Posts Tagged ‘Struga’

Day 54. 73km. Struga – Oteshevo

Posted: November 7, 2014 in Cycling, Macedonia
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It was Mr. Harris, with the inner tent in the bedroom. Staying in the Cluedo murder mystery, back to the 70s lake resort, James and I reminisce the fantasmogorical day cycling around and then up over the stunning Lake Ohrid.

Drahtesel preparing herself for the climb

Drahtesel preparing herself for the climb

I don’t know where to start. Pictures tell more than 1048 words. We pfaffed around at the beautiful camping spot overlooking Lake Ohrid, watching the sunrise, and listening to our stomachs advising us to eat a hamburger for breakfast.

Sunrise at our campsite on Lake Ohrid

Sunrise at our campsite on Lake Ohrid

A quick stop-off at Viagra Beach before pigging out in Ohrid town.

Viagra Beach

Viagra Beach

Ohrid town

Ohrid town

Pigging out in Ohrid

Pigging out in Ohrid

Ohrid town

Ohrid town

Ohrid town

Ohrid town

And then the most glorious amazing climb up to 1600m in the soft, orange evening sun, with a view to die for over Lake Ohrid. Man, this ride was amazing.

Spot James

Spot James

Some curves in the road

Some curves in the road

I'm the king of the world!

I’m the king of the world!

Approaching the summit

Approaching the summit

The summit

The summit

The view the other side

The view the other side

With darkness approaching, we scooted down the mountain. Our first choice of lodgings was in an abandoned hotel on the lake shore. After a minor incident with a dog, where my loud screaming finally scared away the growling, teeth-bearing dog, we opted to continue down the road along the lake in the dark. We are staying in a luxurious resort from the 70s, ideal for an Agatha Christie novel. It was Dr. Harris, with the inner-tent in the bedroom.

The murder weapon

The murder weapon

James leaving the scene of the crime - the bedroom

James leaving the scene of the crime – the bedroom

On the way to dinner

On the way to dinner

Phoning for help

Phoning for help

Day 53. 80km. Peshkopi – Struga

Posted: November 6, 2014 in Albania, Cycling, Macedonia
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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

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

Country number 12. Macedonia

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

The 4000km mark

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

Lake in Macedonia