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Overview
What a ride was North Macedonia. It’s a country you barely if ever hear of. I heard more of the Macedonian region in Greece than the country but its history is so rich it ought to be more reknown. I also went to a Lake side, in a town full of local tourists and loved it so much I stayed as long as I could. If it wasn’t so hard to get there by plane I would have gone back for a week easily.
13-14th August
I had no plans for the day but I met a Greek-Slovenian couple at my hostel who said they were going on a free walking tour and asked if I wanted to join. It was the best idea. The guide, Miha, had an amazing historical knowledge of his city, was super nice and really funny. We also did some stops to try food and Rakija. The people I met on the tour were also great. There was a French girl going from Sweden to South Korea by land, the couple from the hostel and a Canadian woman, Véro. We were all laughing a lot during the tour, and when it came to the end we went to get some burek and coffee in a hipster area. We walked around a lot and found a nice park to have somewhat of a break. In the evening we went to a rooftop bar from which you could see the sunset on the city. We went back into the old town for food and found the best bread with cheese. I love bread and I love cheese so it was promising anyways. The next day I was thinking of going to Malka Canyon but didn’t want to rush it, so I decided instead to go straight to Ohrid. I think it is one of my favourite towns and I really could have stayed much longer. The place is quite small so I saw all the touristic places fairly quickly. I walked around the lake, up to two churches, the fortress and around the main streets. By the time I came back to the hostel Véro had arrived so I did a 2nd tour with her. She had gone to Malka Canyon but what she told me about it confirmed it was a good call to get straight to Ohrid. It did look really nice though. After our tour of the city we went to the small beach on the lake side before getting food. In the evening most people from the hostel just sat outside chatting and laughing, the ambiance was really great.
15-18th August
In the morning Véro and I went to paddle board. She had looked for it and knew about it and booked us both for a tour. We stopped for breakfast and a second coffee. At the second place I tried a lime, mint and watermelon fresh juice. It was so good. On the tour it was just Véro and I. There were some other boards rented but they just took them on their own. There was two guide just for us, a friend and the brother of the owner. They were surprised we got up so quickly but we both had done it before and it’s quite easy when you were used to stand on a cable or a beam. We went around the church and paddled quite a bit with the wind helping us. The tour comprised snacks and we stopped to have some fruits and water which was really nice. I surprised them quite a bit when I started doing headstands on the board but the water was perfect for it. They took some photos and drone shots which show how beautiful the lake is.
Later on we just went to the beach, have some bread with cheese and back to the hostel. We loved the place so much we both extended our stay. When we went back out to get dinner we saw traditional dances on a scene. Turned out there was the summer festival with dance groups showcasing their traditional dances. We were mesmerized. We kept on saying it was the last dance we would watch but stayed for one more. At the restaurant there was live music going on. The musicians were really good. At the end they came to chat with us and we learned that pre-pandemic they were touring the USA. In the evening we went back to the hostel and chilled with everyone there.
The next morning we went to get our tickets for the ferry to the Monastery after having breakfast. We chilled at the pier waiting for the ferry and saw someone else from our hostel going there for the day. So we did the trip together. The ride on the lake was absolutely gorgeous. It was about an hour and a half with music and the sun. As soon as we arrived we went in search of coffee before making our way to the monastery and the church. After visiting the grounds we went to the beach and swam. It was quite weird to be in your bathing suit and on the beach inside the monastery park. Our boat was leaving in the afternoon, so about an hour earlier we went back on our way to get some food. We stopped at a restaurant and were sat above the water. At some point a party of 4 were detached and went on the river for their meal. Later on, after we gotten back, I went to Golden Beach while listening to music, just peacefully walking by the lake. It was really nice. I didn’t really sleep all night so I was up to say goodbye to Véro, went to breakfast with a couple of guys from the hostel and only then went to bed. I also chatted a lot with a Serbian couple Nina and Sava who gave me some tips for Belgrade. They had been biking from close to Belgrade all the way to Ohrid. In the evening I finally went to see the sunset from the church which was more than worth it. It was my last day in Ohrid as the next day I took a bus from Ohrid to Skopje and Skopje to Prizren in Kosovo.
To Kosovo
What happened next in Kosovo.