October 3, 2017
Yesterday we woke early and went for a long walk along the lakeshore. So nice not to be cold or in a hurry. After a late breakfast, we joined Elvis and Ardi for the clockwise drive around the lake. That meant we followed the shoreline for 3/4ths of the lake before turning west. Of the 74 miles around the lake, 54 are in Macedonia and only 20 in Albania. About an hour into the drive, still in Macedonia, we reached St Nahum Monastery in the Galicicia National Park, a main objective of the day.
We spent a good bit of time there looking at the 10th century Monastery and the lovely interior of the orthodox church. Then we went for a boat ride on the Black Drim River that feeds Lake Ohrid. All the water entering the lake flows from springs into the river, which is completely spring fed from a nearby aquifer. The clarity of the water was amazing. At least as clear as Tahoe and, as the river is shallow, the light picks up more color. I was mesmerized by the trees and growth along the river banks as well as the colors and the clarity in the water. Many ferns and other aquatic plants flourished underwater. It was quite a sight. The ride was oar powered on the nearly still surface, even though the water was moving at a good clip. At the entrance to the lake the flow rushed by at 8 cms or 282 cfs. Elvis had treated us to the ride and I was really happy he did. After leaving the monastery, we arrived shortly at the Albanian border. The crossing went smoothy and soon we were passing sand beaches and noticing bunkers around the countryside. Turns out the Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha, who ran the country from 1945 to 1985, built 750,000 bunkers after WWII to protect Albania from Greece and Yugoslavia. Is that weird or what. He was certainly paranoid, especially since the war was over.
Lake Ohrid and the city of Ohrid from the pedestrian walkway.
A gravel beach in front of a resort along the lake shore.
The placid looking Black Drim River before it enters the lake next to St Nahum Monastery.
Where the Black Drim River enters Lake Ohrid at 8cms or 282 cfs. This spring fed river and and underground springs within the lake are the lake’s only source of water.
Mark at entrance to St Nahum Monastery on the south-eastern shore of the lake.
Just inside St Nahum Monastery. It has a very pretty interior as orthodox churches go.
Interior scene in St Nahum. Sorry I can’t name any saints for you. Elvis did not know them either.
More saints on the wall in St Nahum Monastery
We went for a boat ride on the Black Drim River. So clear and still and unlike any other river I have ever seen. The green you see is from ferns growing under the surface of the water.
Springs bubbling through the sandy bottom of the crystal clear Black Drim River.
Map of Albania. We entered Albania from Macedonia on the south side of Lake Ohrid. We passed through Elbasaon and Lushnje on our way to Barat. After time in Barat, we drove through Kier to Apollonia south and west of Fier. Then up around Durres to Tirana. Later we will drive north to Kruje and Shkoder before moving on to Montenegro.
A mile after leaving St Nahum Monastery, we enter Albania. The easiest border passing of the trip, so far.
The first things we saw after entering Albania were bunkers. This is one of 750,000 bunkers built to defend Albanian after WWII from Yugoslavia and Greece. The dictator Hoxha was apparently quite paranoid.
A sand beach on the Albanian shore of Lake Ohrid. We did not see any sandy beaches in Macedonia.
Looking down on Albanian farm land from a hill near Lake Ohrid
An Albanian town on Lake Ohrid.
Buying grilled corn on the side of the road. It was cattle corn, not sweet corn, but we tried it anyway. Elvis and Ardi did not know the difference.
A communist style apartment building in Berat similar to many others we have seen in every city on this trip.
The UNESCO designated “museum city” in Berat called the Mangalemi Quarter.
Kings Mosque with painted ceiling and simple walls in Mangalemi Quarter.
Sign above the door to the Bektashi Teqe, which is similar to a mosque, explaining that it was refurbished in 1789. Had been built in 15th century.
Mark inside the Bektashi Teqe. The thick, wide floor boards date from 1789.
Inside the Bektashi Teqe. A beautiful ceiling, with gold leaf shinning down on us.
We completed our drive around the Lake and finally turned west toward the town of Barat, our next destination. The scenery continued with rolling hills, valleys and mountains in the distance. The weather is perfect now and it feels like normal California autumn weather.
We saw people selling grilled corn along the side of the road and stopped to buy some. It was tough and unappealing to Mark and I , but Elvis and Ardi seemed to like it. It is definitely cattle corn and not the sweet corn we are used to eating. As we approached the city of Berat we passed many Soviet style housing blocks and I decided to send a photo of one. This one looks better than some. Soon we arrived in the heart of the old town called the Mangalemi Quarter. THe whole hill is incorporated into the UNISCO designation. Locals call the hill the place of 1001 windows. It does look like all the houses have eyes the same size looking out at you.
We visited a couple of mosques near our accommodations in the same neighborhood and found the Bektashi Teqe most interesting. A Teqe is a type of mosque belonging to a sect of Muslims called Becktashi. This on was interesting for its age, simplicity. It was built in the 15th century and refurbished in 1789. What we were looking at was all dated 1789, including the thick wide boards on the floor and the gold leaf painting on the ceiling. The man caring for the place was most accommodating in telling us all he know about the place. The sign above the entry door is what tells us it was refurbished in 1789.
Our hotel was nearly across the street, so it was nice to get to our room, have a cocktail and dinner on the terrace in the nearly full moon light. We were both happy to dive into bed.
There is so much more to tell you about Albania and what we are seeing and learning, but it has been another long day and I am running out of energy. At least we are enjoying good weather and this hotel in Tirana, Albania’s capital, The Rogner, is about as comfortable a place as we have experienced this whole trip. No surprise it is full of Americans on tour….mostly bus tours. We are very grateful to be traveling by car.
Adventures with Julia 