The Balkans – Kosovo and Macedonia Our border crossing into Kosovo went smoothly and purchasing insurance was easy. The First town we visited was Peja. It was very dusty and run down but any contact we had with the local people was friendly and welcoming. En route to Pristina I overtook a very slow overloaded lorry (just trying to justify myself…) in a no overtaking zone only to be pulled over by the Kosovan police that were waiting just out of sight. Damn! They took my license and our insurance details and came across very aggressive when talking about fines/punishments. A few of the locals had been pulled over too and we awaited our fate whilst watching as he gave them all on the spots fines… As the police man came over to return my license his mood had completely changed and he said with a jovial demeanour; ‘Daniel, you are lucky – no fine today. Next time you get three fines though’. Yey, we’d been let off! We spent a night parked up in a motel between Peja and Pristina. It looked like a dive from the outside but we went in for a coffee initially then a beer later and it was surprisingly plush! The owners were very accommodating and friendly too. We didn’t think much of Pristina either and left Kosovo thinking that the people were very friendly and there was nice countryside but the towns and cities didn’t have much to offer. Macedonia was next and once again we were let in without insurance… time to drive uber carefully again! Skopje was our first destination and we were pleasantly surprised. There was a lovely mix of old and new and the Turkish Ottoman influence was very noticeable. Some areas of town looked like they were still being built but the whole place felt very optimistic. We enjoyed a beer by the castle. Lake Ohrid is seldom visited by Brits but I’d always seen it ranked highly in the European Lakes league tables! We spent three nights relaxing there and loved it! The small family run campsite we stayed in was lovely – so much better than the big camping complexes! The personable feel extended to free coffees and homemade cakes delivered to the door on several occasions. We were also right next to the lake and the wildlife was fantastic. All for less than £10 a night! We visited Ohrid town one day and enjoyed wandering around its streets and stopping for a traditional Macedonia lunch! We were sad to leave Lake Ohrid and hope to return one day! From the lake we drove south into Greece, I’ll cover there and Bulgaria in the next post! D, L & Beni x
Posted on: Thu, 29 May 2014 18:37:15 +0000
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