Fiftieth day!! OMG…where did that time go?
And to celebrate? The shortest EVER ride……!
Not all roses however…for we first had to push the bikes up around 50 steps to get to a rideable track!! (At Trpejca…all the supplies are boated in!).
Exhausting! So we were well ready for our coffee break…before we had even ridden ten kms! Haha!
The reason for the shortness of the ride…is that the town of Ohrid…is a UNESCO site! We had ridden to within 20km last time…but did not visit! So this time…I thought we should stop a night…and have a look! And I simply could not miss out on a night in Trpejca either!!
So…a sort of day off really!
Lovely ride…mostly along the lake..
The kid in me just loved this!
We had had a long late breakfast…to allow us to meet the check-in time of 1pm! And so we arrived…bang on time! If only our host had!
So it was an afternoon of exploring (and a swim for Andrew…which I sort of ran out of time for!).
Lovely place…..but…..I have to admit to being a bit disappointed. For a UNESCO rated old town…there really is a heap of new-build stuff. Give me Berat in Albania any day…I was thinking…possibly unfairly! And I say that for there are simply hundreds of very old churches..and perhaps it was this rather than the vernacular which swung the UNESCO jury.
Plus an amphitheatre of Greek origin…the only one of that era in the country! Not much of the Greek bit left…but interesting all the same!
This church however is spectacular…in its very ancient history…and its glorious setting. The picture-postcard of Ohrid really….
And the city’s lake-side setting really is gorgeous…..with bathing beaches right in the old town! And this walkway….
…including the ubiquitous and very silly padlocks. So-called ‘love locks’….or more correctly….litter locks. A representation of how permanent your love is…or how selfish you are! One wonders how many of these ‘permanent’ relationships survive. Probably as long as the padlocks will survive…as Councils everywhere are rightly clearing them and placing them in the recycling bin!
The ‘old bazaar’ street…again, not so very old!
In fact our own street…was possibly the most authentic! Great spot to be staying!!
Next time: Ohrid…or Trpejca?
The latter…with little hesitation!!
Both places in fact…are surprisingly pricey…and I say that relative to our last two visits (two and three years ago)…perhaps influenced by the throngs of American and Chinese tourists (that was a bit of a surprise!)! Still cheaper than most of Europe…just not as cheap as it was!! (except of course for the bargain two euros for 20 cigarettes!!). I can buy cheaper beer in Spain, cheaper coffee in Portugal…and cheaper food in Greece. But I do know that all of those statements are not true of the rest of this country…where the tourists do not venture!!!
A seriously under-rated tourist destination! More tomorrow!
