Ohrid (or: Another Day, Another World Heritage Site)

Ohrid is a city, a lake, and a region right on the border between Macedonia and Albania.

You probably haven't heard of it, but it's a really nice place and you should definitely stop by if you ever happen to find yourself in Macedonia. (And who hasn't found themselves in Macedonia at least once or twice in their lives?)

The town itself is one of those old-fashioned, cobblestone towns you can find all over Europe. It's eminently "walkable" (except for all the hills), with a mixture of old but well-maintained buildings, old but poorly maintained buildings, and new buildings that tend to clash with the first two kinds. It has been settled by various peoples for six millennia (or thereabouts.)

A few things make it unique.

First, there's the lake. Lake Ohrid is big, old (apparently "the oldest lake in Europe," though I have no idea how they determine such a thing) and deep (nearly a 1,000 feet at its deepest.)

Secondly, the region has been something of a religious center for many centuries, and legend has it that there used to be a church for every day of the year on the shores of the lake. Some of those churches remain, and I visited several of them. 

Third(ly), it's in Macedonia. 

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My hostel - Sunny Lake Hostel - was very nice, albeit somewhat hard to find even with detailed directions. I got there late in the afternoon, so I didn't have time for much exploring - though I did have time to take an evening stroll on the cobblestone main street and buy myself some gelato (of course.) 

The next morning I woke up bright and early (10 am) and began my true exploration of the city.

First stop: The lake shore, where I was accosted by several guides trying to get me to take a boat ride. 

I relented, and ended up on a 60-minute private boat tour with just myself and the guide/boatman (cost: $15ish.)

I was able to enjoy the views of the town from the water, though I couldn't help but imagine the ramshackle boat tipping over and being sucked into the lake's deepest depths. (Which would have totally ruined my camera and all my fantastic pictures.)

After the boat ride, I walked. Up and down, up and down - through the winding alleyways, along the beach, over the hills.

An old amphitheatre in the heart of town

I visited a number of the churches

My personal favorites were this one:

Saint Panteleimon Monastery/Saint Clement Church

And this one:

The Church of St. John at Kaneo

The Church of St. John at Kaneo, again

I enjoyed the 360° panoramic views -

Particularly from this fortress on top of a hill.

The view from Samuel's Fortress

Then I tormented a cat -

Dang it human, you woke me up.

And laughed at a dog.

Enjoying the view?

Mmm... 

And then I got some more gelato.

Not gelato, but pleasant nonetheless.

And there you have it - Ohrid.