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Welcome to Macedonia, and hello again, James. In Macedonia the roads are smoother and built such they are less steep although the landscape is the same. A walk in the park as I cruised along a gorgeous valley in the sun to Lake Ohrid where I joined forces with James again.

Our tents on Lake Ohrid

James had described it, and it was true. Everything changed at the border. It is probably mostly in the mind, but, I too, felt more relaxed. Everything felt more orderly, better built, and more relaxed.

I passed a few milestones. Firstly, country number 13.

Country number 12. Macedonia

Then 4000km with a nice view out over a lake.

The 4000km mark

While cruising along the road through the valley, nestled between steep, high mountains, I could only try to compare and determine what is different. Why is it so easy cycling here? Why is the road less steep? Well, the road didn’t suddenly drop to cross every little stream, but rather there were some (slightly) longer bridges. The road was also cut into the mountain more, meaning that not every bump needed to be traversed. Whatever it was, I zoomed along and was chatting to James at lunch. I put my tent up next to his with a view out over Lake Ohrid, and we spent hours sharing stories and making plans going forward.

Lake in Macedonia