One Last Trip – Lake Ohrid, Macedonia

As our final European trip of the summer, Tori and I made the wise decision to make a romantic couples getaway to the quaint Lake Ohrid in Macedonia. On paper this place looks like it could never compare to some of my other trips such as Budva, Montenegro and Dubrovnik, Croatia, but it pleasantly surprised us. Not only was Ohrid a short 3-4 hour drive from Prishtina (unlike the 10 hour ride to Budva/Dubrovnik) but it was absolutely stunning. It had the mountains and the crystal clear water that the west Balkan coast has, the only difference is you could see the other side of the body of water. This small and quiet town on the coast of the lake made for a perfect spot for the two of us. We loved the Adriatic, but it was nice to get away from the tourist hot-spots and buzz of those cities. Ohrid was peaceful, relaxing, and most importantly, cheap.

After the short (yet treacherous) bus ride through the typical Balkan mountains we checked into our hotel. Hotel Tino was the best place we could ask for: Small and friendly with a lake-view and a fancy restaurant. We could tell right away that this place would easily allow us to fulfill our plans for the weekend: relax. Every week and weekend thus far this summer has overflowed with work and travel and places to see and things to do. We wanted to get away from the group for a while and sit on our asses and do nothing. Ok, we did more than nothing, but you all know what I mean.

A rain storm over the lake

The five meals we had in Ohrid were all at our hotel restaurant. That’s how amazing it was. I don’t know if it was the large menu, the quartette in the corner, the perfectly prepared food, the dirt cheap prices, or a combination of them all, but we couldn’t get enough of the place. Each day we enjoyed fresh chicken or seafood salads for lunch, then pasta, protein and a local bottle of Cabernet for dinner. The staff was unbelievably friendly and hospitable, which may have been because of the tips we left, but they deserved it. Our overall experience at the hotel was perfect.

 

The fortress wall

Saturday was our main day to explore and do anything we wanted to. We walked into the city and down the main street. We stopped in stores and, of course, I bought Tori some Macedonian jewelry. We eventually found our way through the winding streets and hills to the Bulgarian fortress, built in the 4th century B.C. atop the hill overlooking the city. After walking along the castle walls we stumbled back down the trail we found ourselves face-to-face with a local man with the cliche captains hat on asking us if we wanted to take a boat ride. Of course! We hopped in the boat, just the three of us, and for 5 Euro each we drifted around the lake for 45 minutes. I had a view to remember, a nice glass of white wine in my hand, and a beautiful girl under my arm. It was the perfect scenario to end the day. Add a sunset behind the mountains and there is nothing else I could have asked for.

On the boat ride

Other than that, we spent our time wandering, laying down, watching movies, and any other relaxing thing you can think of. It was exactly what we wanted. Yes, we could have gone swimming or rented jet skis or gone hiking up the nearby mountains, but we had an image of a different kind of trip in mind. For the first time in 7 weeks we could do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted, without the overarching feeling of needing to meet up with people or wait for someone. It was just the two of us, and it was the best way we could have spent our last weekend in Europe together.

As always, you can view all of the pictures from the weekend under the photography tab at the top of the page.