Ohrid -- September 13

We made it to the Skopje bus station (this time being careful not to get ripped off by the cab driver!) and got on our bus to Ohrid. The trip was about 3 hours through beautiful mountain scenery. The bus was practically empty, but the problem was this bus was made for Lilliputians and there was absolutely no leg room whatsoever. Craig arrived in Ohrid around 11am with very sore knees.

We took a taxi to our next accomodation -- Antonio's Guesthouse. The guesthouse is a short walk from the main sights and offers the advantage of staying in a traditional Macedonian house. Antonio wasn't there when we arrived, but his dad did a wonderful job of telling us what to see and provided a handy map with all the sites, his Mom offered a refreshing glass of juice, they are such a nice family.

Walking into town we were immediately stuck by how different Ohrid is from Skopje. Same country, but entirely different feel. Ohrid is clearly a tourist attraction, but seems to retain at least a touch of "local" life. Both the town and the lake are under the protection of UNESCO as sites of rare environmental, scientific and cultural significance. The lake is one of the oldest and deepest in the world and appears more like an ocean from the shore.

There are many cultural sites to see in the town, and as storm clouds were gathering, we opted to squeeze in some sightseeing before heading off to our typical large afternoon meal :). We started with the beautiful small church of St Nikola Bolnicki and were very impressed with the 14th century frescos (unfortunately no photos allowed). Nothing could prepare us for our next stop, the church of St Sophia which completely dazzled with the interior frescos and the overal architecture. In fact, we learned that such a high number of 11th century frescos are only found here and in one other church in the world (Kiev, Ukraine).

We then began our uphill hike to the most famous of the churches, the church of St. Jovan. The church is small and the interior quite impressive (and came with private narration by the wonderful woman collecting the 100 MKD entrance fee), but what really distinguishes this church is the location. Perched on a cliff on the edge of the shore, it provides the most well-known image of Ohrid with the church set against the deep blue waters of the lake.

Traveling onward we visited the newly built St Clement's Monastery church and viewed the ruins of the older churches being excavated at the site (Plaosnik). We then climbed upward to probably the most impressive church of the bunch -- the Church Mother of God Perivleptos. The frescos were stunning and the helpful woman who sold Efren the ticket gave him a private tour. Craig joined a bit later, and she insisted on not taking the entrance fee as long as Efren taught Craig what she had just taught him.

Our final trek of the day was up to the Samuel Fortress which overlooks the town. The fortress appeared more impressive from the outside, but afforded wonderful views of the town. Just as we finished our visit, the rain started and we ducked into Cafe Aquarius where we spent about 1 hour sipping on cappucinos and local beer. After the rain we went to the appropriately titled "Fish Restaurant" as Efren had a taste for lake trout. The trout did not disappoint. Craig ate light as the tummy has been acting up a bit :)

The real joy in Ohrid is just getting lost wandering the back streets. The traditional Ottoman architecture is breathtaking, and the lushness of the gardens and verandas hard to believe. We saw plump grapes and raspberries, gorgeous roses, and some of the healthiest fruit trees (pears, apples, plums, figs) we'd ever seen. It was also pepper harvest time, so most houses had vivid red peppers tied up and drying outside their homes -- very photogenic!

A quick note on the food -- the vegetables here are amazing. Tomatoes taste like tomatoes and cucumbers taste like cucumbers. However, keep in mind that the lemonade tastes like lemons -- like they just squeezed the lemon into a glass and served it!