Last Balkans trip

[onlyMark]

For nine days we went on a flying trip around parts of the Balkans we’d not yet been to. It was Easter and knowing the weather could well be somewhat crappy it was better to seek out somewhere with things to see rather than try and find a sunny and warm place to stay for that time. It is now probable that I will leave the area in the summer to return to Germany after Spain whilst Mrs M stays a little longer to finish her contract. She will then go back as well and we’ll be there (unless something comes up we don’t know about yet) for a few years.
I’ve been tasked to help with long term ill father in law and mother in law and kid stuff which requires me to leave early.

First, a map of the route. Not too far, less than 1800km as things/countries are quite close together, but roads are generally single carriageway apart from Belgrade to Thessaloniki, and especially in Albania are nose to tail traffic -




Belgrade and Thessaloniki are interesting and stops in Skopje, Kruja and Shkoder were less so, but at least worth time having a wander round. Skopje is a weird place where the centre is done up like a show piece and empty of life.
What I wanted to point out is relatively small town called Ohrid in North Macedonia.
It did help the sun came out for a change but it was still a step up in interest.

On the shores of Lake Ohrid it is known for once having 365 churches and has been called the "Jerusalem of the Balkans".
Very pretty in a very scenic location and with lots to see.
Since Roman times I’ve counted it has been ruled by twenty six different Empires, some twice, but nevertheless, each left a mark and it goes to show the (continuing) instability in this region. Now a UNESCO natural and cultural heritage site -

[onlyMark]

Castle up on a hill which we’ll have a walk up to -




Almost transparent water in the lake -




First making our way along the shore -








Through the back streets bordering the lake -

[mickthecactus]

Lovely stuff as usual. Didn’t Skopje have a massive earthquake many years ago?

Are you keeping your Spanish property?

[onlyMark]

In 2016 and 2017 there were significant earthquakes. Most major one was in 1963.

Yes, we're keeping the house in Spain. A lot handier to visit from Germany than the other countries we've been in anyway.
At some stage it will be sold but a) there's no timeline for that, depends on our age and fitness and b) no way we'd get back the money we've put into it, but then again it as never supposed to be an investment. We accept that. It has though saved us a fortune on summer holidays for months at a time.

[onlyMark]

Along a rather rickety but lovely boardwalk -








Still keeping below the cliffs -






A small view of one of the churches, dedicated to St. John and built in the 12 Century -




We make our way upwards -

[onlyMark]

Through the wood -




Into the fortress. Initially built in 209BC it has had a history of being destroyed, rebuilt, taken over, rebuilt and added to and so on.
Little if anything is left from the original -








Nice views -

[kerouac2]

You have certainly found a practical way to visit so many places which you might not have spontaneously toured otherwise... Jordan, Zambia, Egypt, the Balkans... lucky you. And you know where to go to find the best scenery, so bravo.

The weather looks spectacular, which makes your photos all that much better. If you imagine some of these scenes under stormy grey skies (one of my own specialities), they would probably not have the same charm.

I particularly like the boardwalk over the water, whereas I have seen so many old fortresses that I would have trouble finding much that distinguishes one from another even though they are always interesting to visit.

[onlyMark]

I like a good fortress/castle and this was good enough but nothing spectacular, apart from its location.

The boardwalk we went across again but in the dark later to go for a meal. The daughter wasn't with us that time. I told her the next morning it was too dark to see the edges after dinner but we luckily followed a blind man and his dog back across. Unfortunately the dog misjudged the edge and fell in, pulling the man in with it. We fished them out but the dog was scared and ran off. The blind man got out his white stick but the end 30cm or so had broken off so he was trying to tap around but hitting nothing. It was now too short.
He stood stock still probably thinking he was just standing on a pillar with no solid ground around.
Fortunately the moon came out and we could make our way along without him.

The daughter asked if we'd just left him there. I said certainly not, we wouldn't do that to the poor man. When we got to the end we called to him to follow our voice. Unfortunately the boardwalk has a few bends in it and as he was walking straight he cut a corner and fell in again.
That's when we left him.
"Really?" She said.
"No."
I got a punched shoulder for making it all up.

[kerouac2]

I actually bought a compact guidebook on Albania not so long ago.

[bjd]

As always, I am interested to see photos of the Balkans -- one of the places I keep meaning to get to before too long. As Kerouac says, nice weather which makes for even more desire to go there. Rather surprised to see snow-capped mountains, but of course it gets cold there in winter.

The little church is lovely.

[onlyMark]

My favourite in all that area is Montenegro. Handy also that is uses the Euro as its currency.

[onlyMark]

I've got a bit more to post but in the morning.

[kerouac2]

You mean you're not on duty 24/7 like I'm supposed to be?

[onlyMark]

My responsibilities are wide and varied. Currently I'm waiting for the glue to set on a broken statue of Zeus but also advising someone on whatsapp as to how to fault find why a gas boiler is not working.
In the queue is proof reading a complaint letter and searching for a combination of flights without resorting to using an online travel agent, who will no doubt rip them off.
Yours may be lesser but still of importance to the internet world.
My capabilities are limitless but do out of necessity take a little time. I am the proverbial jack of all trades but definitely master of none.

[onlyMark]

We work our way back down via the back streets again, through the main fortress and town gate -










It’s unavoidable to pass various churches and at one we came across either the before or after wedding shoot -










Reaching the town again, the main pedestrian shopping street -




A look back to where we came from -

[onlyMark]

A look inside one of the churches -












Unless you know something about pearls, which I didn’t, there is something unique about -




This is from the BBC -
“For nearly 100 years, there have only been two families that have known how to produce the Ohrid pearls: the Talevs and the Filevs. Unlike regular pearls, Ohrid pearls are made from shells, which are ground and made into balls of various sizes by adding at least eight coats of a secret emulsion, giving them their characteristic shine. Each layer has to be dried before the next one is applied, which can take between 45 minutes and an hour each. The emulsion’s ingredients include scales stripped from plasica fish – sometimes called Ohrid trout or bleak – but the rest of the process remains a mystery.”
www.bbc.com/travel/article/20200123-north-macedonias-top-secret-pearls

You learn something new every day.
We finished off by having a walk back up another hill to see the amphitheatre and the views -










I’ll leave it at that because blurry rain soaked photos of some building somewhere unidentifiable was about all I had from the rest of the trip. Very lucky to catch the sun in the best place for it.

[whatagain]

Great pics Marks.

The husband looked very happy, with shoulders slouched, and the wife so smiling.

[fumobici]

Excellent photo tour Mark. I might have to pop over to the other side of the Adriatic and see it for myself.

[bjd]

Apr 18, 2023 5:34:03 GMT whatagain said:

Great pics Marks.

The husband looked very happy, with shoulders slouched, and the wife so smiling.

To me the groom looked like a mafioso. The bride suited him perfectly.

Great pictures, Mark.

[mickthecactus]

Good observation bjd!

[onlyMark]

He spotted me but I was far away using the zoom so he wasn't sure -

[kerouac2]

The concept of beauty for eastern European and near Eastern brides is quite different from my own concept. Seeing that photo without any other information, I would have said something like "Lebanese."

[lugg]

Ohrid is now a place I would love to visit. Will have to do some research . Great photos and info Mark. It looks a beautiful place.

[bjd]

Apr 18, 2023 16:52:52 GMT kerouac2 said:

The concept of beauty for eastern European and near Eastern brides is quite different from my own concept.

Actually, there are a lot of really lovely women in Eastern/Central Europe. After the fall of the iron curtain, modelling agencies had a field day looking there for model material. And I was quite impressed by how attractive so many of the (younger) women in the various countries in Eastern and Central Europe are. I also had the impression that a lot of the men looked like thugs.

[kerouac2]

The makeup is the problem.

[onlyMark]

Lugg, thanks. Yes, Ohrid is worth a visit if happening to be in that part of the world for sure.

Make up - I've yet to see a bride who isn't made up, and often too much but maybe it looks good on the photos similar to TV or something. I don't mind at all if on a special day like that it is overdone.
I also don't mind a certain amount and if someone (not only women) feels better when wearing it, then who am I to offer an opinion. Luckily Mrs M wears little so it has never been a necessary discussion.
For me, even though I understand the Lebanese similarity, I'd be struggling to pin down where I thought she came from. Could be any number of countries to me.

Just to add, there was a predominance of black and very dark brown haired women throughout the trip (ignoring the obviously dyed ones) and compared to somewhere like the UK from what I remember, they did seem to look after themselves. The daughter did comment as to how attractive they are and as she is also dark haired (and attractive), it was funny how waiters and shop staff automatically addressed her in their language whereas they would know I'm not from there and try out English first.

A couple of impressions is that Serbia has the most aggressive drivers, Albania has the most disparity between rich and poor judging by the amount of new buildings and mansions going up, plus extremely expensive cars, North Macedonia is a bit of a hidden gem, Montenegro has a lot of attractive and well dressed people and the friendliest of the trip - they seem to look towards Europe more than the Balkans and as for anyone looking like thugs, that'll be fairly widespread but more so in Albania with their shaven heads and track suit bottoms than anywhere else, plus the noticeable lack of women on the streets.

[kerouac2]

Well, we'll have to see how these countries do in the Eurovision contest. Here's some dark and distressed Albanian hair.

[tod2]

Great stuff Mark. The photos cover a lot of ground and are very interesting. The history behind ohrid pearls was enlightening. I do envy the fact you guys walk and walk , up hill and down dale. I'm afraid I could never do that now.

[onlyMark]

I'm not looking forward to the day when I can't either.