Ohrid that I am a lake girl. As much as I enjoy the rhythm of the sea and its rugged beauty the serenity of a lake is something else...and imagine getting into warm water when you decide this. All those brisk dashes into the lake and attempts to avoid Duck itch as kids were redundant here...just the unadulterated pleasure of swimming, sunshine and relaxation.
On my last night I even saw a swimming marathon with swimmers doing 30km around the lake - not sure how many if any times they cross the border and if they had to stop for Passport control dragging their documents out of their trunks but it was a lot of fun to see the winner and the 100m dash for the 2nd/3rd spot.
Next Destination is Montenegro - but the road would not be direct as I will explain in the next post....
We arrived shortly before 10pm to Sunny Lake Hostel in the old city. Here I was made welcome by a familiar face from Budapest and a merry band of solo travellers drifting in for a late night feast of the local Aubergine, Red Pepper and Chilli dip called Ajvar (said Ivar) with hunks of bread. It was instantly a place I felt at home. Chatter reverted to relaxation and how long could each of us drag this lake time out for. Dahi wins on that score after cycling from Ireland on his way to India - I wonder if he has left yet!
On my first day I was hit by the Herring curse at Lake Ohrid or thats what it will be known as anyway as a thunderstorm swept the city having me diving into a restorant (intentional spelling that is how they spell it here!) for some of the local food and a sample of their wines. Now if you like lakes and you like wine and you like life to be cheap then Macedonia has this in abundance. I really enjoyed the Mustar, Sauvingnon, Merlot and Vervac that I drunk whilst in Ohrid..and yes that does mean I became a lush while I was there. I have succumb to drinking alone in warm climates with a sample of food and a bucket glass. I couldn't be more content with this fact.The layout of the city on the shores of the lake is simple. 365 churches, a fortress at the top and a lake to dive into for refreshment any time you please.
I only saw a half dozen of the churches but they were all beautiful and one day trip out to Sveti Naum was a highlight with a long day lounging in the sun, reading and swimming.
I had a revelation during my time in Ohrid that I am a lake girl. As much as I enjoy the rhythm of the sea and its rugged beauty the serenity of a lake is something else...and imagine getting into warm water when you decide this. All those brisk dashes into the lake and attempts to avoid Duck itch as kids were redundant here...just the unadulterated pleasure of swimming, sunshine and relaxation.
On my last night I even saw a swimming marathon with swimmers doing 30km around the lake - not sure how many if any times they cross the border and if they had to stop for Passport control dragging their documents out of their trunks but it was a lot of fun to see the winner and the 100m dash for the 2nd/3rd spot.
Next Destination is Montenegro - but the road would not be direct as I will explain in the next post....
Hi Jo,
ReplyDeleteLooks as if you're having a very adventurous time. Great pictures.
Keep enjoying
Take Care
Julie xx
Hey JM - glad you enjoyed Macedonia and Lake Ohrid. Great blog update! Was cool to Skype and such a small world that we'd stayed in the same hostel. Wonder if that helped with 'feeling at home' like you said about the place?!
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