Macedonia, Sunday 23rd June,

After leaving Rila Monastery we headed straight for the Macedonian border crossing in the south. It was an easy drive, through the countryside and before the border we stopped at a Lidl to do some shopping.

We had an uneasy feeling at the Lidl, seeing a shift looking young man hanging about. After locking everything up, we noticed he was watching us and seemed to be waiting for us to head inside. We stood and watched him and after we both felt we couldn’t leave the van alone decided to do a tag team shopping trip. I went in and started to get what I thought we needed while Ewout waited outside and when I was done, left the trolley and went outside to let Ewout get his beer supplies. Going to the camper I saw he was still hanging around and was glad that we didn’t leave it unsupervised. Goodies bought and loaded up we were approached by the Gypsy looking guy and asked for something which we did not understand. He indicated he was hungry so we gave him and apple and when that seemed not enough and he was insistent on something more we decided it was time to leave. After a very simple border crossing we were in Macedonia around 4pm. Driving along the quiet roads we were starting to think about where we could stop for the night, when we noticed a sign for a waterfall. Great, usually this means a car park and a quiet spot for the night. Following the signs to a small village we wound our way through the main street, which was narrow and started to become steeper as we went,  we kept going on having no choice to turn around and we eventually found a small car park at the end of the road. The road was blocked by a tractor, but we were coaxed forward and the tractor moved and then we were directed to park to the side. The small carpark was uneven and very sloped but we parked up and decided to go for a walk to the waterfall and then wait until the cars had left before trying to find a better spot. At the entrance to the carpark was a couple of men selling their home-grown wares and one of them spoke German and with a bit of school learnt German and a purchase of a jar of Honey, he confirmed that we could stop there for the night with no problem.

We had an enjoyable walk through the forest up and down the paths to the waterfall. It was lovely and cool underneath the tree canopy and while enjoying the sight of the water cascade we were joined by a young couple and their two small children. Greetings were made and we found out that he spoke very good English. He explained to us the geography of the region and about how the foliage changes the higher up you went. He also said he had found an old roman road higher up in the mountains which had been grown over in areas but could still be seen. He then went on to tell us how he had learnt English, and why. It was so he could play World of Warcraft on the computer and participate in the raids. We found that very funny, but a wonderful example of how the internet is connecting people worldwide.

We found ourselves a level spot a little further up and settled down for the night in the mountains. The sky had been threatening all afternoon, we could hear thunder and saw the clouds roll in, so it was no surprise to finally hear the thunderstorm move overhead and hear the rain pelt down onto the roof.

The next morning we woke early and thought it would be good to get an early start, we had not realised that we had crossed a time zone and just as well. Driving down through the village we saw the market vans getting set up and knew we would not have been able to get through later on as it was one way in and out through the narrow road.

Back on the main road we headed west, with a distance of 269 kms and not really knowing what the roads would be like we hoped to make Ohrid that afternoon and be able to enjoy sitting by the lake.

Lucky for us it was smooth driving, only having to watch for the tractors and horse drawn carts and the occasional slow smelly truck. About 10 am we were ready for a coffee break and not seeing many parking bays or pull over spots we were looking out for any likely looking turn off. I spotted and archaeological site down the side of the motorway and with an easy turn off we found a nice open parking bay with a half torn down building. I put the kettle on while Ewout went off to investigate, he found the building to have very good toilet facilities and we agreed that this would make and ideal place to stop if we had known of it beforehand. Revived by the caffeine and eager to stretch our legs we then thought we would have a look at the ruins.

Walking to the entrance booth we found we had “discovered” Stobie, once the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia Salutaris and considered by many to be the most famous archaeological site in the Republic of Macedonia. We paid the 2 Euro’s each to enter and were offered a guided tour free of charge. We were show around by a lovely young man who spoke excellent English and found that his narrative really helped with the enjoyment of the site. We spent an hour wandering around the ruins and marvelling at detailed mosaics, the excellent condition of the baptismal pool, the massive Basilica and the large homes that had been uncovered by meticulous archaeological endeavour.

History lesson done, we then headed back on the road to the Lake Ohrid.  Arriving at the town of Ohrid we stopped by the side of the road to get our bearings at look at our map to see where we could find a place to camp or park. While pondering our options a man on a scooter pulled up and in perfect English asked if he could help us. We were told there was no camping ground close by, but we could park anywhere, he suggested a couple of places so we drove to the lake side and found a nice spot across from a public beach and within walking distance of a water outlet and the police station.

Settling in for a stop-over, we found that there was a lot of traffic on the road next to us as it seemed to be the main path for bike rides, walkers, scooters and sightseers. We weren’t bothered by this and decided to go for a swim in the lake, which by the way was cool and very clear. Bobbing around in the water refreshed us in mind and body and we felt recovered from the long days drive.

After a nights rest we unloaded the bikes and rode up to the town to get some money from an ATM and then thought we would see what was around. Seeing a fortress up on the hill, we headed up the steep road to the direction indicated and found our way to an archaeological site and a lovely church positioned with views over the lake and town. After having a look around we noticed the cafe up there had wifi and as we had come prepared, ordered coffee and cake and sat down to catch up with our emails etc. Spending around an hour sitting in the lovely setting we were able to do what we had to and got back on our bikes to make our way back down through the old part of town, stopping at the old monastery and amphitheatre to have a look. By this time it was about 2pm and lunch was on the agenda, Ewout had planned to eat out so that we wouldn’t have to cook an evening meal. Finding a very nice restaurant we stopped to have a leisurely meal with a lovely view of an old church and the tourists passing by.

When lunch was finished it was time to go, our plan to move on that afternoon was still in place and we had to pack up the camper, refuel and head to the southern end of the lake where there was another Monastery and a campground indicated nearby. It was a pleasant drive along the road through some of the vacation areas, past large resort hotels and smaller pensions and then into the National park where the land rose steeply to craggy hills. We found the carpark to the Monastery and asked about a campground, the nice young man said that the camping area there was not suitable for a motorhome and said we could park overnight in the carpark anyway, we were hoping for a shower and electric as we had been offsite for a few days and decided to turn around to go back a couple of kms to the campground indicated at the last village. Arriving there we were informed that it was closed, (bother) so it was back to the carpark, where we paid our money and found a nice quiet spot around a corner where the only other people were an Austrian couple in a 4WD on their way back from a long journey of 12 months where they had ventured to the Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Oman, and back through the Balkans, wow what an undertaking.

A quiet night was had and we packed up, went for walk up to the Monastery before we headed for our next border crossing into Albania.

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