YU_GO_GONE

Wow! Thank you!!! that is such a nice compliment!!! I'm overwhelmed!!! With compliments like these it will go to my head!! Tricky one.. there was lots to do in Hvar.. always a boat ride to a different island or beach. We saw almost none of it. It's always a party in Hvar. Hvar is much more expensive, it is more expensive than Dubrovnik even. Brac.. we didn't see much of either, we only saw Bol. The island Brac is huge with lots of places to see. Bol is much cheaper, and smaller. Both are picturesque. Personally I prefer quieter and more private beaches with less people.. I liked that in Hvar you could go to lots of different locations by boat and find your own space on the rocks or beaches with no one to disturb you. So I would say Hvar in this case only because we did not see much of Brac island and Bol has one major beach (Zlatni Rat) and while we were there it was a little windy and we did not explore the other beaches. Both are very beautiful and I would go back to both in a heartbeat

YU_GO_GONE

Arriving in Macedonia the thing that is most apparent is the rich culture of the Macedonian people. Macedonia has always been a country I have been eager to see. From its many churches, archaeological ruins, beautiful canyons and majestic mountains to its amazing architecture. Day 1 began with an evening stroll through Skopje, the capital city. Skopje has recently undergone an architectural transformation. The centre at night is really something to be seen. We walked for hours and didn’t manage to see it all and that’s just the centre!! Skopje was devastated by an earthquake in 1963 which knocked down essentially all of the buildings in the centre killing over 1000 people and as a result most of the original buildings were destroyed. Skopje prior to the earthquake apparently had an architecture similar to that of Prague. Most of the buildings in the centre which have been featured in this report were built in the last few years by the Macedonian government, prior to that the main square was virtually empty. There is much controversy in Macedonia about whether it was worth spending money in order to build these buildings, we won’t get into that and let you guys decide for yourselves.

Macedonian is made up of many ethnic groups. The majority Macedonians are generally orthodox Christians and the minority Albanians and Turks are Muslim. Therefore the country has many many beautiful churches and mosques.



Some Macedonian salads and meze (tapas).


The ministry of justice




Prague-like architecture in the middle of Skopje


Metodija Andonov Chento, statues such as these are present throughout the entirety of Macedonia. The first Macedonian president


Tsar Samuil


The beautiful statute of Alexander the Great


Couldn’t resist a few more


Alexander’s army (falanga) at the base of the fountain






A view of the main square (ploshtad) with Risticheva palata and Hotel Pellister in the background


Statue of Goce Delchev a Macedonian hero who fought against the Ottoman Turks.


The Stone Bridge (Kamen Most) which crosses the Vardar river linking the two sides of the city. It was built in 1452. Across the bridge is the Turkish qaurter which is very quaint and we did not have time to see this time.


The Archaeological museum which has recently been built and features many pieces which have been found in Macedonia




The bridge which leads to the museum


Various ministries including the ministry of foreign affairs


The bridge of writers and poets






Skopje by night


The museum by night


Crossing the stone bridge to the other side of Skopje


Sveti Kliment (Saint Kliment) and Sveti Naum (Saint Naum)


Museum na Makedonskata Borba (Museum of Macedonian Struggle)


Monument to Anne Frank in front of the Holocaust museum


The newly built theatre which is supposed to look like the original theatre destroyed in the earthquake. Stunning.


It is surrounded by many statutes of theatre goers and actors.


The theatre


Kale (skopje fortress) built in the 6th century!!




The Macedonian parliament still undergoing renovation.


Sveti Kliment Ohridski orthodox church


After walking for 4 hours it was time for something sweet. This was recommended to us by a local not in the centre and unknown by tourists. It’s called Apche and it specialises in Macedonian/Turkish desserts and a local drink called Boza which is made from fermented wheat.




Yum Eclaires, indianki etc all delicious


We had a few different types of indianki which is a moist sponge stuffed with sweetened cream and coconut. The brown drink is the Boza which was actually very nice, very sweet and earthy difficult to describe. The purple drink is made from blueberries. Total cost under 2 euro !!


More posts to come, enjoy! :-::-::-:

YU_GO_GONE

Day 2 in Skopje was an attempt to see as many of the sites as we could during the day. However, there was too many sites and not enough time. We tried to focus on places outside the main square itself whilst still being in the centre.



Some local Macedonian food, homemade plum and fig jam, burek, and kulen (Balkan type of spiced salami).


Some buildings were damaged by the earthquake but people still live in them.




Zeleno pazar (the green market) this is where local people buy their fruit and vegetables.


The fruit is delicious and very cheap. 40 denari =$1 AU.


Yugo Overload


Ulica Partizanska (Partisan Street) is dotted with this typed of eastern european buildings.


Sveti Kliment Ohridski Church


We got a chance to go inside this time, a beautiful chandelier and free entry this time.


Beautiful frescoes


The Macedonian parliament, I just love the Macedonian flag!!


Looking like prague!


Monument to the fallen Partizans of WW2.


Beautiful contrasts!


Vardar River, the building in the background (huge white building) is the American embassy. Pretty much the biggest compound in Skopje including the Macedonian parliament.


The Skopje Kale (Fortress) of the 6th century!!




Looking back at the oldest mosque in Skopje, the 14th century Mustapha Pasha Mosque.


The view of the Macedonian stadium (Philip II Arena).


While entering the fortress a Syrian refugee approached and begged us for any money we could give him so that he could make his way to Germany. He told us he was a supporter of Assad and had to flee because of Islamic State and syrian (opposition). He looked dishevelled, dirty and hungry.. poor thing! He said that he had walked all the way from Greece and had been travelling for the last month and feared for his life and the life of his family whom he had been separated from.


The view of the old post office


The oldest mosque: Mustafa Pasha Mosque built in 1492.


Sveti Spas a beautiful church with a traditional Macedonian courtyard where Goce Delchev is buried.


The courtyard houses a "secret church" built partially underground in order for it to be allegedly hidden from the Ottoman Turks. Built in the 16th century.


The beautiful courtyard, entry was only $1.50 per person.




Inside the church there is an example of traditional Macedonian craftsmanship which is often found in Orthodox churches.




An example of the craftsmanship


Daut Pasha Hammam Bath house built in the 15th century and turned into a gallery of modern art. Entry was 80 cents per person (AU).


Inside the mystical bath.. the Turkish bath house, it now houses beautiful modern art.




The statue of Filip, Alexander the Great's father.




A statue to women located in the centre of Skopje


Crossing the bridge (Kamen Most) to the central square




The statue dedicated to street beggars


One of my favourite statues dedicated to people who enjoy music and all those others who are musically inclined. A shout out to Yugo_boy's brother - SuperstarGuitar_boy!! This one's for you!


Mother Teresa's Museum, she was of Albanian origin and born in Skopje.


Another orthodox church being built in traditional Russian style




City of Skopje Museum, the clock stopped at the exact time the earthquake struck.


Ministry of Sport


My favourite balkan drink! Gazoza!!! It has a very distinctive taste, kind of like a really really strong banana and creaming soda


Back to the centre, equally stunning during the day!


The bridge dedicated to writer's and poets of Macedonia!




The stone bridge


Simple beautiful!


We are loving Macedonia stay tuned for Ohrid! But don't worry we will be back in Skopje!! :-::-::-:

YU_GO_GONE

We travelled from Skopje to Lake Ohrid via bus (costing: 450 denari = $13 AU per person). Ohrid is a popular holiday destination for the Macedonians, Serbians, Bulgarians and Russians. Lake Ohrid is a beautiful crystal blue lake which has a distinctive old town filled with stunning ancient churches. We were so exhausted after getting up at 7 am that once we arrived in Ohrid we slept all day and went out at night. So you will see a lot of the old town and how it is lit up at night. It was beautiful but cold (10 degrees) and we had the entire old town to ourselves.


Our journey began at the bus station (autobuska stanica)


Putting a casino in the bus station A La Las Vegas airport


The bus stopped at Tetovo and Kichevo and finally arrived in Ohrid after around 3 hours and 30 minutes. The driver was blaring Serbian national songs much to the dismay of some of the Albanians travelling.


The scenery was beautiful the roadside was dominated by mountains and forests.


The bus stopped in the village of Strazha most famous for its mekici (a type of doughy fried bread) they were crunchy and delicious for only 30 denari (0.8 aud)


We arrived at the bus station in Ohrid and walked to the centre where our apartment was located. The bus station is actually located around 25 minutes walk from the waterfront. We passed some beautiful older buildings along the way.


Our apartment was just of Kej Marshall Tito - the name of the waterfront promenade


The beautiful view of the Ohrid old town from our balcony. We were on the 6th floor and had panoramic views of both the old town and lake itself


Lake Ohrid


The very quaint Dimar apartment. Great deal for only $33 aud around 20 Eur per night.


A house in the traditional style of Ohrid.


Sveta Sofija at night


In front of Sveta Sofija.. as you can see it's quite cold at night, when I get my balkan vest on it is freezing! 10 degrees in fact!




The intricate detail of Sveta Sofija.


Dinner at Momir Restaurant where we had traditional Macedonian meze (tapas). T'ga za Jug (a famous Macedonian brand of wine literally translates to "sadness for the south") and Alexandria wine (some French wine, we don't know.. we had too much wine by that point). Note: the doily, these are hand-knitted by cute little grannies, usually).


Makedonska daska (Macedonian board) - this consisted of Avjar, Makalo (dip famous in Ohrid made of lots and lots of garlic and olive oil, delicious however we regretted it immensely), Lutenica (capsicum and tomato), Urda (type of cheese), beans and olives.


Chips with grated fetta cheese, a specialty in Macedonia and a delicious combo!!!


Some platter with different smoked meats, tomato, eggs and kashkaval (yellow cheese). The entire meal including wine was about $27.

The entire night we were at Momir restaurant a group of Serbians were playing old Serbian songs for a birthday. They got up and danced, wholeheartedly. Nearby Macedonian music played. There is always live music.. whether it be Serbian or Macedonian the ambiance was a real balkan experience. There is so much to see in Ohrid and never enough time, it is like nowhere else in the world. A little Switzerland but a 15th of the price. We love Lake Ohrid!!!! :-::-::-:

jms_uk

Very brave to walk in those heels on "kaldrma"

I've been to Skopje in 2005 - it has changed quite a bit in the city centre, especially all those monuments and statues that weren't there then.

YU_GO_GONE

When in the Balkans do as the Balkan women do .. it only took us a few hours to reach the restaurant.. in true Eastern European style lol.
Skopje has undergone lots of construction in the last few years to attract more tourism and to show off the country's rich history. We're loving the architecture!

too2early

Great report. I'll definitely be using it as a reference for future travels. Some really fantastic photos too.

YU_GO_GONE

Lake Ohrid is known as the pearl of the Macedonia and the Balkans (Biser Balkanski, also a famous Macedonian folk song). The ice crystal like waters are home to some of the most beautiful precious pearls. No visit to Macedonia can be complete without a visit to Lake Ohrid, this is the Lake Como of Macedonia. The people of Ohrid are known to be some of the most helpful and kind in Macedonia. These people unlike for example those in Croatia, are untouched by tourism to such a great extent. They are always willing to assist a stranger or give advice. The Lake represents the natural wealth of Macedonia and its people. The Lake is idyllic and its beauty is heightened by the large mountains in the background. Archaeological research occurring in the area further emphasises the thousands of years of civilisation and cultural prosperity present within Ohrid and Macedonia itself. Ohrid has been said to have had 365 churches, one for every day of the year. The churches and monuments give insight into the lives, beliefs and architecture of the Macedonians centuries before present day. The lake is one of 28 UNESCO's World Heritage sites in the world.



The beautiful park in front of Lake Ohrid.


The Lake itself, appears like ice, blending into the sky. Blue like the sky. There are boats that can take you to the various culturally significant and beautiful sites near Ohrid.


The park is surrounded by colourful flowers and trees. These colourful flowers are red, yellow, orange, purple and pink.


A monument to Sveti Kiril and Metodi (Saints Cyril and Methodius), Macedonians. These two prominent figures are known for devising the Glagolitic alphabet, the first alphabet used to transcribe the Bible into the Slavic languages. Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets are the oldest known Slavic alphabets.


The park near the main street “Kej Marshal Tito”, stunning!


The view of Ohrid from the dock where you can catch ferries and boats.


Sveti Kliment Ohridski (Saint Clement of Ohrid) was a disciple of Saints Cyril and Methodius and linked with the formation of the Glagolitic and Cyrillic scripts.


The main shopping street called the Ohrid Stara Carsija (Old Market) where you can buy souvenirs, most notably the “Ohridski biseri” (Ohrid pearls) which Ohrid is famous for.


A mosque from the 14the century


The yellow sun in the picture was once present on the Macedonian flag, prior to the current flag.




A picturesque church with the quintessential Balkan vines.


Lunch at Noa Lounge and Bar – Another Caesar salad! Very nice this one!


Prosciutto Pizza – nice. Very cheap meal.


The traditional Ohrid style of buildings, very distinct. Stara Kuka (old house) from the Robevici family. The Robevi house was built in 1827 by Todor Petkov. The house is under cultural protection and is currently museum. The “torso of the Egyptian goddess Isis” dating back to the 2nd century B.C was found in the Robevi house and is printed on the 10 denar note of the Macedonian currency.


Sveta Sofija (Church of St. Sophia), the church was initially built during the rule of Knyaz Boris I (852 – 889 A.D). I can’t believe they have 9th century churches and lots of them!


More traditional architecture dating back to the 19th century. This architectural expression is Macedonian old city architecture.


Sveta Sofija with traditional decorative crosses on the gates.




Green gardens surround the church (Sveta Sofija).


Still very well maintained from the 9th century.


The back of Sveta Sofija where there are benches to sit and picnic if so inclined.


More Ohrid architecture, the white house with the black outlines is very typical of Ohrid and makes for beautiful pics!! (I might add another 20 of these to the report! So do not think it’s the last!!!).


The red rooftops of Ohrid (unfortunately I’ve run out of historical commentary for this one!!).


And yes.. it’s Sveta Sofija.. again! (but we actually climbed another 3 flights of ancient stairs to get this one!!!). Note: the mountains in the backdrop!


This one if my absolute favourite church!! The Church of St. John at Kaneo!!! (In Macedonian: Свети Јован Канео, or Sveti Jovan Kaneo in Latin)!!!


This church has everything I love.. a lovely walk with forests all around, beautiful nature and heights on a large cliff face! the nature is just perfect, hands down one of my favourite churches.


The church is located on a cliff overlooking Kaneo Beach and is believed to be constructed in the 13th century!


The church is surrounded by pretty colourful flowers (excuse the reversion back to my 12 year old girly state). But, it’s beautiful.


Church of Saint John the theologian


This is the view that makes this church so spectacular. The view of the Lake, in the distance you can see the mountains which lead to Albania. Most buildings, cultural, religious or not, do not get a view like this.


After visiting the church, you can walk up the stairs to get a better view of the design. You will note the church is built in the shape of a cross (cruciform architecture). I have had a lot to say about this church, but you would too if you had this view!!


The mountains almost disappear in the sunlight. The water and the sky blend into one blue entity.


When you walk further up the stairs you reach a forest… as Yugo_boy demonstrates (he’s a great demonstrator, by demonstrator I mean, I’m taking too long to take photos and he’s had enough! ).




Eventually if you keep walking through the forest you reach this church! This is Sveti Pantelejmon (Saint Panteleimon of Ohrid) and Sveti Kliment. Surrounding Sveti Pantelejmon/Kliment are archaeological excavations.


This is a monastery associated with Sveti Kliment (Saint Clement of Ohrid). Sveti Kliment was a disciple of Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius.


Archaeologists believe this monastery to be the place where students were taught the Glagolitic alphabet (known as the Cyrillic script).


The bell tower was recently constructed. The monastery depicts Byzantine style architecture and dates back to most probably the 9th century to the 15th century (including reconstructions).


Inside the monastery is where Kliment himself built a crypt and was buried after his death in 916. It still remains there today.


In the 15th century Ottoman Turks converted the monastery into a mosque but it was converted back in the 16th century.


This architecture (yes, yes I’m still harping on about the architecture) is very distinctive to Ohrid churches. It is said to be the first and oldest discontinued university in Europe.


A Christian basilica across from Saint Panteleimon. It is an archaeological complex part of Plaošnik.


The basilica dates back to thousands of years ago (5th century) and has maintained the beautiful frescoes.


Intricate recently excavated intact 5th century mosaics!


If you keep walking you will see the Tsar Samoil's fortress (or Tsar Samuel's Fortress). You really cannot miss it, it’s huge and surrounds the whole of Ohrid.


The view from the Tsar Samoil’s fortress.


Samoil Fortress dates back to the 5th century.


We arrived just as an entire group of Bulgarians came... we were stranded on this fortress as we waited for about 60 Bulgarians to come up the fortress so we could leave but with this view... who cares!! Amazing views!!!


The view of Lake Ohrid from Tsar Samoil’s fortress!!


Walking away from Samoil’s fortress we had this view, like something straight out of a King Arthur movie!!


Crkva Sveti Bogorodice Pandonos (Church of Saint Bogorodice Pandonos)…honestly if you cannot read Cyrillic here.. good luck making sense of this!


The Ancient amphitheatre from the Hellenistic period. It was built in 200 BC!!!! One of the oldest structures we have seen here so far!!! It was also used for gladiator fights!! This had become the place where the Ohrid Summer Festival is held each year.


Leading to the Church of Mother of God Peribleptos (Crkva Sveti Bogorodica Perivlepta).


That’s enough churches for today!! #takemetochurch #thatsenough!!! (Yes, I’m still attempting to revolutionise the hashtags beyond Instagram!!.. It’s failing miserably!!).

We have loved learning about the history of Ohrid and the Macedonian people much more to come and much more ancient history, if you don’t like ancient history, as my former Jeweller’s manager once said to me: Too bad so sad !!! :-::-::-:

YU_GO_GONE

Thank you! We still haven't planned the rest of the trip and are looking for ideas. Loving the nice words

offerendum

It remains a great trip!

YU_GO_GONE

Thank you! we are happy you are still following and enjoying the report

YU_GO_GONE

Our 3rd day in Ohrid started with a little trip to Sveti Naum (Saint Naum). We took the bus which was 110 denari (little under $3 Aud per person), it is 28km from Ohrid and took about 45 minutes on the bus. The Monastery of Sveti Naum was named after Sveti Naum himself. The monastery is from the 10th century. Sveti Naum is an important figure in the Orthodox Church and is also associated with Saints: Kiril and Metodi (Cyril and Methodius) who were from present day Macedonia. Sveti Naum was also a disciple of Kiril and Metodi and is thus, also associated with the formation of the Glagolitic and Cyrillic scripts. The area where the church is situated belong to Albania from 1912 until June 28,1925 when it was returned as a result of good relations between Albania and Yugoslavia. The Sveti Naum monastery is rich in history and is one of the most famous sites in Macedonia. Sveti Naum is buried in the church legend has it that if you put your ear on the tomb of Sveti Naum, you can hear his heart beat.



Starting the morning off with some baked goods (less than $2) as we walked to the bus station and attempted to coordinate our day.


Some unsavoury oily burek, balkan stodge.

The market place. Note: the peppers (piperki), the Macedonian national vegetable and you can see houses around Ohrid drying them for the winter.


All around Ohrid there are Macedonian style houses that are falling apart and have not been restored.


And we have magically arrived to Sveti Naum (kidding, we took the bus!! my take on bad humour!). It was an enjoyable bus ride around Ohrid. The locals were so friendly that one old 80 year old Macedonian lady waited for one hour with a Dutch tourist so she could make sure the Dutch woman could get on the right bus. The Dutch woman was shocked and when we talked to her she couldn't believe that anyone would wait that long just to help her out. On the bus the Dutch woman told us of how much she loved Ohrid and how beautiful she found it. Though she was odd and changed her mind about 3 times on where she wanted to get off until finally deciding on Pestani (a strange choice, given the fact that Sveti Naum is famous in Ohrid, much nicer but she had never been or heard of it). Instead she got off at a random rural village to have pizza??


Opulent Sveti Naum


I love these flowers!


Once again, beyond the mountains is Albania which is actually less than 2km from Sveti Naum.


The hotel in traditional Macedonian style where you can stay for 40 euros a night.


Roses are red, violets are blue...this is just a reason for me to put in the blog yet another photo of a flower.




The hotel


The entry to the Manastir Sv. Naum (Monastery of Saint Naum).


The monastery itself, beautiful.




Quaint flowers behind the monastery, the entry fee is 100 denari per person, we paid 50 denari for both tickets because the priest was selling tickets and took a liking to us.


Inside Sveti Naum you cannot take photos but it is filled with beautiful frescoes of saints and is filled with Glagolitic and Cyrillic scripts which have been preserved for centuries.


In Orthodox tradition they light candles for the living and the dead. The candles for the dead are lit down the bottom and for the living, up the top.


The entirety of Sveti Naum is surrounded by peacocks. This is the first thing you notice when you enter the complex. The peacocks are also depicted in the churches found in Ohrid suggesting they may have been around for thousands of years. These are said to be the symbol of Christianity however, signs (many signs) have been put up to advise tourists of the harmful nature of peacocks who do attack. Beware.


St Naum is associated with many miracles. Legend has it that the water surrounding Sveti Naum has healing properties. This church is Sveta Voda (Church of St. Petka).


A mosaic of the old Macedonian sun.


Inside Sveta Voda (Church of St. Petka).


The healing power of the waters of Sveti Naum is immortalised in frescoes.


The magical water with healing power.


We decided to trek the Galičica Mountains for other ancient churches in the area.


A sign...this way to Sveta Bogorodice! no, not from god, just a regular one.


We arrived at this cute church, Sveta Bogorodica (Church of the Mother of God) which is practically in the middle of nowhere. At this point you had the feeling of isolation, peace and tranquillity.


Inside the church of Sveta Bogorodica which comes from the springs behind Sveti Naum and is also said to be blessed.




An abandoned building


Absolutely stunning. Part of the Sveti Naum springs.. and it looks like something out of a movie with princesses and castles.


We kept walking straight and eventually reached this.. these beautiful grapes represent the quaintness of Macedonia and the balkans.


We then arrived at Sveti Atanasij (The Church of St. Athanasius).




The church has a living facility where a Macedonian nun lives, we are not sure whether there are others. The old 80 or so year old nun saw us and looked suspiciously on us then she asked whether we were religious and true believers. Wanting to explore more of the complex we said yes because it looked like she really needed someone to agree with her views. When Yugo_boy mentioned his origins and his visits to other holy churches she lit up like a ray of sunshine on a cold Macedonian snowy winter's morning. Her eyes twinkled as she called Yugo_boy " ćedo" - a Macedonian endearment and told us not to venture into Albania or other Muslim lands, "head east" she advised. Of course, she looked most suspiciously at me, having inquired thoroughly about my clothing, place of birth, family origins, nationality, religious views and martial status she seemed unconvinced but somewhat appeased by the presence of Yugo_boy and his holy ways.


The nun seemed unearthly, somewhat sad, dressed in traditional Macedonian clothes and completely balkan as she fretted over whether we had eaten or not. Fearing this, we insisted we had eaten (even though we were starving and wanted desperately to get back to Sveti Naum for some Macedonian cevapi). But to no avail, she insisted we eat her home grown peaches which she insisted were produced by the hands of god himself. She crossed herself 3 times and gave Yugo_boy the peaches, hesitant and insisted if there were worms then it was God's will and they are God's creatures. Thankfully, there were no worms, as she watched us eat every morsel of the four peaches she gave us... we were very grateful because they were actually very tasty. Afterwards, satisfied we were true believers she led us into the Church which she kept under lock and key allowing only Orthodox Christians inside. As a result of this, the frescoes were amazing and virtually untouched. Hundreds of years old and in mint condition.


The little old Nun was very friendly and we left feeling very strange looking back at what had happened and very sad for her and the lonely life she led in the beautiful but eerie Macedonian mountains.


We bought some traditionally hand made Macedonian plaques as souvenirs.


The ride back on the bus at 4:20pm exactly.

Churches in the old town of Ohrid




More of the Ohrid style architecture


Looking above the buildings, a strange world.


Sveta Varvara, one of the smallest churches in Ohrid.


The ancient Amphitheatre once more, amazing.


More piperki!! (peppers)!


A path leading to the Church of Mother of God Peribleptos



The Church of Mother of God Peribleptos (Crkva Sveti Bogorodica Perivlepta) which was built in 1295.


The view of Ohrid in front of the Church of Mother of God Peribleptos.


The archbishop's residence.


A lovely scene showing the love of the balkan people for gardens.


A panorama of Ohrid


Dinner at Gostilnica Star činar, starting with a meze plate - not recommended.


šopska egejska Salata (shopska aegean Salad) - a famous Macedonian salad from Aegean Macedonia.


Polnena Pleskavica so kaškaval and kajmak (filled pleskavice with yellow cheese and cream). Very average food, about $20 aud for the meal and drinks.


We then visited a bar looking for desserts. This is called liquid bar.


But Yugo_boy found this in the menu.. a drink called a shot of sperm. We left abruptly after this and moved onto the disaster that was Noa Lounge Bar.


Noa Lounge Bar


Something seemed suspicious about this when Yugo_boy order this "fried ice cream". The presentation looked a little too good.. and it was "an absolute catastrophe" - quote Yugo_boy. With a batter of about 12 eggs which had formed a mush, the chef was obviously have an off night. Tip: never order deep fried ice cream in the balkans, it's the only thing Yugo_boy has not been able to eat! and it cost $5!!!!! which is ridiculous for a dessert in Macedonia which you can find in shops for 50 cents and they taste 50 times better. I don't know what he was thinking ordering this.. we will never forget the trauma this caused. I was suspicious as soon as we got complimentary water.. it all seemed too good.


Palačinki (pancake) with nutella and šlag (shlag, mock cream). My pancake on the other hand, was delicious and it made sense to order this in the Balkans. So recap: Yes to pancakes, no to anything mildly Asian in the Balkans.

These memories have been unforgettable. More posts to come of Ohrid and Macedonia :-::-::-:

offerendum

You have some problems with your pictures

YU_GO_GONE

I have talked to my people and looks like the photos are all in order ^^

YU_GO_GONE

We started our morning with a walk to our new accommodation


Passing the local high school


Who knew kiwi was such a huge hit in Ohrid - Beautiful fruit!!


Local grapes!!


A church on the way to our ritzy 4 euro per person a night hotel


Arrived at tonight's accommodation! Villa Magdalena!


Some authenticity! A drawing by one of the host's children indicating no cats/pets!


Arrived! Villa Magdalena 4 euro a night!!!


Villa Magdalena had two beds, a television and balcony. This ironically enough was the cheapest accommodation we have stayed in and the one with the fastest internet!!


Private bathroom


Our little balcony, this Villa had everything we needed and it was very comfortable. The host greeted us and said this was the "dumping cena" meaning "dumping price", the cheap of the cheap. The balcony is where I wrote the blog from!


For brunch we found a Falafel place.


The menu pictured shows the prices. We ordered the hummus, falafel and drink package (180 denari per person). We ordered two of these packages costing 2.9 euro per person.


Some of the fresh salads


We then went and waited at the bus stop and 5 minutes before the bus came a taxi driver offered to take us to the place we wanted to go (Zaliv na koskite called the Bay of Bones) for 500 denari (8 euro for the both of us) including return trip and waiting for us at the Bay of Bones. Like what usually happens with us, our Taxi driver was an eccentric man who bicycled 100km a day while being over 120kg (at least) and recommending Skara (grilled meat) by the kilo... that explains it. But was very friendly and was happy to wait for us while we explored.


This is the Macedonian Tahiti called the Bay of Bones but from 1200 B.C (That's incredible!!!). Ohrid is enriched with so many cultural sites, however this archaeological complex is like no other.


Entry to the Bay of Bones which is a Museum on the water


Yugo_boy carrying the falafel package we had bought so that we could have lunch with a view!


Our assortment of falafel, hummus, salad in a lepinja (a type of bread). A little feast! We made sandwiches out of this, all for 2.9 euro per person!!


Lunch with a view


This prehistoric lake pile dwelling

Entering the Museum on the Water


The surroundings


In the middle a small reconstruction of the lake and ceramic pots dating back to the Bronze age!


These are sooooo old!!!! and so intact!!


The mountains in the background, the blue sky and 24 houses from before Christ!


Enjoy the view! Move over Tahiti!!


The actual settlement is located a little further in the middle of the Lake


A closer look at the houses or (thatched huts). However, being an ancient civilisation.. there is a little bit more to it.


Inside one of the thatched huts you see skinned animals used to keep warm. Initially it is shocking, but then you have to remember this is over 3000 years ago!!


Outside the huts, you can see the beautiful Galičica national park.


The stunning Lake Ohrid




Yugo_boy called me to see this dead bear.. I almost had a heart attack but then as I was taking the photo he insisted on patting the dead bear!!!!! I don't know which was more traumatising!!! It's soooo creepy!!!


Some more happy scenes of nice scenery (I'll just skip by all the rest of the skinned animals!!).


Nearby located on a flattened plateau is a Roman military fortress (Gradishte) has been reconstructed on a hill above the Bay of Bones about the same time.


The Roman fortress is connected to the Bay of Bones so that the transition in time from one era to another can be experienced. This is the view from the fortress.


In the middle of the fortress


A reconstruction of the fortress (called the Roman Castellum), with the addition of some safety first, safety rails. This served for smaller military units and was built in the 2nd century A.D. In 2008, conservation/restoration and reconstruction occurred.


The view from where the taxi driver was waiting for us!! Insanely amazing!!!! The way the water seems to as though snow has fallen is quintessential of Lake Ohrid!!
From the prehistoric to the ancient times the Bay of Bones and the Roman Fortress have it all!


Yugo_boy insisting on this 35 denari drink (0.6 euro), first a picture with a dead bear and now this.. ughh..


An old beautiful mosque on the way to dinner!




Cannot get enough of this building!!


Pizza at Pizza Nemo for dinner


We ordered the Divalo small (240 denari = 3.9 euro) and the Pizza Nemo (280 denari =4.6 euro)


We also ordered 2 water bottles


The Diavolo


Pizza Nemo with sour cream


Our bill 620 denari all up (10 euro for both, 5 euro per person).


Afterwards we went to a Slatkarnica (Dessert place).


A tulumba (like a deep fried dough doused in sweet syrup) and a tres leches (A balkan version of a milk based moist cake).


Blueberry drink mixed with lemonade (70 denari all up for the desserts and drink, 1.1 euro).


We then visited Bosphorus Lounge for some drinks (by drinks we mean Turkish tea).


Inside Bosphorus Lounge


We order one turkish tea and one Salep (A famous Ottoman drink which is their version of white hot chocolate made the flour of the tubers of an orchid).


The budget seemed to be going well until, Yugo_boy decided he wanted an alcoholic beverage (by alcoholic I mean pure Rakija, a spirit made from grapes which has an alcohol content greater than 45%). But we were at a Turkish bar so he settled on anything he could get his mitts on!) Ouzo!! (anise-flavoured spirit).


The Turkish detour cost us 180 denari (2.9 euro). All up on this day we spent 1265 denari (which is 20.6 euro!!!!). Yugo_boy's Ouzo tipped us over the 20 euro budget by 60 cents!! Our overall spending on food excluding the Ouzo was 19.1 euro. As you can see you can you can easily budget 10 euro per person a day!


Walking back we saw this Fiat 1300 one of Yugo_boy's brother's (SuperstarGuitar_boy) favourite cars!!


We also saw this little Pegla car (literally meaning "Iron" because of it's uncanny resemblance!!!).

That's all for now - Yugo_girl out! :-::-::-: