Northern Greece, Albania & Macedonia: Ancient Lands of Alexander the Great Day 14

Day 14 - Monday, October 23, 2017 - Ohrid - Natural and Cultural Heritage Site; Walking Tour of Old Town; Boat Ride to Bay of Bones; Dinner with Macedonian Folk Music

We woke up to 52 degrees and light mist over the lake. The weather forecast for the day was not looking promising, but we had been so lucky with weather, we could hardly complain.

By the time we were organized and ready for the walking tour, the skies had opened up and it was raining very hard. Anna organized taxis to take us to the top of the city. We stopped at the Church of the Holy Mother of God Peribleptos and Bobi gave us information about the church built in 1295.

Near the remains of the Upper Gate in the city wall, we walked just a short way to the Ancient Theater built in 200 BCE. Between rain showers, Bobi told us about the ruins and its use as a Greek theater and then in Roman times it was used for gladiator fights.

We continued our walk down the wet and slippery cobblestone streets to the Church of St. Sophia. One of the most important churches in Macedonia, it was originally built in the 1100’s and then the beautiful religious frescos were whitewashed and the building was turned into a mosque by the Ottoman Turks in the 1400’s.

Making our way down to the lake, we passed the Lower Gate and the two churches that served as hospitals in ancient times. During the period of the medieval plagues, visitors to the city had to spend 40 days in these buildings before they could enter the walled city, just in case they might be carrying the disease.

Ducking in out of the rain we visited the National Workshop for Handmade Paper where we watched the proprietor make paper and demonstrate the printing process on a 15th Century Guttenberg Press.

The sun came out just as we reached the lake. We went directly to the dock and got on an Aleksandrija tour boat. Our 45-minute ride along the shore of the lake took us to the Bay of the Bones. The recreated fishing village that dated back between 1200 and 700 BC was exceptional.

The village was built on pilings above the lake level. Now that the water level is higher than in the ancient times, the original village was submerged under the lake. Excavations and diving expeditions have found many artifacts from one of Europe’s oldest human settlements.

On our ride back to Ohrid we were served a light snack and beverage. When we reached the dock, many people went to a demonstration of Ohrid’s famous pearls. Some went shopping and others retraced their steps back to the old city.

We walked around the commercial area and bought a few post cards. One of our favorite activities when we travel is to visit grocery stores. We bought carrots for the donkeys we will ride during our “Day in the Life” visit on Tuesday.

Our dinner was at Biljana's Springs Restaurant about 10 minutes from the hotel. Several people have been sick with coughs and colds but everyone was able to come to dinner.

During our meal a seven-member ensemble played Macedonian music. Then after dinner a group of six high school students from a local folk dancing academy preformed traditional dances. It was 9:00 when we arrived back at the City Palace.

We were almost ready to post the journal because Vic had spent time during the afternoon working on the photos and we had time to write the events of the day. Between the two of us, we were taking around 250 photos each day. Trying to pick the five that were the most representative was no easy task.

Interesting facts about Lake Ohrid:

Ohrid Lake is the oldest and one of the deepest lakes in Europe (max depth 288m or 940ft). It is estimated to be 4 million years old and has 200 endemic species that haven’t been found at any other place in the world. UNESCO declared the lake a World Heritage Natural and Cultural Site in 1979.

https://www.globotreks.com/destinations/macedonia/14-facts-you-might-not-know-about-macedonia/

Accommodations: CITY PALACE HOTEL - - - Meal: B & D