Sv. Naum -- September 14

We decided to take a trip to the southern tip of Lake Ohrid on the Macedonia/Albania border as we heard the monastery there, Sv Naum, was worth the trip. We hopped on the 8:30 minibus to Sv Naum. The trip took about 45 minutes as we drove along the twisty lakefront road. We arrived at Sv Naum a bit queasy, but eager to see the sites. Most of the people on the minibus with us were locals who were headed to Sv Naum to open the shops and souvenir stalls located there. One of the women tried to brush an ant off Efren's back that she noticed on the bus ride, but it was too late and it crawled on to his neck, freaking him out. The woman told him it was nothing to fear and not poisonous!

We walked along and soon came to the incredibly beautiful springs that feed Lake Ohrid. The springs were gushing into the lake causing turbulence where the flow met the lake. We learned that boaters offer tours of the springs and we decided to look into a trip after visiting the monastery. We entered the Sv. Naum Monastery which is like a true sanctuary. Bubbling springs and tame peacocks roam the grounds.

We entered the monastery, and the pleasant man collecting entrance fees said we looked like students, so we received the student rate to enter. He also told us a bit of the history of the monastery and offered us a book describing this special place. As with many of the churches we have seen, the frescos inside were stunning. What added to the appeal is this monastery's location -- right on a cliff overlooking the clear waters of the lake. After visiting the monastery we decided to take the springs boat trip.

Nikola Pavleski took us for a one hour boat ride through the springs. The water is crystal clear and you can see the water bubbling up from below. Ducks and herons were everywhere and the place was just incredibly peaceful. Nikola did a great job telling us about the history of the area. He is also a wonderful photographer and is planning to participate in an exhibition displaying his work in Poland in early 2010.

After the boat ride we went back to the Sv Naum complex and had a nice lunch overlooking the lake. We then strolled around a bit more and came to the Macedonia/Albania border crossing. We toyed with the idea of crossing over the border, but the signs saying "permission is needed to enter" deterred us from going any further.

We walked along the lake and were ready to head back to Ohrid. A nice gentleman at the bus stop told us the bus wasn't coming for another 90 minutes, and suggested we go with him on a brief boat trip on the lake to take some pictures. So for 300 dinar we were back on a boat with the very friendly Todor Angelovski telling us more about the history of the area and taking lots of "perfect" pictures of Efren and Craig.

Around 3pm we arrived back in Ohrid. We grabbed some more food and then headed back up to St Jovan church to catch the vivid sunset.

We have really enjoyed our time in Ohrid, and are sad to be leaving tomorrow. But we are excited to experience our next destination -- Bitola, Macedonia!