Macedonia
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Macedonia
Lake Ohrid town Finally our stop at the most beautiful lake in the Balkans, Lake Ohrid. This is a holiday spot for locals, but it’s now October, so not too busy. Lake Ohrid is one of the oldest and deepest lakes in the world. It’s an ancient settlement that is a UNESCO heritage site. It is also famous for being home to 366 churches, one for each day of the year. Most are no longer operational. Macedonia has been more expensive than Albania or Kosovo, and Lake Ohrid is the most expensive place in Macedonia. But it’s still very affordable. In the town, we walked along the cobbled streets to…
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Macedonia
Lake Matka We took a morning trip to Lake Matka, another scenic artificial lake. The dam and hydroelectric power plant were built in this deep canyon in 1938. The sides on the canyon are lined with several caves, and a few medieval monasteries. We took a boat ride to the Vrelo cave. You walk up to the entrance, then down once inside, to see one of the deepest underwater lakes in the world. After exploring the cave a bit we got back on the boat to cross the lake, then scrambled up to a path along the cliffs leading us back to our starting place. Once back at the start,…
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Kosovo to Macedonia
Prizren Still staying in Prizren, we set off the next afternoon for a rustic wine tasting a short drive out of the city. By rustic, I mean standing in a small dark cellar. We tried generous samples of whites, roses, and reds, accompanied by sumptuous charcuterie boards including goat, sheep, and cow cheeses. We all agreed the whites were really good, the rest were inoffensive – that’s what Australians call good but not great wine apparently. Also included was raki tasting. Raki is the traditional drink of many countries in eastern Europe, and is a by-product of the wine making process. The grape skins and other fruits are used, and…