Day 361 Ohrid

 
lake ohrid
 

Rebooted and refreshed I ventured out to see the town. Ohrid is a relatively small city with the Old Town centred on the lake. There is a hill on the western side with a Basilica and Car Samoil's Fortress; this was the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire under the rule of Tsar Samuel at the turn of the 10th century. When I approached the Basilica there was a wedding ceremony taking place; I wanted to keep my distance and not disturb them but I found an entrance to the rear where I could peek in unnoticed and witness the nuptials. I was in time to see the bride and groom be presented with the Stefana wedding crowns, they were very different to that of Greek Orthodox crowns but were similar in appearance to what you would imagine a royal continental crown to be. They symbolise the beginning of a new kingdom where the couple become responsible for ruling responsibly and wisely towards one another.

Walking through the nearby woods I saw renovations being made to a very large property. The workman had lashed an axe to a long length of 4x2" timber in order to knock out the beams in the ceiling - safety first.

The surrounding area is very beautiful and I think it would be easy to spend a week in Ohrid. You can take a day trip or stay overnight in Bitola, one of Macedonia's oldest cities, and there are additional towns close by.

I should note this is not the Basilica and is the Church of St John.