Old Lakes and Crazy Sailors

Lake Ohrid, situated between Macedonia and Albania, is one of the oldest lakes in the world andat 294 m, is the deepest in the Balkans. My first day in Ohrid, I am blessed with sunshine and take the opportunity to walk along he water's edge. During my stroll, it seems I can't help turning around every few steps and snapping a picture of Ohrid's old town, rising above the shore behind me.

Ohrid

When I finally do return, it is to get lost in twisting cobblestone streets, weaving around thousand year old churchs, always going upwards in an effort to reach Samuel's fortress at the top. Nearing the top, a terrible tune wafts towards me and on entering the fort, I discover its source. A man is dressed in traditional Macedonian garb and playing local bagpipes for the tourists, all six of us. The music is pretty awful, but I want a picture, so I give him the smallest bill I have and whip out my camera. The fort provides a decent wander before I make my way down to the waterfront. Christian, one of the Kiwis, has arranged a boat ride.

Old House

For the next two days, the boys and I will ponder whether this trip was actually worth 10 Euros each. Aristo, our guide, we later learn is well known around Ohrid and generally avoided by all who can do so without being rude. The man doesn't know when to shut up! He's disappointed that we don't want to pay him extra for "tour-guiding" but then says he'll throw it in for free. I wish he hadn't. After about ten minutes, I'm quite willing to pay him to be quiet, if I could just find a polite way of doing it. We really are like hostages on his boat, which he takes out into the bay and then shuts off, leaving us floating as he rambles. His favorite topic is the Greeks. You see, the Greeks and the Macedonians don't get along, as the Greeks consider the Macedonians to be infringing on Greece's glorious history by calling themselves Macedonians. To the Greek mind, Macedonia is the northeast part of their country. There's even a sign saying "Welcome to the Real Macedonia" when you cross the border into Greece. Historically, I believe both regions belonged to the ancient Macedonians, whom the ancient Greeks had a well-documented hatred of, so it's funny they should decide to care now. The Greeks even went so far as to bar Macedonia from joining the UN until their changed their name to "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia." Oh vey!

Another Theater

So, Aristo ranted about such things for three hours whilst showing us a fishing village that looked like a continuation of Ohrid, a church, a bat, and a cave where he and his buddies have BBQs in the summer. Great...Final verdict was that we were glad to have gone out on the lake, but that the "tour" was pretty crummy.

In Ohrid, I stayed at Antonio's Guesthouse, which was a wonderful experience. Antonio met the bus from Skopje at the station and took us back to his home, where his mother took very good care of us. I had my own room for 10 Euro a night with a space heater (very important), and Wednesday night, Antonio even took us out to the popular party spot in town and explained which drinks were cheap. Unfortunately, vodka and tequila for 70 cents can make for a rough night.

Old Church and School Children

The Terrible Piper

View from the Fort

Downtown Square

Sunset on the Lake

Aristo's Hangout

The Kiwis and Me on a Rock