We woke up to the breathtaking Lake Ohrid in Macedonia, what a beauty. The sun was up and we could see for miles. The clear blue waters from the lake mirrored the cloudless sky making hard to tell the horizon line.
After spending a cold night at Hotel Monastery Sveti Stefan, we decided to go down to the lake to find ourselves some much-needed breakfast. Lucky for us, Restaurant Bonanza was open and we had a very affordable typical breakfast from the region.
The Lake
The crystal clear lake straddles the mountainous border between southwestern part of North Macedonia and eastern Albania. Covers an area of 358 km² and home to more than 200 endemic spices.
Lake Ohrid is one of the oldest lakes in the world and amongst the deepest too with a max depth of approx. 300m (989ft). It is was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979 and in 2010 NASA named one of Titan’s lakes after it.
We chose not brave the cold November waters for a swim even though a gentleman was seen snorkeling in his speedos. We also heard tales of non-venomous water snakes and that made Arek even more nervous.
St. Jovan Kaneo Church
Just around the corner from where we had our breakfast, resides the Old Town with its narrow streets and alleyways. We made our way up the hill past a 2,000-year-old Roman theatre to the stunning St. Jovan Kaneo Church.
We took a timeout here to reflect on the trip so far while enjoying the beautiful views. After basking in the setting sun, we got back on the road and made our way to Skopje. And so ends day 3 of our Balkan Road Trip.
The figures
We only spent a day in this Europe’s secret escape and our outgoings also reflect this:
- Accommodation – £22/€25/$28 USD per night
- Huge Ohrid Breakfast for 2, with coffees, teas, & water – £11/€12/$18 USD
You cannot drive into the Old Town unless you are a resident, but there’s parking provided just outside the town’s gates. We were told this parking could get very busy during the summer months.
