OHRID OLD TOWN

Hannah McDonald
Jul 27, 2023
7 min read

Paddle Boarding

It’s lake day! Lake Ohrid is one of Europe’s oldest and deepest lakes, and it attracts lots of tourists, filling up in the summers. During the day, you can find everyone on the the beaches and in the lake, trying to escape the heat, and in the evenings, everyone is bustling along the boardwalk and Old Town’s Main Street.

One of Joelle and I’s favorite lake activities is, of course, paddle boarding, so finding a paddle board rental is top of mind. Joelle out does herself on planning once again and finds a guesthouse in Old Town, close to the lake, that rents kayaks and paddle boards. All the kayaks are out on the water, so we take two paddle boards. She lets us know we can have them for as long as we want and will just pay for the hours we have them once we return.

We walk our boards to the beach, put them in the water, and start paddling. The water is nice and warm, particularly compared to where we swam in Albania, and we start paddling to the right, as the woman renting the boards suggested. This way, we will pass the famous church on a cliff (Church of St. John at Kaneo) and a wild beach. We share the lake with lots of boats so we their wakes rock us in the water. It is so relaxing to just paddle. When we pass the church, we see the courtyard bustling with people. We round the point and keep paddling. It is getting hot with the sun beating down on us and the water. As the wild beach comes into view, we spot a few trees hanging over the water, shading it. We paddle straight to it. There are a few people on the beach and several in the water swimming. The beach is small and above are lots of trees. It seems that people have to walk down a path, through the trees to access this beach from land. Relaxed, and thoroughly enjoying the shade, we lay on our boards and relax for quite awhile, fighting to stay in our shady spot when the wakes from the boats try to push us away from the shade.

Seeing as it has been several hours, we decide it is time to paddle back. The lake seems to be something out of Harry Potter. The arms of many long plants can be seen eerily extending up from the depths of the water. We are just waiting for a grindylow to come get us.

National Workshop for Handmade Paper

After returning our boards, we decide to stop at the paper factory in Old Town on our way back to the Airbnb. It is one of the stops on the self-guided walking tour we plan to do tomorrow, and it just so happens to be open and convenient today. This is one of seven traditional paper factories remaining in the world. Outside, we see paper hanging on drying racks, and inside we see the whole process plus lots of artwork on the paper that has been made. The man in the shop shows us the process, from a basin filled with pulp and water to shaping and letting the paper dry. There are different colors of paper depending on the type of tree the paper is being made from. Ten year old Joelle would have been very excited by the old-fashioned looking notebooks filled with this handmade paper. Instead, we just look around a bit and admire the artwork that has been printed (with a Gutenberg press replica) or painted on the paper.

Evening in Old Town

Not overly keen on our dinner options at the Airbnb (more PB&Js or pasta and red sauce), we decide to return to the restaurant in Old Town that we previously ate at, not because it was particularly good but because the menu has vegan options easily labeled. After dinner, we shop around the Main Street for some postcards. It is once again bustling, with vendors selling lots of balloons and light-up toys. It really is like Disney.

Postcards in hand, we go back along the boardwalk, which is also bustling with vendors selling food and arcade games setup. Initially, we want to play an arcade game—seems like something you just have to do. Unfortunately, we do not have enough coins to start the machines and are a little deterred by imagining all the germs. Instead, we decide to get crepes. There are many stands selling mini pancakes, crepes, various fruit items, and more. A surprising number are actually branded with various Disney characters, which seems odd. We find a less-busy crepe stand and wait in line. The topping offerings are subpar for a weirdo like me (Nutella, banana, syrups), so I get a plain crepe, while Joelle gets one with banana. The couple making and selling them are Macedonian and live in Florida. We enjoy our crepes on the walk home, content with our relaxing and fun day.

Old Town Walking Tour

The free Ohrid walking tour is given by the same interesting guide that took us to the Bay of Bones and the monastery, and there is no availability for while we are here. So, we follow a self-guided walking tour on an app. It takes us to Ohrid’s Main Square, Ali Pasha Mosque, the Old Bazaar Street, St. Clement Monument, the National Workshop for Handmade Paper, Church of St. Sophia, Ancient Theater of Ohrid, King Samoil Fortress, Plaosnik Archeological Site, and Church of St. John at Kaneo. Since we saw the National Workshop for Handmade Paper yesterday, we go to the wood carving workshop across the street today. We take a leisurely pace, going in and out of shops along the way and trying not to overheat too much. We even stop for smoothies and chia pudding. It is cooler today than yesterday but still hot in the upper 80s. Here are a few impressions:

The Ohrid Main Square does not seem to be what it once was. In pictures, there is a beautiful fountain, and today, all we see is where the fountain used to be.
The Ali Pasha Mosque is beautiful and peaceful inside. There is no one but us, which is a stark contrast to the streets just outside.
The Old Bazaar street is still the Main Street today, lined with shops and restaurants. Many have a Turkish influence, remaining influence from the Ottoman Empire. Apparently there used to be a canopy of grad trees above to shade the street, and we are confused why that was removed. It would be quite nice in this heat.
The wood carving workshop has some impressive works in three styles. The most challenging seems to be the carving that pops out 3D while still maintaining a solid backing. Currently, the man in the shop is working on a large piece for the front of a church.
The churches all have a similar style, with terracotta colored bricks and intricate detailing. They look large on the outside, but the one we enter—Church of St. John at Kaneo—is very small (and dark) inside. The Church of Saints Clement and Panteleimon is one we stumble upon when looking for the Church of St. John at Kaneo, and the outside of it is beautiful (we did not go inside).
The Ancient Theater of Ohrid seems relatively small compared to what we saw in previous cities on this trip. It is said to be well preserved because it was intentionally buried underground for quite sometime after Roman occupation, when gladiators fought there. It has since been excavated and is now used for various performances.
The King Samoil Fortress is a definite highlight, despite having to climb to the top of the city’s highest hill in the heat. There are excellent views of the lake and town. We walk around the edge of the entire fortress and decide that typical sandcastles are actually more of sand-fortresses because their design is more similar to the tops of this fortress than any castle we have seen.

Overdue for some air conditioning, we make our way back to the Airbnb to rest and have some dinner (pasta and red sauce, of course) before our final night of the trip.

Sunset Boat Ride

It has been another amazing sister trip, and we are ending it on a special note: A sunset boat ride on Lake Ohrid. We have seen the sky light up the pretty colors at sunset, but the actual sunset is blocked by land a bit from where we are on the lake.

On the walk to the boat, we notice just how rough the water is today, as it splashes high up onto the board walk. It is windy, and the water shows it. Hopefully we still get to go (and thankfully we did not save paddle boarding for today).

The boat is very nice, with cushy seating on the open-air upper deck. We find a nice spot and settle in. By the time we depart, the boat is still relatively empty. We sail past Old Town and see lots of people in the courtyard of the Church of St. John at Kaneo, waiting for sunset. The sky is cloudy, covering most of the sunset. We see some bright colors poke through the gaps though, and the clouds still make for a cool-looking sky. The boat’s crew comes around and asks if we want the included champaign. When we say no, he asks if we want juice. We look at each other. “Umm…is it included?” We have spent all our cash and do not want to get more since we are leaving tomorrow, so we really do not have any money. Fortunately for us, it is included. The boat ride is peaceful and cold. We are both in shorts and t-shirts, hiding behind pillows in an attempt to be protected from the chilly wind. On the way back, Old Town is all lit up along the edge of the lake. The hour and a half boat ride is a great way to celebrate the end of another amazing trip.

Our Last Morning

This morning, we wake up and take a jog along the lake, going the opposite direction of Old Town. I have not been this way yet, although Joelle has for some runs. It is a much different vibe, and much less busy. We go up and over a steep bridge, where many of the lake’s boats are docked. Then, we find some beaches. These look much nicer than the small, crowded, and concrete beaches near Old Town. These are larger with some grassy and shady areas—definitely where I would want to be for a lake beach day (when not floating on a paddle board, of course). The nice area disappears too quickly, as we find a busy campsite and the road turns away from the lake.

We pack up our stuff, have lunch, and wait for the driver that is taking us back to Albania. We are staying at the Airport Hotel in Tirana tonight, so we can catch our very early flight in the morning, starting our long journey home.

Thank you for following along on our Summer 2023 trip! We cannot wait for our next one.

OHRID OLD TOWN

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