Ohrid

There is a story/joke that some Macedonians say about the creation of Macedonia:

As God was creating the world, he took extra time to create Macedonia.  He started with Skopje and decided to make it the biggest city in Macedonia.  He placed in Skopje the mountain Vodno and split the city with the river Vardar.  He placed the majority of Macedonians in the city and decided to make those people leaders of the republic.

Next, he created Prilep.  Nearby, He placed Marko’s tower, surrounded the city with craggy mountains, and placed Macedonia’s hardest working people in the town.  Next he created Bitola and decided to make it the most fashionable city in the republic.  He laid the foundations for Shirok Sokak and placed the mountain Pelister and plenty of beautiful forests nearby.  He placed there the most fashionable, good-looking people in Macedonia. 

As God continued creating additional cities and natural wonders in Macedonia, Satan watched and became eager to create something too.  He approached God and said,

“God, please let me create something in Macedonia.”

God responded, “Satan, you are an evil being.  I will not let you create a city in Macedonia.  Your job is to create temptation and spite among the people of the world.”

Satan responded, “Please, I promise You will not be disappointed by my creation.”

Losing his patience, God responded, “Fine.  You may create one city in Macedonia.” 

Satan started to create his city in the corner of the republic.  First, he created a beautiful lake and placed historical buildings near it.  He then erected in the city 365 churches, a church for each day of the year.  When Satan finished creating his city, which he called Ohrid, God remarked,

“Satan, I am shocked by your creation.  I expected you to create a city filled with havoc, and yet you created the most beautiful city in all of Macedonia.  What prompted you to be so giving?”

The devil slyly replied, “Well you should see the people I placed there.”

This past weekend, I decided to visit Ohrid to celebrate Christmas and the birthdays of the MAK18s who were assigned to the city.  Ohrid is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and somewhat objectively, one of the most beautiful cities in Macedonia.  Lake Ohrid, on the banks which the city sits, is split between Macedonia and Albania, and contains endemic species of fish and wildlife.  In the summer, Ohrid is bustling with tourists, both international and Macedonians alike, but during these winter months the city is a bit quieter.  Therefore, I felt lucky to have visited the city during the off-season.

Nick, Ted, and I caught the bus that took us straight from our cities to Ohrid.  Once we arrived, we were bombarded by taxi drivers and hostel owners who were eager to rent out their services.  Many Macedonians do not speak well of the people of Ohrid, either because those in Ohrid depend on tourism for their income, so they are naturally disposed to think of making money off of others, or because Macedonians are jealous of the beauty in which these people live. 

We all caught a cab and immediately departed for Dan’s place, which was in the suburbs of Ohrid.  Dan technically lives in a homestay, but his host father owns a hostel and decided to let Dan live in one of the rooms there.  Therefore, we all had the whole hostel to ourselves this weekend, which made it feel like we were on vacation in our own host country. 

Lake Ohrid

A view of the city

One of the 365 churches in the city

The Love Bridge

Ohrid during sunset

As we arrived, the other PCVs who had stayed Friday night were just waking up from their hangover.  We chatted and caught up on our lives, and then the guys decided to walk along the lake and head into town.  The climate in Ohrid is Mediterranean, so despite colder temperatures in the rest of Macedonia, Ohrid's weather was mild and sunny (50s Fahrenheit).  As we arrived to the center of Ohrid, we were amazed by the beautiful, historic buildings and the abundance of greenery.  We meandered through the  narrow streets and ended at the love bridge, which is a narrow wooden bridge built where the lake meets the steep cliffs of the city.  We eventually met the girls at a local restaurant where we enjoyed a few beers and Ohrid’s famous cheese pot.

As we returned to the hostel, we decided to make Mexican dinner.  After enjoying our dinner, we exchanged our White Elephant gifts and played a game of President-Asshole.   The gift to be claimed during the White Elephant was the Macedonian vuvezela, which Tara had won.  Finally, we decided to take a cab into center to go to the club, Cuba Libre, and danced all night until 4AM.

White Elephant gift exchange

The President and the Asshole

Celebrating the birthdays of Sarah and Dan!

This trip to Ohrid was definitely worth it.  Ohrid is beautiful, but it would be nothing without its lake.  While the city was definitely worth a visit itself, it was nice to have 24 hours of hanging out with just Americans.  While I enjoy my multi-ethnic hangouts in Prilep (with Americans, Macedonians, French, and a Spaniard chilling together), spending a night with just Americans in our own hostel and in a new city was a nice reset on our time here.  Unfortunately, three nights in a row of drinking culminated into a slight cold and 14-hour, coma-like sleep, but despite that I think I regained some new motivation and energy that should get me through the work and challenges of my site for the next few weeks.