Magaro 2245 m n.p.m.

When we stop in Ohrid first time we decide that we want to go back there very soon and stay longer. This desire has proved so strong that, in less than a year after the incident, another trip was ready. Macedonia is a small country, but we find there a lot of monuments, beautiful churches, monasteries, beautiful surroundings and friendly people. Here is what was recorded in Frihetu. Listen …

17.05.2011

Long trips are usually very tiring. And so this could not be otherwise. Mostly we slept. Between naps delivered to us a mysterious fellow talks about the “purple cows”and other unusual phenomena. We preferred to go to sleep …

18.05.2011

We arrived to Skopje in the early morning. Every thing match very good from the begining.Our next bus to Ohrid was at 6:00 a.m. Traveling time we spent sleeping. Standard. Pleasantly surprised us rented a room. Nice decorated, clean, well maintained, this is located in the old city, in an ideal point for us. The rest of the day we intend to the recognition of the area.We had just a few steps to the main promenade, bazaar [ foto ] and store. We have made some shopping, plan for the next day and went to sleep …

19.05.2011
Route: Ohrid ? Lirada ? Magaro ? Lirada ? Ohrid
Distance: 47,2 km

We slept very good and woke up very early. Quickly find transportation to Lirada Pass
where we planned to start entry Magaro. The weather was ok, while driving admired the beautiful landscape of mountains [ foto ] and Ohrid Lakes. We were very excited, it was fantastic …Labeled trail start from the Pass [ foto ] and went straigh to the top. When we start going up was getting colder, recumbent patches of snow grew larger. A nice variation was small valley [ foto ] hidden among the mountains. The perfect place to camp. Unfortunately, from this point was just worse. It got really cold, surrounded on all sides by snow [ foto ], which together with the clouds formed an impenetrable white wall. Navigating in these conditions became very difficult. It started raining and blowing very hard, the snow disappeared [ foto ]. And it would be enough when it comes to enjoying the beautiful views. But this was not our main concern. Navigating the trail was really difficult. We were looking characters wandering almost in the dark. Luckily found the way to the top. There literally have allowed yourself to a respite, despite the falling hail. However, it was necessary to go down. Needed to focus on balance, that the wind did not do us kites. We were already soaked and the rain didin?t stop. Dense clouds limited visibility to a few meters. Several times we got lost on the path going forward feel. It was fantastic … Someone was watching over us, because we came down safely [ foto ] and returned to the city. An afternoon spent wandering the narrow streets of Ohrid, the pervasive smell wistaria, soaking up the unique atmosphere of this place …

20.05.2011
Route: Ohrid ? Velestovo ? Asan Gura ? Goga ? Velestovo ? Ohrid
Distance: 33,2 km

A beautiful morning and good weather meant that we changed our plans and again went to the mountains. Our friend Vasko dropped us to Velestovo, to the village where we could feel the real atmosphere of the village [ foto ]. Slopes of the mountain we went into the unknown Literally! Without a map, which labeled true trail, which, however, intertwined with the other, labeled the same way and sometimes disappeared for good. Do not bother us at all. Natural beauty, tranquility and the absence of anyo [ foto ] gave us a lot of fun. The sun that day, nor thought to hide behind the clouds for a long time. It was fantastic. While wandering straight ahead all the time we reached to the beautiful [ foto ] valley. He surprised us there encountered extremely grave [ foto ]. Unfortunately, not met its history. We wandered further admiring [ foto ] the nature around us [ foto ] and not worrying about lost the trail on the way… Already have a contingency plan we saw the sign (in Macedonian), who showed us the direction to the top of Goga. Climbing up the slope we could see in all its glory Galicica mountain masses [ foto ]. The landscape was fantastic, the weather also rehabilitated as yesterday. At the top we had a prize. We could see this place both lakes, Prespa and Ohrid, at the same time. View all worth the effort. And that’s not the end of attractions. There was a mini-cake [ foto ], candle or birthday party – a nice surprise in a unique place. Nasyciwszy To enjoyed our eyes to the unique landscape we were on our way back. This time, with a compass in hand, the Velestovo direction, we descended down. Traversing the mountains, valleys, roads [ foto ], meadows and cultivated fields [ foto ] arrived to the village. There he met Mrs. Ljubica [ foto ], energetic 85-year-old, who quickly told us a lot about yourself. Amazing encounter. After 15 minutes on the performance of the phone appeared on our reliable Vasko, he already wanted to call Interpol, if we did not return too long. The evening was waiting for us another surprise. On the occasion of my birthday Vasko took us to the Belvedere Restaurant, where the traditional Macedonian music, played and sung live, we see traditional Macedonian dances. Sipping wine with a unique taste, talking about Macedonia, its inhabitants and history, we spent a fantastic evening…

21.05.2011
Route: Ohrid ? Radozda ? Struga ? Ohrid
Distance: 55,3 km

Today morning, as beautiful and promising as the previous one, invited us to a trip to Radożdy. Vasko drove at the end of the village, where we went way back encountered visiting churches. As we saw just the first Orthodox church of St. Ilia being built. Walking towards the church of St. Theotokos met Dordi [ foto ], which is not enough that he could speak Polish, it still proved to be a guardian of all the church in the village. Thanks to him we could go to church and see [ foto ] its beautiful, newly renovated interior. Dordi decorated Martynka by a traditional headscarf of Macedonian [ foto ]. Amazing experience. Returning towards the village we learned from Dordi that the path you just go to the Via Ignatia [ foto ], the old transport route built in Roman times. Then there was another amazing event, Dordi invited us to himself. We met his family, sitting at a table in the garden where we drank tea, wine and honey, which we ate directly from the patch. It turned out that Dordi a beekeeper, for which the sounds made by bees are like music of Wagner. Dordi in the seventies he worked in Czechoslovakia, along with Poles, hence a good knowledge of our language. It is a very positive person, enjoying life and what not. Sincere and sympathetic. After the banquet we went to another church. The first was the Orthodox church of St. Nikol [ foto ], old, beautiful, has in its collection of Greek icons from 1790. The best was, however, at the end. 13-century Orthodox church of St. Archangel Michael, carved in the rock [ foto ]. Beautiful! Amazing atmosphere inside [ foto ] gave to each of us [ foto ]. Dordi gave a sample of his vocal capacity to show us the fabulous acoustics of the place. Unforgettable moments. Definitely worth a visit this modest village that hides so many beautiful churches. After saying goodbye and parting ways with Dordi came time for dinner. Trout from the Ohryd lake [ foto ] has proved a real treat and a paradise for the palate. The perfect mood we went to the lake on the way back to the Struga… The views were fantastic [ foto ].

22.05.2011
Route: Ohrid ? Monastery of St. Naum ? Trpejca ? Ohrid
Distance: 64,9 km

We wanted to relax a bit from too much experience we went to the monastery of St. Naum. It was built on a high rock near the same lake, where you can admire the landscape of the neighborhood. Take a day trip started with a tour boat [ foto ] Drin with Nikola, which proved to be a famous photographer. The views were beautiful, crystal clear water shimmered with the sun like a mirror. The peace and nature around us helped us to complete relaxation. Everything was complemented by an Israeli song sung by Nikola in their native language … Beautiful! We made a short stop in the spring of miraculous water [ foto ]. Nikola talked about their photographs, travel and a visit to Poland. Do not even noticed when we reached back to shore. Next we went to the church of St. Archangels monastery located in the middle. He’s amazing. Unfortunately, there may not be photographed. This was not the main attraction of the monastery. It is in fact dominated by the peacock [ foto ], where the mating dance [ foto ] in addition to their partners attracted crowds of tourists. Monastery sites have lots of charm [ foto ], you can for a few moments longer hide in the countryside away from all the noise accompanying the tourists visiting the monastery. Returning a beautiful scenic road along the steep shore of the lake, our driver showed us the little-known scenic site [ foto ], from which we could admire the stunning panoramic view of Lake Ohrid. We spent the evening in Ohrid, shaking up the old streets of the city. On the square next to the lake got to the international event, during which the children presented traditional dances of their countries [ foto ]. Perfect end of the day

23.05.2011
Route: Ohrid ? Struga ? Vevcani ? Struga ? Ohrid
Distance: 69,9 km

Vevcani is a small town in the mountains. It has a unique atmosphere. Old buildings, narrow streets [ foto ], beautifully decorated gardens residents add charm to this place. Our trip began with a visit to the church St. Nicola situated on a small hill [ foto ]. 150 year old building is beautifully decorated with frescoes and icons made by the best Macedonian artists. Unfortunately, there can not be photographed. Life in Vevcani goes its own rhythm [ foto ], quiet, quite different from this urban tumult. Going forward we got to the track [ foto ], which led us to a place where the springs flowing from the mountains [ foto ] give rise to a “small” river [ foto ]. We spent some time observing this phenomenon [ foto ] and the life of the surrounding flora. Flames of heaven and poured down it was very hot when you climb to a height of 1300 m above sea level the Monastery of St. Spas. Now there is a beautiful church [ foto ] and the monastery is under construction. From this point of paramount panorama stretches to the nearest neighborhood [ foto ]. The return journey we passed on photographic hunt for lizards, which are ubiquitous there. There was a lot of fun to get good staff [ foto ]. The scenic spot located in the restaurant at the entrance to the sources, we ate a delicious dinner and came back to Ohrid.

24.05.2011
Route: Ohrid

All day we decided to devote to exploring and discovering Ohrid. For starters, we went to the beautiful church of St. Bogurodzicy Kamensko, located near our apartment.
We took part in the Orthodox Mass, carefully observing the whole liturgy, where we ate at the end of the holy bread together with Macedonians. Climbing to the top of the old town we came to the fortress of Tsar Samuel. Built in the 10th century has walls about 16 meters high and 3 km in length. You may have seen the city skyline, the lake [ foto ] and the surrounding area. Very nice vantage point. Next slips path we went to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Jovan Kaneo. It is situated in a picturesque area [ foto ], which overlooks the lake and the city [ foto ]. Wandering the streets of historic yet visited Ikon Gallery, which boasts a beautiful collection and 11 century church of St. Sophia, who made a great impression on us. Delighted with what we saw today, we decided that evening we will go to the night take a photos of Ohrid night. The city has shown us a new face. Lighted by many lamps Orthodox church. Jovan Kaneo presented perfectly [ foto ]. Monastery of St. Panteleimon also looked great [ foto ] standing proudly among the many excavations. But most impressed us Orthodox church. Perivlepta Theotokos, which was illuminated in green [ foto ]. You have to see it. The whole city in the night aura looks impressive [ foto ].

25.05.2011
Route: Ohrid

This is our last day in Ohrid. Turned colder, the rain hung in the air … In the morning we went to town to buy some food for the trip going back. We found the street after the fortress wall, leading to a beautiful lookout point – a pity that we did not have cameras …
Our trip continued to the lake shore, where the time went and told us to follow the changing architecture. Began to sprinkle … we decided to spend the afternoon at home with beer and good rock music.

26.05.2011

The return journey was more tiring than access. Was not without its adventures and unexpected events. But that’s another story …

Krzysiek

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