Day 40
A Day at the Beach
Saturday, September 28, 2024
Zdravo,
You can see in the photos we've taken so far that Lake Ohrid is a breathtaking mountain lake. With this perfect weather we've been having, we took the opportunity to enjoy a day at the beach.
There are numerous beaches around the shores of Lake Ohrid. The beaches we've seen so far are pebbly, not sandy. This is not surprising for a mountain lake with very little wave action.
The beach we visited was the one that Grandma had seen yesterday from the ramparts of Tsar Samuel's Fortress. It is called Partisan Beach, or in Macedonian, Партизан. It was a short, fifteen minute walk from our apartment.
The walk took us behind the Old Town and Old City Park, and well away from tourist district. This is where the real Macedonia people live. Kids played football in the street. Mothers were busy doing laundry and housework. Men stood around in groups talking shit.
We had a great day relaxing on the beach and swimming in Lake Ohrid. The water was just warm enough for swimming, and the sun shone brightly. We spent a lovely afternoon lounging, reading and napping in the sunshine.
At one stage a group of young men decided to have a swimming race from one end of the beach to the other. That provided Grandma with some rather pleasant scenery for a few minutes.
Lying in the sun all day is a sure way to build up a thirst. According to Buzzy Bee, there is only one cure. I think you can all guess what the little bee had in mind. Sure enough, an ice cold beer from a local cafe.
Later we had dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant called Da Lori.
Down by the waterfront of Ohrid there is a collection of busy and trendy looking restaurants and cafes. They are all tourist traps, serving food that is, at best, mediocre and charging outrageous prices.
If you walk around the corner and further into the old town, you discover a bunch of restaurants serving far better food at a more realistic price. The pizza at Da Lori was just what we wanted; a quick, simple meal that was delicious and affordable. At Da Lori they make their own pizza bases. The only cutlery they give you is a big pair of scissors to cut the pizza and a bunch of napkins.
Tomorrow we'll explore deeper into the old town, and search for the famous boardwalk everyone's mentioning.
Love to you all from Grandma & Koro & Buzzy Bee.