Dreaming of the lake

Dreaming of the lake end its serenity

 

When currently I cannot visit Lake Tanganyika or Lake Baikal I put all my heart to one Balkan Lake with similarly remote origins. Any guess? 

I saw It twice. First time in freezing February 2015. Lately in nice hot May 2017. 

To make it simpler It is located in both Albania and Macedonia. 

And brava it is Ohrid.

I can admit it is breath taking and most of the magic here happens by the water.

The 30 km-long Lake as I already mentionned is one of the oldest and deepest in Europe with a maximum depth of 288m. Considered as well as one of the oldesr biotopes in the world it is a home to more then 200 endemic species. Therefore no wonder it is listed on UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979 and no wonder I love it deeply. 

However, the main thing that will strike you it is simply its natural beauty, with snow-covered mountains and valleys sloping down to clear water.

As my Macedonian friends told me Ohrid is the best in summer. The water temperature achieves 26 Celsius degrees while the sourranding mountains are still covered in snow.

Not only it is a touristic attraction but also very importan religion destination for orthodox people.

There are many villages and three main cities on the lake's shores: Ohrid and Struga on the Macedonian side that I am familiar with and Pogradec in Albania. 

Well, one village Radozda near Struga I am not recommending. I spent there freezing my survival time during worst Youtch Exchange project I have ever been. 

On the other side, Ohrid city is amazing. It is literally covered by the churches as it used to be 365 of them, each for every day of the year. And the imposing 10th-century fortress overlooks the city. The old town is full of narrow streets with little shops that sell famous pearls and woodcarvings. You can find there many restaurants with terraces jutting out across the lake.

The forstress itself is a must see. Same for short boat trip through the Lake. And when u loose your bracelet from pearls, do not worry, just do like me, come back some years later for the next one.

(add pict)

famous Church of St. John at Kaneo

The view of a Byzantine structure - Church of St. John at Kaneo that perches on the rocks over the Lake fall in a memory as well. It is just very spectacular location for a church.

Don't be surprised by a Muslim part of town. Ohrid is a home for ethnic Turks and Albanians therefore a mosque is happily located opposite a Byzantine church.

Worthy to mention is the fact that in more then 2400 years  there were many layers of civilisation in the city. From Ottomans to the Venetians and the Communists which gave this city a soul and made people there open.

If u decide to see Ohrid try to find a good native tour guide. Take a boat trip to the St. Naum Monastery and play hide ans seek with its peacocks roaming freely across its terracotta roofs.

For me as Polish I feel good in Maceodnia, while for my Italian friend people there are too cold. Well probably we have different views on hospitality and openess of people. Just remember that Macedonia itself is not a rich country so hotels or restaurants may not be sophisticated in a European way. But the value for money is good there, same for vine...