Macedonia

As we crossed the border from Albania into Macedonia there was a sense of relief in the car. Don't get me wrong we had a great week in Albania and saw some amazing spots but we also had to endure some awful driving, awful roads and lots I mean loads of rubbish everywhere. For some reason the Macedonians do you for 50 euros at the border to give you third party insurance which was steep but luckily both Albania and Bulgaria don't charge anything so we felt a little happier.

We headed for Lake Ohrid and a small town called Struga which is just the other side of the border and found a tiny campsite right next to the lake (camping Rino) which was run by a local family (tiny as in it could only take 10 couples). It was just the spot a stunning location and such friendly people so we well we stayed for 3 nights.

The first night we decided to have food at the campsite, they had tables set out next to the lake. We sat by the lake, under the stars and listening to the noise of the frogs and the food was local, cheap and yummy. Jonny and I got chatting to a German couple who were staying at the campsite with their 2 small children (Laura 2 and half and Jakob just 10 Months). We ended up having a few beers and chatting till late. Raefielli and Borris had taken 2 months away to travel Europe in a camper van and had just come through Bulgaria our next destination so we got some tips off of them on where they stayed and travelled.

The next day we met an Australian couple travelling on a motor bike and they had been on the road for over a year and had travelled from South Korea across Asia and into Europe, they were going to do 34 countries in total and had some great stories so we spent a lot of time chatting to them (see photo of them all packed up on their bike).

So our 3 days camped at Struga consisted off

· Chilling out, sleeping, eating, drinking, swimming, chatting, catching up on our blog, having a BBQ with our new friends, drinking lots of great coffee on the house from the campsite, oh and Jonny did some maintenance on the car after it got a hammering in Albania.

We then said our goodbyes no doubt we would bump into the Australians again as they were headed for Bulgaria and hopefully we will see Borris and family for beers in Germany or England and we headed for Ohrid town centre and then onto Garicica national park and finally Pelister national park.

We drove through a tiny village at the bottom of the national park called Epajhno and just out of luck spotted a few tents in what looked like someones garden so we stopped. I asked if it was possible to stay the night and it turned out it was a campsite in the making but not open yet but they welcomed us in and we were the first guests to use their very good facilities. The small village was stunning with lots fo walks in the mountains where we found an old church buried in the hills. We decided we would stay another night so the next day we could climb mount Pelister 2605m where apparently there were 2 glacial lakes near the summit. The next morning we were up at 5am and off as we wanted to try and avoid the mid day 33 degree heat on the way up and instead got it on the way down. It was so worth it just the two of us up in the hills and it was stunning. Sitting up by the glacial lake having lunch and looking at the mountains. We made it back to camp by 4pm and wow our knees and feet were killing us but we were greeted by an ice coffee such hospitality.

The next day we headed up country to Bitola a nice town with a great street full of cafes for some good people watching. Stopped at the Herclea Lyncestis an ancient archaeological site just outside the town for an hour of looking. We then decided to head for the mountains and see one of the towns close to Macedonias heart, Krusevo at 1200m a small town. A great place to visit and skiing in the winter season. As it was late we decided to have dinner in one of the restaurants rather then cooking from the car and glad we did as it was supper cheap and really good food.

Pizza x 2

Salad

Chips

Beer

Banana milkshake

£9.50

We then drove out of town into the hills and found a spot to camp for the night which had a great view out into the valley below and two tortoises shagging in the bush for like an hour.

Headed for the wine growing region of Tikves which surrounds a large man made lake and the area is stunning but no tourism at all and the local villages seem very poor.

Later headed for Skopje the capital of Macedonia passing through many small towns on the way. I was not keen to drive the car into the capital but it turned out to be a very pleasant and calm city (we even managed to park in the centre and explore the new and old town).

Later in the afternoon drove just outside Skopje to Lake Matka and the Treska canyon as we thought we may find a place to sleep the night. The canyon was beautiful and we walked for a hour through the bottom but no where to camp so we headed for the hills again. Two local pig hunters showed us a nice flat field in the bushes which was perfect.

So after a week in Macedonia we decided to head for the border and into Bulgaria. The drive from Skopje to the Macedonia/ Bulgarian border is stunning through mountains and open countryside. Filled up on Diesel at £1 a litre in Macedonia but £1.24 in Bulgaria.

We loved Macedonia and would definitely go back the country is stunning, the people extreamly friendly, everything is very cheap and so much open space.

I recommend it to all

We are now in Bulgaria and camped next to a stream in the woods so my next update will be our adventures here.

Hope you are all well

Terri and Jonny

Ps text us on 07786067503 (Jonnys mobile) if you like