Well, I cant exactly guarantee that it will be weeky but after numerous deliberations I thought I’d have a go at the blog thingy so here it is..
13th – 20th June 2009
This week, we’ve done a fair few miles. The week started in Macedonia at Lake Ohrid. The nights are getting hot yep hot like a hot mans hot bits! No air at night and all the windows open, mark has taken to sleeping in the hammock outside. Woke up on Monday with the aim of leaving lake Ohrid camp site but the sleep deprivation took hold so the day started slow.
We decided instead to venture on to the water so hopped in the kayaks for a nosey about. Lake Ohrid is a beautiful lake maybe it’s the time of year but the lake has a strange haze that surrounds it, if you look out you cant see the other side giving that feel that your looking out to sea. There are snow capped Albanian mountains in the distance as lake sits on both borders.
We kayaked around the corner to the “museum on water” which turned out to be a replica mini village. Having a good look from my kayak I also noticed a weird shape sticking its head out of the water. SnaKe, snake swimming ahrrahhh. After feeling a little uneasy about these swimming reptiles I started to head back only to see more. After a small rest stop and positive attitude to swimming reptiles we decided to head to the local shop kayak stylee. We filled the kayaks with shopping, supposedly essentials however, marks kayak weighed down with mainly the vino we headed back and managed the journey with no capsizing.
The next day we left Lake Ohrid and headed for the next lake over the mountain. However, when we reached our destination we found that it wasn’t really our cup a tea (as in strange looking people and ugly place)so we drove on, and on and on in the hope of seeing a campsite or wildcamp spot for the night. We eventually had the genius idea of heading for the ski station, so off we drove, up into the national park windy road that took us through little authentic Macedonian villages and cows in the road with comical farmers.
Next day we partook in some hiking well a long walk really! up hill most of the way I must add which is all good for the calorie burn. Wild mountain flowers, streams and fresh air. Its all lovely stuff.
Greece whoop whoop.
We entered Greece with ease. Bloke at the border says “English?” yes, we are. After slurping his takeaway fizzy drink briefly glances at the passports and then were on our way! Easy as 123. Sometimes we are reminded by people we speak to how lucky we are to be British as our passports “open doors” it is strange to think that we as British citizens can go pretty much anywhere in the world with relative ease and doors will continue to be shut for others. Food for thought people.
Mainland Greece has been a surprise to both of us how un developed some places are! We like it. We spent a few days wild camping in Torino, Halkadiki peninsular on a small beach. After some more sunbasking, sea loafing I mean swimming and marks new fascination for snorkelling we needed some activity so due to the lack of football action last week we planned to pop to the local bar for beer n football, however, football was cancelled as a what I can only describe as GigaNticO tropical storm swept in over the bay and we had stupidly left our window vents open. So we ran back like loons, soaked to the skin (I thought its supposed to be exhilarating running in pooring down rain..its not so much) we continued running through four inches of water on the roads and witnessing the most crazy lightning display I’ve ever seen which was more like something in a movie back to a soaked through motorhome. After mopping the floor we knew football was cancelled for us anyway. Boo. Oh well, sounded like a rubbish game anyway hopefully we’ll get to watch something of the world cup at some point. Will we ever feel the football fever..?!
We enjoyed main land Greece the little of what we saw was much prettier than Spain and less crowded and developed which is always nice to see. Unfortunately everything costs an absolute bomb. After highlighting this to a few people they didn’t have many kind words to say for there government who from the sounds of it is corrupt and dirty fingered as ever and the Greek people are paying the price. In further reference to costs I found the one and only veggie burgers for 8Euros. Yes people 8E, whats that all about.
Off we pop over the border into Bulgaria. After a long drive and taking most of our day in the shops stocking up on supplies we got to Bulgaria a little late and the sun was going down. I always hate it in new countries especially eastern Europe when evening time comes as you know you haven’t got much time to get to the destination before it gets dark. Western countries its so easy to drive at night time no problems, everyone puts there headlights on and obays the laws of the road, well most of the time. Well in Eastern Europe some people drive like they want to die. Really, they don’t give a shit and taking over on massive blind bends is a national sport in some countries. Nightime brings nutters who don’t even put there headlights on and of course there’s possible encounters with donkey & cart who I don’t think have built in headlights.
So were in Bulgaria evening time, little light, we find the turning for Malnik which is a little tricky deciphering the Cyrillic alphabet. We get to the village to find no campsite and so drive on up to the monastery road through some amazing landscapes of strange hill pyramids and beaut-ti-ful old ottoman houses with decorative gords outside. These houses are stunning. Now I understand why people have been barnying on about amazing properties in Bulgaria. We eventually drive into the square with two bars with the same decorative gords. We look around and find again no campsite when a man comes out from one of the restaurants and says “No camping, but stop here! We have food, musics & drinks!” So we park up in the village and pop up to the monastery then swiftly pop into the traditional restaurant for a glass of wine which is known in this area of Bulgaria to be 1. very cheap and 2. doesn’t give you a hangover. Ding, those two points are superwickedlyfabulous! We order two wines and the restaurant owner says 1 litre of wine. So we agree to the 1 litre and are meet with a massive jug of vino with sliced lemons. After a few glasses we both agree that its kind of like fortified wine but with a twist, plus it must be kind of strong because we felt pissed very quickly! Another massive thunder lightning storm comes overhead, hails stones the size of donkey pellets pelting through the roof then an electrical cut out for the whole village! People continue to eat there dinner in pitch dark before the gas lanterns are bought out. From the lack of reaction of everyone eating in the dark we decided this must happen fairly often!
The restaurant quickly filled up with a coach party and live traditional music band kicked off its funky tunes with keyboard, trumpet player & singer!…Bulgaria seems pretty good so far!
Sunday and the end of a busy week we finished off today with some sight seeing and went for a look around the teeny tiny town of Melnik. Very pretty houses (ottoman architecture I’m told) and cobbled streets. We took ourselves up a windy vertical cobbled hill in search of the winery! I know it sounds like were alcoholics, honestly we not that bad but anyway, we get to the top of the hill and find the wine cellers. We ask for wine tasting at 2levs so the man leads us into the cellers apparently 250 years old and pours us a big glass of white. He continues to look at us and make no converstation, you know, stuff you’d kind of expect to hear standing in a wine celler the wine is this, that, blah blah. After some strange conversation about you speak English I am bulgrian I cannot speak to you in English mark squeezes some information about the bloody wine! Afterwards mark recons he was pissed as he was leaning up the one of the beams. In hindsight he probably was. But we were happy to top ourselves up with a glass of wine after last night and went on our merry way to purchase another bottle of red down the hill in what can only be described as clear plastic squash bottle. This we will be drinking tonight, question is, will it taste as good as it looks in this plastic bottle?
One Response to “Welcome to my weekly blog! Macedonia to Greece”