Article Southern Macedonia

A trip from Greece to Albania took us to Macedonia a bit unplanned. When we were deciding where to cross the Albanian border to look at Ohrid, Macedonia itself was more than offering itself. And since we're in those places, it would be a shame not to look around a bit. On the way from Kazan, we turned in front of Kozjak to Lake Prespa and we were attracted by a huge cross on the horizon.

Next to the cross is a church, typical for its appearance.

Prespa Lake is mainly used for recreation, in some places as if time had stopped, I remembered the recreational facility ROH, which I went to with my parents as a child.

Because we were not particularly interested in Lake Prespa, we continued through the mountains and the Galičica National Park of the same name to Lake Ohrid.

We are approaching Lake Ohrid, our next destination is Sveti Naum. Above the monastery of St. Naum is a small village where you can easily find private accommodation. Alternatively, you can use the camp on the shores of Lake Ohrid, where there is a nice beach for swimming. When we were here in 2015, the camp was in a pretty poor condition, but swimming on the beach was nice.

Lake Ohrid (less commonly Lake Pograd, Macedonian Охридско Езеро, Albanian Liqeni i Ohrit) is a lake on the border of Macedonia and Albania (Korçë County) on the Balkan Peninsula. It is located in the intermountain tectonic basin. It was formed 3 to 4 million years ago. It is named after the city of Ohrid. The eastern and western shores are steep and rugged, while the northern and southern are mild and gradual. It has an area of 348 km2. It is 30 km long and a maximum of 15 km wide. It reaches a maximum depth of 285 m. It lies at an altitude of 695 m.

Under the church of St. Naum we can go by boat to the source of the Black Drin.

The original church was destroyed by the Ottomans in the 16th century and a new one was built in its place. It is built in the unmistakable local Byzantine style and inside are beautiful preserved frescoes. It is forbidden to take photos in the church, but most tourists do not follow this ban at all and the shutters of cameras and mobile phones click merrily inside. The monastery is a well-known tourist place and at times there is a crush in the high season.

At the monastery is a nice landscaped park with water attractions. Lots of paths invite you to walk and love. Peacocks run freely around the park and a sign hangs on a tree warning that children should not approach the peacocks so that they cannot peck at them. A little further on, next to the source of Černý Drín, there is a restaurant and green-yellow turtles walking on the sidewalk between the tables.

The next point of our journey is the city of Ohrid. There are also several historical places that are worth a visit.

The Monastery of St. Clement and Pantelejmon, standing in Ohrid, Macedonia, is considered to be the site of the first students of Cyril and Methodius under St. Clement. At this place, probably the first Bulgarian pupils in the Middle Ages learned a new script intended for Church Old Slavonic – Glagolitic. The whole building is an important Macedonian cultural monument.

The amphitheater from the time of the Romans was built around the year 0. He, too, currently cannot avoid advertisements.

Samuel's Fortress (Macedonian Самуилова тврдина) is a fortress built at the end of the 10th century on a hill above the Macedonian city of Ohrid Tsar Samuel I.

We leave Ohrid, the traffic in the city is busy and fast. We are already used to it, cars, tractors, carriages, cyclists, motorists, just a Balkan classic. We are heading south, to the border with Albania. We want to travel through the shores of Ohrid and the Albanian side.