Macedonia is not a well known country by US standards, but that should (and probably will) change soon! Rick and I spent a few days in Ohrid, an amazingly small, but lively town right by a lake. Lake Ohrid is a masterpiece, being the deepest and oldest lake in all of Europe. We spent a couple days in the old city, and there’s so much to do there that we wrote another blog post about it here. However, we also spent a day outside of the city and it was what I would call a perfect day! Obviously perfection looks different for people, but if you enjoy a brisk hike to start off your morning, followed by exploration of monasteries and lounging on a secluded beach surrounded by crystal clear water… then you’re in the right place. Not to mention following it up with the best pizza in town, and a festive evening watching an international dancing festival!

Rick and I originally planned on renting a scooter from Ohrid for only 35 euros, and then exploring the region from there. However, fate worked her hand, and while our Airbnb host and us were chatting, we realized we had both coincidently planned to hike Mt. Magaro in Galicia National Park the next morning. He then invited us to drive up with him and his girlfriend the next morning, instead of renting a scooter. We very happily agreed, and off we went at 7am the next morning! I, once again, got carsick the majority of the 45 minute drive up the mountain resulting in me flopping around in the backseat with my eyes closed, being absolutely no fun. Thank goodness for Rick, he chatted up our hosts and learned all about the country, while I attempted to escape into the blissful oblivion of sleep. It worked for about five minutes, and then we arrived to the trailhead, which is only marked by a large wooden map, so we had to keep our eyes peeled. This hike was moderate and the trail is clearly marked, I don’t think either of us ever broke a serious sweat during the two hour hike. It’s a good fit for most skill levels! The view at the top allowed us to see both Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa along the mountain range, and there was a refreshing breeze at the top of Mt. Magaro! Mount Magaro is the highest peak in the National Park at 2,254m/7,395 ft. After eating a leisurely lunch at the top of the mountain, we headed further west for abou half an hour until we were right outside the Albania-Macedonia border. This leads to the well-known Monastery of St. Naum.

It offers a beautiful view of the mountains of Galicaca that we just hiked, and a very serene atmosphere. Once you get past all the stands of food and souvenirs, it feels like you stepped into paradise with lush green trees, ivy tendrils draped across rustic stone structures and ponds and streams as far as the eyes can see. Not to mention there’s peacocks strutting all over the place, including some beautiful wild, white peacocks adding to the allure of St. Naum. The monastery itself is definitely worth exploring, since it hosts beautiful domes and striking architecture, although there is a fee to enter. Throughout the area are a multitude of restaurants and snack bars. The restaurants are expensive, but some of the best in the region, so save some money!

There are popular beaches surrounding the lake by St. Naum’s where you can find tourists and locals lounging in the sun. This would be a pleasant place to swim, albeit busy. However, our Airbnb hosts knew of a secret beach access point about five minutes away. So, of course, Rick and I decided to join in on the adventure and off we went! The access point is north along the coast line at the Ljubanishta Auto Camp. It’s also possible to charter a small boat at the St. Naum Monastery and ask them to take you to the St. Nicolas Cave Church, where the beach can be found. The group of eight of us went hiking through the dense thicket of trees, pushing branches out of the way following a skinny path along the lake. A few scratches later, we gratefully emerged to a serene clearing with a pebbled beach. The water was still and it was so crystal clear, it seemed more like glass. Right by this secluded beach was St. Nicolas’ cave church, which hosts brightly colored fresco with bold red and blue hues. Rick and I didn’t pack bathing suits, since we weren’t prepared to go swimming. Don’t make that mistake! ALWAYS be prepared to go swimming. However, since we were in such a secluded area, we just shrugged and stripped down to our underwear and enjoyed the fresh water regardless. After spending a few hours discussing which superpowers we would want, getting sunburned, drinking some beer and taking multiple dips in the lake, we were all starving, so we made a fast retreat back to Ohrid. After cleaning up, we went out to the best pizza place (supposedly) in Ohrid, Di Angolo Pizzeria. It did have some tasty pizza, but after coming from Italy, we weren’t that impressed. The wine however, was surprisingly delicious! On the Main Street there’s always at least two gelato stands within sight at all times, so of course after dinner, we got a scoop of gelato and enjoyed a night walking around and watching the sunset. Luckily enough, we arrived to the stage in the plaza just in time for the start of the international dance festival. The stage filled with young people from their representative country, and they each spent about fifteen minutes showcasing their traditional and folk music and dances. Rick and I attempted (and failed spectacularly) to recreate the dance moves from multitalented countries. We were able to see Turkey, Hungary, Lithuania and Macedonia perform their respective dances, before calling it a night. Upon getting back to our Airbnb, we were all smiles, although exhausted, we both recognized it was a day for the books. It was what we would call a perfect day exploring Ohrid!

Macedonia is great, but there’s so much more of the country to see. Good thing we headed to Skopje next. Find out what the capital of Macedonia is like during the insanity of hosting the Super Cup 2017 in our next post.

The adventure continues!

Lexi