Lake Ohrid

Not the easiest word to say, but we are in Lake Ohrid.  As part of the ethos of Intrepid Travel we caught the public bus from Skopje, stopping off at the many stations on the way. The landscape between Skopje and here is incredibly mountainous, rocky, inhospitable: and hats off to those guys who built the roads - straight up one side and down the other. Bridges over amazing gullies which look as though they are still being constructed as you cross them. In the distance we could see a new 'highway' under construction. At the half way mark, as in most summits, there were a couple of cafes, one with toilets - and the prize for amusing toilets can be awarded here. Hard rock music as we queued to use the toilets, and the next song was a lovely Christmas one in English. We danced.

There was a large police presence also stopping (overland trucks, a boat on a trailer (what?) blue flashing lights, men in bullet proof vests and guns in holsters) - hard to resist taking a photo, and so I didn't (resist that is) but was foolhardy enough to try for a second one and was spotted - he called out to the other group saying that I had taken a photo and was instructed to delete it (and not in a friendly tone as he stood over me to ensure I did as I was told).

We joked about our hotel being right on the lake with beautiful views, and that is exactly where it is. Gorgeous. This is the oldest lake in the world (and I immediately want to know how they know that) also the deepest - 30 kms by 50ks. Clarity of up to 21ms. The majority is in Macedonian territory, with part of it in Albanian territory.

We had a few hours to spare before a tour of the old town with a local guide - incredibly knowledgable, incredibly well-travelled. It was a bit of a sales promotion for the local pearl shops and the guy who makes handmade paper,

but considering these are really old trades (with secret emulsions in the case of the pearl shop) it was worth listening. Then the rain came down and we sheltered first under the eaves of a church, and then at tables drinking coffee.

In this old town there are no mosques which was surprising given the ethnicity ratio of the population, but Tony (guide) explained that if he was selling his house (and I'm sure he meant 'if one was selling ones house', 'one' being any of the residents in the old town), he would not sell to muslims. And added that this may change as they had more children and by simple maths, the picture will be different in due course.

A few years ago, a house under construction discovered what turned out to be a small part of a Roman Amphitheatre, now mostly uncovered and restored, currently used for concerts and meetings (its seats 3000 and Cold Play was the last act performing).

There are a few neighbours who will not negotiate the sale of their house to the government to complete the full recovery of the Amphitheatre. They just don't want to play. At the very top of the old town further ruins were discovered - what was a university and another church, all now being rebuilt on the foundations to become a top university, including accomodation for the students.

As we wound our way down from there, through a pine forest, down a little track, the street lights came on as the sun went down (replicas of the oldest house

- spectacular colours- and on the last corner we came upon this church..

This place is gorgeous - well travelled fellow trippers are saying it is better than Lake Garda in Italy. Minimal tourists at this time of the season. The old town is particularly lovely because it is a living town, not a showcase. Oh, and in the pouring rain, one disconsolate looking bride - dress muddied at the hemline, (high shoes and socks??) and wearing a denim jacket to warm up (it was cold) and a disappointed face...