Well here I am, back from a great four day trip to Lake Ohrid in southern Macedonia.  Igballe and I went to relax by the water, get some sun and check out the sightseeing in the area.  And boy did we ever see some sights... from the seat of a paraglider!  I will get to that more later, but first I guess I should clarify some of the geography of Macedonia.  Since I have been planning my trip for some time, I kind of forgot that other people might not be exactly sure even where Macedonia is.  It is a republic formed as one of the nations born of the former Yugoslavia and as a result has a very interesting mix of cultures, as I previously described.  So anyway, here are some visual aids:

Macedonia in relation to the rest of Europe

We have been spending most of our time in Skopje (the capital) and Tetovo to the North West, and just got back from Ohrid in the South West.

  So back to what we have been doing the past few days... On Wednesday afternoon we left Tetovo for Ohrid.  We got there in the late evening and went into the town for dinner and some shopping.  The region is known for a type of jewelry called Ohrid pearls, so we perused the shops and boutiques for a while.  In the main square we stumbled upon a folk festival where groups of young dancers from different countries were performing the various dances of their regions.  We headed back to our room after some coffee so we could rest before hitting the beach the next day.

Driving to Ohrid from Tetovo

Polish folk dancers

  On Thursday we drove to a beach area a little outside the town and settled into our lounge chairs to enjoy a day of reading, swimming and sun bathing.  The beaches were rocky, but the water was clear and warm.  The beach areas at Lake Ohrid mostly seem to be accompanied by a bar or restaurant who you pay to rent your lounger from and where you can order food and drinks to be consumed at your lake side leisure.  Overall the day was a pleasant one and when the sun started to sink toward the horizon we packed up and headed back to the room to get ready for dinner.  We strolled through the town for a while before finding a cute outdoor restaurant by the lake.  There were musicians performing traditional Macedonian songs and the food was delicious.  Two very enthusiastic thumbs up for the day!

The view from my lounge chair

Candlelit dinner by the lake with musicians in the background.  Tres romantique.
Notice my new Ohrid pearl earrings I'm wearing! :)

 Even though the previous day was highly enjoyed, we wanted to try a new beach the next day and decided on one called "Cuba Libre."  It wasn't really a beach but instead a bar on a pier that went out into the lake.  The pier was lined with super comfortable loungers, sofas and large round cushion things. It was very enjoyable and comfortable, if not extremely hot.  But the hot weather didn't bother us because jumping in the refreshing water was just a step off the pier.  

Relaxing at Cuba Libre

Iggy enjoying the sun.

Weeee! Pier jumping with the town of Ohrid in the background.

The sun beginning to set at Cuba Libre.

After the beach we again decided to head to our new favorite restaurant and were met by a friend of Igballe's.  We chatted and drank coffee for a while before heading to the nearby town of Struga.  In Struga we went to a bar where Igballe's friend's band was playing.  'Beni & Non-Stop' are apparently pretty famous in Macedonia and there was a large turn out.  Some songs were in English, though a lot were not and it was a cool introduction to Balkan rock music, which is much different (and better!) than the "Eurotrash" dance music I'm used in the area.

Ohrid town

Iggy lookin' all cute.

Another amazing waterfront dinner.

Ohrid town still bustling at night.  Notice the sign: "Unique Product: Pop Corn With Caramel"... wow. Innovative.

Beni posing for the camera.  His 13 year old groupies look a little shell shocked,
but I swear most people there were of actual bar going age.

The next morning we prepared ourselves for the most exciting part of our adventure yet... paragliding!  Iggy and I had been talking about it a day or two before Ohrid and the first night we were there we saw an ad for paragliding at the lake.  We had to do it!  So Saturday we met up with the instructors and after a bumpy (read: terrifying) jeep drive up extremely steep, rocky and twisting roads we found ourselves at the top of a mountain overlooking the lake and Ohrid town.  After being strapped in and given translated instructions, me and my tandem pilot ran into the wind and shot off into the sky!!!... well not so much "shot" as glided.  Which makes sense because it's called paragliding, right?  The journey was very peaceful and calming (apart from the pilots equipment which kept beeping loudly.  Of course I only found out after we landed that it indicated changes in altitude NOT that we were about to drop to our deaths as I had suspected.)  

Iggy at the top of the mountain waiting to take off.

Ohrid panorama from the mountain.

Igballe soaring above Ohrid.

It was a little scary at first...

But it got better...

Us and our pilots safe and happy on solid ground.

We did survive, however, and had a great experience in the sky over Ohrid.  After our thrilling ride we re-grouped and made our way to the Ohrid fortress where our afternoon of sightseeing (from the ground) began.  We started at the Ancient Theater, which is a Hellenistic theater built in 200 BC.  The stone seating areas are largely in tact and when looking toward the stage, one has a breathtaking view of the lake and surrounding mountains.  We then trekked up the hill to the stone fortress.  It was built in the middle ages during the rule of Samuil.  Now there are a lot of archaeological digs on site and the walls have been renovated so tourists can walk the battlements. 

Ohrid Amphitheater

Meh... I guess its an alright setting for concerts and plays and stuff...

View from the hill climbing to the fortress... pretty awesome.

The fortress entrance with the Macedonian flag.

Inside the fortress are a lot of ruins which are being excavated.

The next stop on our tour was The Church of St. Panteleimon.  The Byzantine-style Macedonian Orthodox church was built by Saint Clement on top of an existing Roman basilica on a hill known as Plaosnik.  There is continued archaeological work being done on the site and scholars believe St. Clement intended for the church to be used as a literary school for his followers.  We walked around the site and went into the church, where we were given velcro skirts to cover our bare legs and scarves to cover our shoulders.  Inside was a monk chanting, a man standing opposite him reading from a book (the Bible, I'd assume?) and three lonely attendees.  

Archaeological digs around the church with the fortress visible above the trees.

The Church of St. Panteleimon

The Church of St. Panteleimon

Next we climbed down the hill via a lovely path overlooking the setting sun over the lake and Albanian mountains.  After getting a tiny bit lost we finally made it to the Church of St. John at Kaneo.  The church is situated on an outcrop of rocks overlooking the lake with a view of Ohrid town.  It is believed to have been built by John the Theologian (writer of the Gospel of John) and it shows evidence of being built sometime around the 13th century.  We didn't enter because it cost money, but as we were walking back up the hill to the car we stopped and were able to witness a beautiful sunset behind the Albanian mountains with the church in the foreground.  Truly inspirational.

The path down to the last church... notice the beach at the bottom with the people swimming.

The Church of St. John at Kaneo

The Church of St. John at sunset.  The guys at the edge of the cliff danced around there for about half an hour and finally  got the nerve to jump into the water.  It was a bit high, but no Six Mile Creek.

  After a great day we had some dinner and drove the two hours back to Tetovo, exhausted but pleased with a great trip.  Since Saturday night when we got back we have been enjoying the company of Igballe's family, doing some shopping and living a bit of a more face paced city life in the north of Macedonia.  Tomorrow we will be joining Iggy's family to celebrate Eid, the end of Ramadan, followed by a couple days of parties before my departure Friday.  I am not sure I'll be writing again before I leave for Germany and my Fulbright orientation next week, but I think I've already posted enough on this part of my trip to keep everyone entertained for a while.  I hope you've enjoyed and please leave me any comments you wish! I'd love to know what things would be better changed and what things people enjoy seeing/reading!

Until Next Time,

Chelsea