Today’s drive takes us up and up and up and some more up above Kotor. It is a fantastic view and a sometimes harrowing drive with switchbacks, narrow roads and the odd full size bus.
Kotor from high up the mountainFollowing a bus
Our destination is the Mausoleum of Petar II, a great poet and prince-bishop, built in 1974. It is a 461 stair climb from the parking lot to the entrance of the mausoleum, which sits at about 1,600 m on top of Mount Lovcen. As I enter the building I get a sense of an Egyptian temple, with columns on either side of a central outer space and two statues guarding the entrance to the inner space. A beautiful onyx statue is inside and above it a gold leaf dome. Definitely worth the climb.
Petar II Onyx StatueView from the top of Mount Lovcen
We have noted over the last few days that Kosovo and Montenegro are under some major flight paths. You can look up any time of the day and there are at least 4 jet streams crossing the sky.
In all four countries we have been in there is a ‘pedestrians have the right of way’ rule. And everybody obeys them. People on a cross walk are not ignored. If you stand at a curb and look like you want to cross, the next car will stop for you. If the light says don’t walk people come to and immediately stop at the curb and wait. As always there are scoff laws but they are few.
Renewable energy sources are not as visible here as in northern European countries. There are very few solar panels in Albania or Macedonia. We did see a couple of solar panel fields in Kosovo but still very few installations on private buildings. When we crossed the border into Montenegro yesterday, we spotted a few wind turbines and I noted quite a few panel arrays on people’s houses.
The towns and cities we’ve stopped at have been hit and miss. Some interesting, some not so much. I will expand on them later. The part of the trip I have found extremely interesting is the ever changing country side. The landscape changes from flat to rolling hills to soft topped mountains to craggy mountains like our Canadian Rockies. The vegetation changes from olive groves to fruit orchards to prairies. The trees change from cultivated orchards, to deciduous trees all the way to the tree line of the soft top mountains and then to conifers when we reach the craggy mountains.
There are so many derelict and decaying, very large old factories scattered throughout the countryside in all the counties we have visited. Less so in Montenegro than in the other three countries. The communist dictators that lorded over the counties prior to 1992 had the idea that industrialization would transform. They thought that it was the way of the future. Unfortunately, the projects were not properly planned or funded. When the regime fell and the products of these factories had to compete in a capitalist market, they could not last. The people were forced to work in these factories and they were symbols of the dark days they did not wish to be reminded of.
When everyone works for the state and there is no personal gain, a problem is created. Why should I work harder than the other person, is the thought that goes through people’s heads. And so the work ethic drops to the lowest common denominator. No one is willing to take responsibility. So things fall into disrepair. ‘It’s not my job.’ This detail seems to be a legacy that continues 30+ years later. Every hotel we have stayed at has had minor problems that would only require tweaking to this or that to solve. Curtains falling off the rods, door stops broken or missing and the door handle banging into the wall behind, broken tiles that could be replaced, cupboard doors that are off the rollers and jammed so they do not open, shower doors off the rails so water leaks onto the bathroom floor. All of the could be repaired with simple tools and 5 minutes but they are not. ‘Not my job.’
Last thought. Our guide C has told us about the major difference between the communist regimes that ruled Yugoslavia and Albania from the end of WWII to 1992. Hoxha ruled with an iron fist in the manner of Stalin. Ghosting all of his real and imagined political rivals. He kept the people living in fear. There was no one allowed in or out of the country. He took away all rights. People were poor, had little to eat and rags for clothing. The country was in a worse state of isolation even after Stalin died and Nikita Khrushchev personally visited Hoxha and suggested he de-Stalinize his thoughts and run the country in a more humane manner. Hoxha doubled down and the country standards fell even deeper into despair.
In Yugoslavia, of which North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Montenegro were all a part of, Tito ran a sort of hi-bred communism. The people were allowed to own houses, buy cars, have a passport and travel. Tito was more in touch with the western world and tried to chose the ‘best’ parts of both sides. This made the 1992 transition from communism to capitalism less of a jump and people were able to transition much easier. From what one of our ‘local’ guides told me he didn’t even skim off millions of dollars to live in luxury and today his relatives work for a living like most of the citizens of those countries.
It has been said that Kotor is the Monaco of the Balkans. We finally are at a location that is inundated with tourists. And to top it off, Kotor is a cruise ship stop, which brings in more tourists, for about 6 hours anyway. Our local guide shakes his head about the cruise ships, saying “We cannot expand the space we have to accommodate all the tourists”. Traffic is horrendous on roads that are too narrow. The grocery store is lined up 15 deep.
3D Model of Kotor’s Old Town
Old Town in Kotor is walled and today houses hostels, shops, restaurants, churches and hotels. It was initially built by the Illyrians in the 5th century and then the Romans, Byzantines and Venetians, leading up to the 19th century. It was an important maritime hub, housing many captains of ships and merchants. The buildings are close together with narrow laneways that are fun to explore. Kotor was never destroyed by war, only by a couple of earthquakes in the last two hundred years. The town is now protected by UNESCO so it maintains that ancient character.
Narrow Lanes
There are three entrances into the town, through the very thick exterior walls. From one part of the town, there is a steep walk up to a small chapel and the fortress, sitting high up on the hillside. It costs a whopping 15 Euros for the honour of sweating up the stairs, which we did not partake in.
There is a church near Peja, Kosovo with a Catholic exterior and an Othodox interior. The Catholics call it The Church of St Nicholas and the Orthodox call it The Church of Ascension. The church is part of the Serbian Orthodox Monastery of Visoki Decani where 20 monks live.
The church was built in the early 14th century and has survived all this time. The architect was Italian/Venician. The frescos used gold leaf and lapis lazuli colours. It is amazing that most of the frescos are still intact and beautiful.
There are gargoyles protecting the inner room from the unbaptised in the outer room. Murray cautiously entered the inner room and was not attacked by them!
Gargoyles
Two lions sit above the main entranceway to the church. Legend has it that during a siege, the leader was going to turn the church into a mosque, suddenly one lion fell onto the leader and killed him. The followers saw the omen and decided not to turn the church into the mosque and vacated the area.
Dresses
In Prizren, we discovered a whole street of shops selling ladies evening dresses. All colours, all styles, bejewelled, flouncy, lacy, sleek, white, red, blue, black. Apparently they are for weddings. Many Balkans, who are working in other countries, come home in August and September to get married, so the dress selling business explodes in these months. Fascinating!
Once again, I missed a post as I was too tired yesterday to think or type. It is now 7:00pm after another day and I am sitting on the bed typing and trying to stay awake. This traveling is hard on a person!
Prizren from above
Yesterday we travel from Skopje, North Macedonia to Prizren, Kosovo. Our main stop is lunch with Mel and a steep hike up a hill for the view. Murray and our guide hike up all the way and I go up about 3/4s. The view is down the valley between mountains and the village across the road. The mountains here are more rounded than in the Rockies. The trees cover much of the mountains, but there are some peaks that are above tree line. The trees are turning fall colours showing yellows and reds.
Mountain View
In Prizren there is an hamam, or Turkish bath, built in the 15th century. This one is unique as both women and men could use it at the same time. There are two separate entrances and spaces for each. A type of furnace heated the water and there were small skylights in the domes to bring in light.
Prizren Hamam
Today is a day for an easy walk and lunch. We stroll along cobblestones then compact gravel, then forest path. Fruit trees and wild flowers and butterflies occupy us as we walk. The walk takes about two hours and we are ready for lunch when we return to the small town where we started.
Our guide asks if we would like to try soup from a small restaurant across the street. Of course, we say Yes! The place is small and L and I are the only women inside, the rest are men. Working men who have stopped for a cheap, filling, nutritious lunch. The soup is beef broth with pieces of beef, served with very delicious bread that is good for dunking. We pay 4 Euros ($6 Cdn) for a bowl. I notice the men also have two cabbage rolls in their soup. We eat and leave as it is a constant flow of diners in and out, so we do not want to take up a table for too long.
Plum tree
Murray and I then proceed to have some fun with some school kids. They are sitting on steps near where our van is parked. We decide to go talk to them and they get very excited as we get closer. A few of them speak English and tell us they are in grades 6, 8 and 9. One of them spots Murray’s camera and instantly he is taking their photos and having fun with them. One girl has a cell phone so she takes a photo of the view screen on the back of Murray’s camera. Lots of fun.
Lunch stop
We have some down time today and it is needed. Tomorrow is Montenegro!
I would like to introduce you to Mel, the watermelon that was gifted to me at the tobacco farm. Everyone in the van welcomed Mel into the fold. He traveled along with us to Skopje in the back of the van.
Mel, Mur and I shared a room at the Panoramika Hotel. Fortunately, we had a three bed room. Here is Mel lounging on his bed. He was tired from the journey so he didn’t join us on our city tour or for supper.
We all piled into the van the next morning. On our way to Prizren, Kosovo we stopped for lunch and a hike. Mel joined us for lunch.
As we are moving away from Bitola, we start to see tobacco fields. We have never seen tobacco growing so there is great interest in the van. “Stop the van!” someone calls and Murray, R and our guide pile out to take photos.
Tobacco field
Further down the road we see metal vaulted structures covered with plastic with what looks like tobacco leaves hanging on racks. “Stop the van!”
Tobacco leafTobacco drying
We jump out of the van and walk toward the structures and there happens to be people just there. The young woman invites us to come look. It is indeed tobacco leaves drying. The huts at the far end have all brown leaves and they move through yellows to fresh green leaves where we are standing.
We chat to the young woman (age 16), her grandmother (age 64) and her father. The price of tobacco has gone down and they only get 500Dinar ($13 Cdn) for a kilogram of dried tobacco. They have to pay the pickers, so the profit is not too much. They also grow some organic fruit and veg and gift us a watermelon, a bag of tomatoes and a melon. The tomatoes are delicious and I will eat them for lunch until they are gone.
The visit was wonderful and I think both sides enjoyed it very much. I know I did.
After about 2 hours of driving we arrive in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia. The population of the city is about 500,000 so it has a big city feel. The crosswalks aren’t like Tirana, the cars don’t stop for you. The traffic is heavy and the people are everywhere.
Mother Teresa Museum
Mother Teresa was born in Skopje! There is a small museum about her life and a statue or two.
I have to tell this story. We had another local guide take us around the downtown area. At one point, he says to Murray, “Is the small one Greek?” ( Meaning me, of course.) Mur says “Well, she is half Greek, her father was Greek.” And he says “That’s why she doesn’t listen.” HAH! I was mostly listening to his verbal diarrhea of names, dates, places and history!
Gypsies. Yup, there are gypsies in Skopje and area. We first stopped a Gypsies camp on the outskirts of the city. Then, when we were at the Mother Teresa museum there was a family of them close by. Mur and I locked eyes and both understood to watch our possessions. We spotted them again further along our walk and L thought she say a couple of young girls pick pocket a woman. Tourists have to be so careful.
Peppers from a field
My last comment about Skopje is that I am impressed by two statues, one of King Phillip II of Macedonia and one of his son, Alexander III of Macedonia (Alexander the Great). The statues are absolutely huge, majestic and impressive.
Our route takes us along Lake Ohrid and then onto a very steep and winding road up and over a pass in Galicica National Park. The views to the lake and the mountain tops are stunning.
Lake Prespa
We make our way down another steep and winding road to Lake Prespa. We are to meet up with a local guide who will take us on a hike. J, the guide, is also a sports teacher at the local high school. The trail is about 5.75 km return and climbs about 250 m and leads to the Monastery of St Mary. Except for one uphill portion, it is a comfortable walk through the forest where there are so many oak trees, junipers, fir trees, beech trees and others. The monastery is only used for retreats now and is maintained by the local villagers and looks very well cared for.
Monastery of St Mary
Interesting fact about Bitola. The first movie camera in the Balkans was in Bitola, brought here by the Manaki brothers. The first film was of their mother spinning wool. Today, there is an annual Manaki Film Festival that draws stars such as Juliette Binoche. There are stars on the walkway for best cinematography each year.
I think Bitola is a very vibrant and bustling city in the summer with outdoor markets, music and festivals. Today, the chilly wind is blowing and it is rather deserted.
Ten o’clock finds us on a boat backing away from the dock in the harbour of Ohrid. We are on our way to the Monestery of St Naum (interesting that it matches so closely to my last name!)
The story goes something like this. Disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Saint Clement of Ohrid and Saint Naum, created the precursor to the Cyrillic language in the 9th century. The Slavic language was formalized 30 years later and by the 10th century, it was spreading across the Balkans. The monastery was founded by Saint Naum and he is buried there.
Yes, today is about a relaxing boat ride and short tour of the monastery, but the day is really about relating to other travellers. Murray and I believe one of the most enjoyable parts of travelling is meeting people from all over the world.
On the trip to the monastery, we chat to a young woman from the Czech Republic travelling on her own. I start up a conversation with a couple from Norway, asking them about travelling in their country. They give me some suggestions of things to do in Norway. They are on a group tour for a week exploring this part of North Macedonia.
Monastery of St Naum
On the way back to Ohrid, Murray, the guide and I sit inside on the boat. We end up at a table with a young g couple from Prague and man from China. The six of us chat about various topics ranging from the differences between Cantonese and Mandarin, to hockey, to sights to visit in Prague, to hobbies. A wonderful way to spend and hour.
After we disembark, Murray and I explore the shopping street and look for a spot for supper. We pick a restaurant based on how busy it is. A table of people get up, the table gets cleared and a single fellow sits down at it. Murray asks him if we can share his table and he welcomes us to sit down.
Lake Ohrid
The fellow is from Australia, Tasmania to be exact, and he is awaiting a friend he just met. The friend turns out to be a young Greek man who road his motorbike from Thessaloniki this morning. The four of us chatted away while we order and wait for our food. While we eat we talk about travelling, bike touring, countries visited all the while encouraging the young Greek to travel as much as he can.
A couple from Netherlands stops by our table to ask Murray a question and a conversation ensues. Home countries and good wishes for enjoyable travel are shared.
To me, these interactions are what makes travelling memorable. It is a good day.
It’s Saturday morning and there isn’t much traffic so we get out of Tirana easily. Soon we are on a 110kph highway travelling south east towards Elbasan. The highway ends abruptly and we wind our way through the town. Everyone is out doing their Saturday shopping.
Railway bridge along our route
We stop at a fruit stand and I buy four purple figs for 70 Lek, just over a Cdn dollar. The stand also has persimmons, plums, tomatoes, nectarines, peppers and lots more.
The Via Egnatia was the Roman road that ran through the Balkans, connecting the Adriatic to Byzantium. It ran through Durres, Elbasan, Ohrid, through Greece through Thessaloniki towards Byzantium (Constaninople). The road was used for the military and to connect Roman colonies. We are roughly following the same route.
The border crossing into North Macedonia has two extremely long car line ups. Fortunately, we got to use the bus line. It still takes time, an inspection of the van and a description of what we are doing in the country, and then we are off once again.
Yugoslavia had six states and around 1992, it was divided into seven countries – Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzagovina, Croatia and Slovenia. At the time there was war in some of these countries but it did not touch North Macedonia.
Interesting fact. Tito, who ruled Yugoslavia, allowed the country to be half capitalistic and half communist. The people were allowed to travel, have a house, own a car, unlike Albania where the people were lucky to be allowed 2 or 3 rooms in an apartment block and were not allowed out of the country. We noticed that there are more single family houses as we approach Lake Ohrid. North Macedonia has about 2 million people consisting of about 1.3 million North Macedonians and 700,000 Albanians.
Historical Ohrid houses
In Ohrid, we take a walking tour of the old part of the town that sits on the hillside. Ivana, a local guide required by law, takes us up the roads, stopping to look at houses and churches. The houses all have a small footprint on the ground level, then expand outward on the first and second levels. It was done this way due to a lack of land on the hillside and to increase the living area inside the house. The area is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so the buildings must maintain the old architectural look.
There are two families, Talevi and Filevi, who make pearls. Mother of Pearl is used to make the bead and then numerous coats of an emulsion of fish scales, from fish in Lake Ohrid, are applied. The recipe is a closely guarded secret of the two families.
There are numerous Byzantine era churches on the hillside, each with their own story, which I have forgotten already. The buildings are cool though!
The Greeks built an amphitheater in Ohrid, that was used for music and theatre, around the 3rd century BC. When the Romans took over the area, they converted the theatre for gladiatorial contests and executions. Then, around the 4th century AD the Christians buried it as they didn’t want it associated with the executions. In 1980, when construction was being done, it was discovered, excavated and labeled an historic site.
Theatre built by the Greeks
Tomorrow we are taking a boat across Lake Ohrid to a monastery. The lake is a tectonic lake, one of only three in the world. It was not created by glaciers etc. but by movement of the earth’s crust forming a depression. The lake is 288 meters deep and about 350 sq km. (about the size of Cold Lake, Alberta).
