Sitting at about 700m above sea level and stretching to depths of about 300m Lake Ohrid is billed as a “must see” when visiting the Balkans and I have to admit being quite taken with the first impressions of both the lake with the snow capped mountains surrounding it and the town of Ohrid itself with the old town stretching up a hill with a castle stationed on top.
Usually a summer destination where the temperature sits at about 30 with cooler evenings it was still pretty when we were there in start of winter with temperatures in the single digits and a wind howling off the lake. The good thing about the wind was that it filled the huge North Macedonian flag which was proudly flying on the lake front.
Being a popular holiday destination the town was filled with cafes, bars and restaurants and even though it was off season there were still a few folk around although I can imagine that in the summer it would be very busy indeed. Straight away we decided that it had a lovely feel about the place and we decided to extend our stay to four nights.
We began our exploration of the area as always by having a walk around the town. Our apartment was in a fairly nondescript 6 storey building surrounded by other similarly efficient yet uninspiring buildings yet across the main road was the centre of Ohrid and the buildings there were only 2 stories high and had tiled roofs and a load more character. The streets around the buildings in old town were narrow and we enjoyed wandering around amazed as to how the cars also made it to the spots we saw them parked in.
Most houses seemed to enjoy a fantastic view across the lake and the best vantage point was from the walls of the castle on the top where we could really appreciate not only the beauty of the lake and surrounds but the town too.
The town was filled with churches and mosques and someone told us there were over a hundred which I can well believe. The most striking church was on a point at the end of the cliffs over the lake and the walk to it was along a boardwalk over the lake next to the foot of the cliffs. In the warmth of the summer I can imagine people swimming and enjoying the coolness of the lake yet for us the wind was blowing a gale causing the waves to crash into the cliff and foreshore and we spent our time dodging the spray.
We both enjoy experiencing new cuisines and weren’t sure what to expect from North Macedonia and were pleasantly surprised by what was on offer. Mostly a selection of stuffed peppers or eggplants or grilled meat. Here on lake Ohrid the speciality was trout and trout soup. We found that ordering the trout soup was a bit of a lottery with most restaurants running out of the soup by dinner time and often even lunchtime! It turns out that the chefs would make a batch in the morning and when it was finished that was it until the next day. The occasions that we were lucky enough to get the soup it was delicious!! On the other days we were still treated to some delicious meals although it has to be said that my experience of the other soup made of some animal’s stomach lining left me feeling a little queasy.
The people in the town were incredibly welcoming and maybe because it’s a tourist destination most were able to speak a little English and there were plenty who I would have said were fluent. We always try and learn a few words but it is becoming more and more noticeable over time how much English is being spoken and accepted. It certainly not only makes it easier but also enables us to experience more things as we are able to get helpful information from the locals. T