Last night, we had an amazing dinner at our hotel by Lake Ohrid with Erin, Susan, Sarah and Caroline. Mum had prawns and I had pork, both came with veggies and rice. We also enjoyed some beautiful white wine and a cake each for dessert. It cost us $30 Aussie each and was one of the best meals we’ve had all trip. We were also treated to beautiful sunset views across the lake. We heard from some of the nice people that went to the dinner and dance that the food was crap and it wasn’t very good, and that the obnoxious passengers on our tour completely wrote themselves off with alcohol. Good decision us :)
This morning we went on a boat trip on Lake Ohrid which was lovely. The weather was nice and we had great views of Ohrid, other towns across the lake and of Tito’s summer house. 2/3 of the lake is in Macedonia and 1/3 in Albania, and apparently it’s the fourth biggest in the world. Don’t trust me on that though, because many things our guide has told us have turned out to be wrong (thank you internet!).
Then we had a guided walking tour of Ohrid. Our guide asked us what we had heard about Macedonia. No one said anything, so I said Peter Daicos (AKA the “Macedonian Marvel who was an incredible player for Collingwood). The guide laughed and said he hadn’t heard of him. Point is, none of us really knew anything about Macedonia and it’s not a hugely popular tourist destination, but it should be. From what we have seen so far it is lovely, and the people are so kind.
Ohrid was a really cute lakeside town, and for once we got to do a proper walking tour for 2.5 hours with a really engaging and informative guide. There are 365 churches in Ohrid and the patron saint is St Kliment. The reason he became the patron saint is because people believed he performed miracles during his lifetime. He lived from 840-916, which in his day was a really long life. He was the first one to “quarantine” people to prevent diseases, and here in Ohrid made sure there were gates around the town that meant people had to stay outside of town for 40 days before they were permitted to enter. This limited the effect diseases like the Black Death and cholera had on the area. He also opened the first university in Europe (but this is not documented).
We went to a paper shop and saw a man make some paper, as well as a Gutenburg Press similar to the one we saw in Lake Bled.
Then we saw a few churches, including the largest one in Ohrid called St Sophia Cathedral. Apparently it has fantastic acoustics so many concerts are held there. We also saw an outdoor theatre.
The focal point of our tour was Samuel’s Fortress. Mum and I quickly climbed the walls to enjoy the beautiful views of the town and the lake. Then on the way down we went to St John’s Church, which was beautiful and picturesque by the water.
After enjoying a cool drink by the lake, we then drove through the Galichica National Park to St Naum Monastery. The oldest part of this monastery was built in the 9th century, with other parts built in 1699 and icons added in 1711. The frescoes were interesting as well, and in one room depicted St Naum’s funeral above his actual remains. It’s said if you put your ear to this spot you can hear his heartbeat. Not being religious myself, I didn’t partake.
Then, Sarah, Caroline, Erin, Susan, Mum and I had lunch. Afterwards, we enjoyed a small boat ride for 25 minutes during which a man rowed us around the lake and showed us St Naum’s Springs. The water was crystal clear and absolutely beautiful, and we saw bright blue dragonflies. It was interesting seeing the bubbles of the springs that eventually flow into Lake Ohrid and provide its water.
Back on the bus again and we headed to the capital of Macedonia, Skopje. Annoyingly, we arrived at 8pm with no opportunity for dinner. This has happened a lot, and we find ourselves looking forward to the end of our tour in two days’ time, which is disappointing and shouldn’t happen on a holiday.
On the way, we stopped at the Sharena Dzamija (Painted Mosque) which was built in 1459. We had to take our shoes off, and there was a very suss beggar around so I took my $300 shoes and $200 orthotics in with me!! The mosque itself was beautiful inside and out.
Finally, we arrived at 8.30pm in Skopje. We went out for a couple of drinks and to watch the soccer with the girls we’ve been hanging out with. Tomorrow the group is doing a walking tour and then going to a canyon, but Mum and I are sick of time constraints and some of the people on the tour so we are spending the day alone doing the city’s free walking tour and spending the day how we choose.
Love to all
Claire
Xoxox
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