Macedonia Nuts - Part 2 - Far from "Ohrid"

Although land-locked, Macedonia does boast one of Europe’s largest, deepest, oldest and most stunning lakes – Lake Ohrid (pronounced Och-rid – and definitely not “horrid”).  It looked absolutely enchanting in the photos, and feeling the urge for some waterside relaxation, we took a three-hour bus journey from Skopje, through some incredible mountain scenery to arrive at our lakeside apartment in Ohrid Town.

With its turquoise waters and villa clad hillsides, it certainly could rival the Italian lakes for style and beauty (but without the high prices and mass tourism).  Strolling into the old town along the promenade we spotted swans, ducks, dogs and leisure boats bobbing about in the water (although it was still chilly enough to put off all but the most dedicated swimmers!). 

Due to it being a holiday weekend, the town was fairly busy with local tourists, school groups and the exhausted stragglers from the annual Ohrid Mountain trail race. Again, it was very lively, without feeling overcrowded and had quite a festive atmosphere.

Like Skopje, it had an “old bazaar” which was in the process of being renovated, but was lined with shops selling clothes and souvenirs (although no rakija bar – we did look!).  The multitude of jewellers had windows full of the famous Ohrid pearls, gold filigree jewellery and unusual rubies, which tend to be pink and more opaque than those found elsewhere.  Along the lakeside were several well-preserved old merchant’s houses and parts of the ancient wall which surrounded the town.

The next evening I took a stroll along the rather rickety footpath around the peninsular to some small pebble beaches.  The views were to die for, but I had to make a fast retreat back to town, when a huge thunder storm rolled in over the mountains. My sense of foreboding was sadly confirmed after watching West Ham get relegated that evening.  Sitting dejectedly in a local bar with the storm raging outside, we found our match clashed with the local handball team’s derby, which they had on another screen, and sounded far exciting!

The calm after the storm offered the opportunity for a boat trip on the lake the following morning.  There were a variety of vessels available to take you out on the water but we felt we’d made a good choice as we settled into our comfy seats in a luxury catamaran and enjoyed the sunshine.  We glided through the tranquil water to our first stop, the ominously named “Bay of Bones”, a reconstruction of a prehistoric village found beneath the waters in the late 1970s.  The small museum contained some bronze and iron age relics, plus a few animal bones, but it wasn’t nearly exciting as the name made it sound!

We could have lived without the brief stop at the Holy Mother of God Church (which can only be reached by boat) – it was a pretty spot but we’ve seen enough frescos and chapels to last a lifetime!  The highlight of the trip was the Monastery of St Naum, impressively set up on a hillside overlooking the water.  More impressive were the “ostentation” of peacocks strutting their stuff within the grounds, oblivious to the groups of tourists eagerly photographing them.

The area was a pleasant spot with mountain springs to explore, lush gardens, several small pebbly beaches and cafes offering tables and chairs set out in the water.  The Macedonian military even had a “holiday camp” there – the derelict rows of rusty caravans had now been replaced by wooden chalets, but being so close to the Albanian border, I wonder how much “r’n’r” they were allowed to enjoy!

Another storm was brewing so we headed back to town, admiring the picturesque villages and houses which lined the shore (including the holiday villa of the late Yugoslav leader Josip Tito).

Waking to bright sunshine, we continued the walk along the lakeside to the “much Instagrammed” hilltop church of St John, admiring the views.  We found a small path alongside the church which continued along the coast amongst pine forests and slopes covered with wild flowers. This led us up again to the medieval Tsar Samuel’s Fortress which overlooks the town.  Unfortunately, we’d picked the only day the fort was closed, but we enjoyed making our way past an ancient amphitheatre (reputedly used by the Romans for gladiator fights, and beheadings, and still used for concerts), back down into the old town.

Our final outing was up through the lush hills of the Galicica National Park to visit the nearby wildlife reserve at Lake Prespa.  The two lakes shared borders with Albania and Greece and were a haven for migratory birds including pelicans, cormorants, herons and many other rare species. The main attraction (for Ian, I might add) was the ominously named “Snake Island” or Golem Grad to give it its real name, situated in the middle of the lake.  Fortunately, we only encountered a small water snake on our way back to the boat, and Golem was nowhere to be seen, my precious… 

Our guide, Igor, prepared a tasty picnic outside of one of the seven deserted churches on the island…attracting several tortoises which seemed to be native to the place.  Apparently, the tortoise population on the island were predominantly male, the females driven to throwing themselves off the rocky cliffs to escape the males’ constant and aggressive sexual harassment – we were (shell) shocked!

Although now uninhabited by humans, the island had once been home to several large populations and ruins of settlements dating back as far as the 4^th century BC and you could still see the layouts of villages and meeting places.  Although we didn’t encounter any nose-horned vipers or suicidal female tortoises, it was a fascinating tour in one of the most bio-diverse natural paradises we’d ever been lucky enough to visit.

Back in town, we rounded off our stay with another tasty dinner including the local speciality, Tavče Gravče (beans with tomatoes, onions, peppers and paprika) at a local restaurant recommended by our guide. 

Although I imagine that this area would be very busy at the height of the season, we enjoyed our relaxing stay in this unbelievably picturesque part of the world.

Next stop: Rakija and ruins…