Annette posts more views of Lake Ohrid area and then Skopje, Macedonia again

     Hello again.  I know that Frank and I have been delinquent in providing posts to the blog. We have been preoccupied. Last weekend I didn't get a day off, and this is difficult for me because now I'm used to 4 day weekends since I don't have classes or other work on Fridays or Mondays.  Anyway, last Friday was the American Corner's 7th birthday, and there was a big celebration with library folks from the U.S. in attendance and a full-blown event with entertainment.  On Saturday, I hosted the Earth Day activity that I have been planning with the American Corner students for months.  The activity was great, and we had over 40 volunteers cleaning the local City Park in Prizren.  Sunday, believe it or not, I had to give two make-up final exams.  These were for students who didn't pass the finals in February.  If any of these don't pass again, they will have at least 2 more chances. Photos of these events (minus the final exams) will follow in the next week.

On Monday, we went to Pristina to see my dentist.  I got bad news about the tooth that had a root canal about a month ago.  It still had an infection, so yesterday Frank and I went to Pristina again.  I had surgery on the tooth (including 4 stitches :- (    ) and Frank was in another dentist chair at the same time getting a root canal on a tooth that cracked.  I look like a chipmunk today with my puffy right cheek, but we survived the ordeals and even made plans to go on another UN-sponsored trip next weekend.  This one will be to the beach in Budva, Montenegro.

In this post, I just had to include a few more photos of Lake Ohrid in Macedonia.  I know that Frank already wrote a post on this trip, but we returned to northern Macedonia after our trip to Serbia a couple of weeks ago, and so I though a few more photos of Lake Ohrid and its area would be okay.  I loved Ohrid and hope that we can return but don't know if we'll have the opportunity during this stint in Europe. Anyone who wants to visit a gorgeous area with history to boot and moderate prices should think about visiting Lake Ohrid.

St. Clement Church.  The original church dates from the 5th century but was modified repeatedly over the centuries. In 2002 archaeologist, Pasko Kuzman, oversaw the rebuilding of the church according to its Byzantine design.  In the foreground are Roman ruins, and there is also the foundation of a 4th century church  with well-preserved floor mosaics of flora and fauna. 

Another view of St. Clement and Lake Ohrid.  The mountains in the background form the border between Albania and Macedonia. There is also a national park with hiking.

The old city part of Ohrid is extensive with many narrow alleyways and historic structures (Roman arena, churches, etc.) to explore.

This is a view of Lake Ohrid with the town of Ohrid  across the lake.  The photo was taken from the town of Struga.  This particular day, a storm was moving in, and the waves on the lake were like waves on the ocean.

The previous photo and the next few were taken in the town of Struga which is situated on the north shore of Lake Ohrid.  Here you see the Crn Drim River tumbling out of Lake Ohrid in Struga.

This Crn Drim River is unbelievably clear, and the color is much more turquoise - my camera doesn't do it justice.  

It was a sunny day although a little cool, but Frank and I enjoyed macchiatos on the terrace of this little cafe in Struga.  The lake is in the background.

After leaving Ohrid, we drove through the Macedonian wine country on our way north to Skopje.  We didn't have time to stop at any wineries, and I couldn't drink since I was on antibiotics.  Maybe this summer we can tour some Macedonian wineries.

Now we're skipping ahead a few weeks later. This photo was taken in our car after leaving Serbia and going to Skopje to return the rental car. We knew we were in Macedonia when we saw this restaurant with the multitude of statues.  Frank posted information about the statues in Skopje after our December trip there.  The Macedonians have a thing about statues!

This is our favorite little hotel in Skopje - Hotel Kapistec.  I think it's named after a local soccer team since we saw posters with the same name around town.  It is only around $45 per night including breakfast.  It is centrally located within walking distance of the city center and other sites.   

In developing countries, you can see really creative ways of recycling.  This teenage boy was parked in front of Hotel Kapistec, and he had a cart pulled by a bicycle to carry away recycled materials.

Here you can see the boy pedaling away.

The breakfast room in Hotel Kapistec.  They have a buffet with eggs, bread, yogurt, cereal, pastries, fruit, juices, meat and cheese.  You also can order macchiatos or other coffees.

Seating area in Hotel Kapistec breakfast room.

A view of the Millennium Cross from our hotel balcony.   Supposedly this is the world's largest cross (66 meters high).  It was built in 2002 and is illuminated at night. It is strange seeing such outward signs of Christianity after living for months in a Muslim-dominated country.

  

Another recycling vehicle in Skopje - this cart is pulled by a moped.

Domino's Pizza in Skopje.....seems like a better way of delivering pizza than the gas-guzzling cars used in the States!

I am signing off for now but will post a few more photos of Skophe later this weekend.