Ohrid to Bitola (North Macedonia)

Starting from the boardwalk along Lake Ohrid

After a day’s rest, it didn’t feel so bad to get back on the bicycle. My legs felt fresh zipping out of Ohrid along Lake Ohrid, part of the way on a very nice bike lane. We had a stop for snacks about 18 km out, at a tiny one room market/bar/kaffe. Then we cycled to our turn off into Galicia National Park around 21 km, as our 900 meter climb was beginning. Unfortunately, that’s when my shifter cable snapped in two.  My rear derailleur was stuck in the hardest gear and wouldn’t shift. I immediately called the tour leader, who came down to pick up me and the bike and take me to the top of the climb, where the other cyclists were stopping for photos. I had WhatsApped the entire group, too; and, the very nice cyclist who had gotten me rideable gears with the bent hangar contacted me immediately. Steve was nice enough to wait at the top of the hill at 1600 meters on this chilly day to turn my bike into a fixie at an easier gear, as the tour leader said that she didn’t carry any shifter cables. While Steve was digging through the tool box to adjust my rear derailleur, he came across a shifter cable. Then, we got the bike stand from the tour leader; and, Steve threaded that new cable through the internal housing, without more than a screwdriver and a hex wrench. He is a very skilled mechanic! 

The repair took quite a bit of time; and, we all had on all of our coats by the end. Then, we had to descend down the other side mountain in the chilly temperatures. I even had my winter gloves on and was shivering the entire way. Reminding myself that the faster I got down the mountain, the faster I’d warm up on the flats was the only thing that kept me from stopping. At the bottom, I stripped off my gloves and stuffed them in my raincoat pockets, even though stuff has fallen out of them before. The new sweep road side by side with me most of the way to Resen for lunch. We were passing through gorgeous apple orchards! The harvest was in full swing with tractors towing boxes full of red apples. By the time that I arrived in Resen, I’d lost one of the winter gloves. The rest of the trip will need to be warmer!

Turshija

My friend and I had another delicious Macedonia meal. We tried another bean dish; and, I also ate turshija, which was a salad of pickled vegetables. We sat outside in the sun to warm up. It lulled us into relaxation, making us the last to leave town. The way out was uphill on a busy highway. With dust, fumes and cars honking at us, it was quite unpleasant. Eventually we were able to turn off on a quieter country road. By now, our shadows were growing long on the pavement. We picked up the pace as the road descended toward Bitola, finally arriving as the tour leader was in the van heading out to look for us. The days are too short now.

The hotel is on the outskirts of town. Music was blaring when we arrived. There is a wedding reception being held here tonight. We headed next door to the supermarket to pick up some food for supper and came back to even louder music. While I jokingly asked the receptionist if it would end by 2 am, she only smiled noncommittally. The floor of our room is now vibrating from the volume.

Wandering around Ohrid (North Macedonia)

After six days in a row of cycling, we finally got to rest on the seventh day! We got to the hotel restaurant for breakfast just after it opened at seven thirty. It was so wonderful to go back for seconds and thirds and not worry about the time. The fried mushrooms were especially delicious. Then, we gathered up our dirty laundry and walked a mile to the Ecowash, passing some other cyclists on their way back from dropping their laundry. Our legs were pretty tired, making it more of a saunter.

Mosaic outside Church Dormition

From there, we headed toward old town Ohrid. The main attraction is the fortress on the top of the hill. However, we found other interesting places on our way up and around. First there was the Church Dormition of the Holy Mother of God, a relatively young church built in 1832, with beautiful views over the city and its own kiwi plant. It had beautiful golden mosaics. Then we hiked higher to see the clock tower, which wasn’t as tall as it appeared from below.

Holy Mary of Perybleptos

Continuing on, we came across an imposing Byzantine church from 1295. This was the church of Holy Mary of Perybleptos (in my guidebook listed as Church of Sveta Bogorodica Perivlepta). We didn’t enter this church, simply admired the architecture from outside. 

Greek amphitheater 

Following the cobblestone streets, we came to the amphitheater built around 200 BCE. Per my guidebook, the Romans later removed 10 rows of seats for gladiators and Christian executions. While we were there, a large school group was sitting on the amphitheater bleachers. There is a modernized stage in front. It would definitely be a spectacular venue for a show or for watching the lake and mountains behind.

Samuel's Fortress

Interestingly, my guidebook didn’t even mention the fortress on the top of the hill. From a sign outside of it, it said that restorations had started in the year 2000. The original fortress was mentioned back in 200 BCE, although the placard also mentioned Phillip II of Macedonia, which is earlier than that, However, today it’s know as Samuel’s fortress after a leader from around the year 1000 AD. We sat on a bench outside the entrance to give our legs a break.

St John of Kaneo

Next, we headed down to look for St. John’s church. This involved walking past the ruins of an old church as well as the construction of a brand new basilica that is projected to be completed in 2028. While we were stopped trying to determine how to get to St. John’s, an old Yugo drove past us! We did finally make it down to St. John of Kaneo on the tip of the peninsula. It was a beautiful location overlooking Lake Ohrid.

Tavce Gravce and Turli Tava for lunch

By now we were getting hungry for lunch. We started heading back through the old town toward our hotel. As everywhere, there are stray dogs and cats. In this touristy area, there were also lots of shops, including several selling pearls. We stopped at a restaurant with a menu that looked good. It didn’t appear that anyone was smoking inside. This was my first meal of Macedonia food. We ate the Tavce Gravce (a bowl of beans in a mild tomato sauce) and the Turli Tava (a stew of mixed vegetables including eggplant, potato and okra). It was delicious!

Wake & Bake raspberry custard croissant

While lunching, we received a WhatsApp message that our laundry was ready for pickup. Wonderful same day service! I volunteered to pick up our laundry, stopping to get some sardines for supper and then for a croissant for afternoon tea. The raspberry custard croissant was an unexpected treat. Hopefully we’ve all eaten enough to start on our next six consecutive days of cycling tomorrow.

Along the boardwalk near our hotel

Peshkopi (Albania) to Ohrid (North Macedonia)

This morning I loaded up on eggs and crepes. One of the other cyclists convinced the tour leader that we should start a little later, after the outside temperature warmed up. That gave me time to run over to the Dibra Museum nearby. However, the one room that they turned on the lights for me was only photos of historical people with all signage in Albanian. The museum employee did not offer to turn on any other lights, so, I left soon after arriving.

Our ride today started through the wide walking promenade. It had been pretty quiet when we had arrived last night and wandered around. Today it was full of school children and adults walking. It was great to see so many pedestrians! Then, unfortunately, we were back on the road and heading up a switchback. Our climb today o-n-l-y 1000 meters in total (3280 ft), but with the accumulation of the last two days, my legs have started a quiet rebellion.

Cycling in the Black Drin river valley

Because it’s become obvious that I’ll the slowest rider, at the first place others pulled off for a photo, I kept cycling. They all passed me not much further up the road. However, eventually even I was stopping. The views in the valley with terrific! And, the today’s downhills were much more gradual. We’d already stopped for coffee before crossing from Albania to North Macedonia. Now we stopped outside a bar kaffe and foraged the van for snacks (bananas, clementines, vocco energy bars). Walking around yesterday, it became clear that bar kaffes are only for men to sit around smoking and drinking coffee.

We continued on toward Struga, where we would stop for lunch at a restaurant along the water. The breeze was a bit stiff off the water, so, we chose to eat indoors. Many have commented on how lucky we are that smoking is no longer allowed in eating establishments of the respective countries where we reside. Even though the restaurant was empty and no one was currently smoking, still the smell of smoke hung in the air. It was nice to be warm, though! After lunch, we were pulling on jackets and extra gloves to cycle the rest of the way to Ohrid to our hotel.

Struga along Lake Ohrid

Walking Ohrid to find the market this evening, it seems like a much more touristy place than our last few nights. There was a woman outside on the phone, holding an iMac Air, speaking Chinese. In the market, there were English speakers, as well as other languages that I couldn’t identify. Very much looking forward to spending our first rest day here tomorrow.

Kukes to Peshkopi (Albania)

Last night’s hotel had the most wonderful bed; and, this morning’s hotel breakfast has been the best so far: avocado egg toast, plum, orange slices, banana, chocolate croissant, cherry tomato. If you’re ever in Kukes, check out Baz’hur Boutique hotel.

Cycling up the 32 km to the coffee stop

This morning’s forecast was a tail wind. Since it was only 2000 meters of climbing, our tour leader figured we’d arrive in Peshkopi quite early, even though breakfast didn’t start until 8 am. After gorging on breakfast, we rolled out about 9:15. It was quite chilly (about 40); and many people wore more layers after how cold we got yesterday. The tour leader said that the first part of the climb up to the coffee stop would be the worst, so, my friend and I cycled steadily uphill, refusing to take a break until then (32.6 km). We didn’t even stop for photos! One of the other cyclists caught a video of us passing a flock of sheep along the road.

The coffee shop was able to make us coffees when their electricity was on. The owner had just finished warming up milk for me when the electricity went out a second time. I don’t know if it’s because it’s at 800 meters elevation (approximately 2600 feet) or because of the incessant wind, but, it was cold, even inside the restaurant. One of the wood burning ovens outside was lit; and, cyclists would stand near it to warm up. But, with such a chill, we didn’t stay long. I grabbed one of the pre-packed lunch sandwiches from the hotel, stuffed it in my bag and started back up the hill after the other cyclists. The lunch stop had been canceled since it would have been outside in the wind on the side of the mountain.

We cycled alongside Korab Koritnik Nature Park

Since I was cycling solo now; and, because the worst was supposedly over, I stopped to take a few photos. One of the mountains was terraced. Possibly for all the delicious grapes we’ve eaten? The views were more and more magnificent! At or near the top of this mountain, there was a sign for the Korab-Koritnik Nature Park. Earlier cycling up, I’d seen a sign that Mount Korab was Albania’s tallest mountain. Thankfully, we didn’t try to cycle up it!

Magnificent mountains!

I saw several flocks and shepherds today, as well as a man coming out of the trees on the side of the road on a small horse, carrying large bags of something. In Albania, we see many mosques and hear the calls to prayer. In the smallest settlements, instead of paved speed bumps, there are thick ropes lying across the road. Many of the Albanians that I’ve passed waiting on the side of the road have smiled and waved. It’s been quite wonderful to travel through!

Drying stalks in a small field along the road

Coming down the mountain were more switchbacks. And, then, just when I didn’t think I could go any further, there was a billboard for our hotel. That helped me power through the last 5 km, starting with an uphill climb. I arrived by 3:30, so, I had time to walk around town with the other cyclists. We’ve had several friendly kids talk to us.

Gjergj Kastrioti Skenderberg

Near our hotel, there are a couple of statues. One is a bust of Iljaz Pashe Qoku (1812-1910). I can’t find anything in English about him online. The other is a statue of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderberg (1405-1468). That name caught my eye because it’s almost the same as a chain of gas stations in Albania (Kastrati), which has a goat headed helmet as its logo. The statue had a goat headed helmet under its arm, the original metal helmet was forged in the 1400s and returned to Albania in 2012.  Gjergj is an Albanian national hero who fought the Ottomans.

View of mountains from Peshkopi

Shkoder to Kukes (Albania) via Puke

7:30 am start. The guys on either side of me finished today's difficult route.

I’ve been dreading today for the last couple of months. It’s the hardest planned day on our three week cycling vacation at 150 km distance (almost 100 miles) with 3200 meters of climbing (approximately 10,000 feet). Our tour leader insisted that we all start cycling at 7:30 am this morning if we were going to have any chance of making it to the hotel by 6 pm, before it got dark. She estimated we could take approximately one hour and thirty minutes total breaks. 

First climb outside of Shkoder

Unfortunately, the day started with a strong headwind that got worse as we climbed. I was already tired after navigating the chasing dogs across from the hotel and trying to hang with the other cyclists on the flats on the highway out of town. My friend was gracious enough to slow down for me again today. We started up the climb together. However, halfway up the switchbacks, the road was completely open, without any trees. A strong gust caught us. As I struggled to stay upright while feeling my wheels skid sideways below me, in front of me, my friend was angled sideways down into the wind. It was terrifying! After that, I slowed way down. When a gust hit, I’d put a foot down to stop and wait for it to pass.

The town of Puke

We made it halfway up the mountain to our coffee break and washroom stop, which we rushed through. It was getting quite chilly, so, we grabbed warmer gear out of the van. Then, we started climbing again. The wind continued to howl. Eventually we came to the town of Puke. I had to take a photo just because of its unique name. The van was waiting in the town to refill our water bottles and point us in the right direction. When we climbed out of town, a shepherd was coming with his goats down the road. “Brava! Brava!” he encouraged us with a grin.

Veggie soup and thick hot chocolate for lunch

After all that climbing, we finally got to descend! But, first, we stopped to put on all of our warmer gear. Then, we cruised down to the lunch stop kilometers below us. We were freezing cold by the time we arrived. It was so chilly on the descents that we would stop to try to get feeling back in our fingers.. At the hotel restaurant, we ordered the fastest items, inhaled the food, used the restroom and then were back on our bikes to start climbing again. At this point, three of the cyclists called it quits for the day. (There are twelve of us total.)

Beautiful views all day!

After we warmed up, we stopped to take off and stash layers. Then at the start of each descent, we’d put all of our layers back on. The wind was getting better after lunch but every now and then it would blast us to remind us to be cautious. In addition, there were chunks out of the road that were being paved east to west as we were riding west to east. First, we were weaving around all the chunks out of the road, then, swerving around the trucks pouring fresh tar with cars squeezing by both directions, then, through dryer and dryer asphalt.

In our group WhatsApp, the tour leader posted that if we could get to the coffee shop before the last hill, the van would give us a lift up that hill so that we could cycle the rest of the way to the hotel. We still had one more hill to climb and descend to get there. When we finally made it to the coffee shop, the tour leader was waiting to tell us that our cycling was done for the day. I’d never been so happy to hear those words! Our bikes were loaded in the van, along with two other cyclists. That means out of twelve, only one got a ride to the top of the hill while four managed to cycle the entire route. Seven of us couldn’t complete it.

We went into the coffee shop with the tour leader to use the bathroom and get something hot to drink. Another non-coffee drinking cyclist mentioned that she orders a hot milk with honey. I ordered that now; and, the owner brought out honey from her family’s beehives. Then, the owner’s husband / bartender was our “taxi” to take us into the hotel in Kukes. We followed the same route that we would have cycled; and, it was hair-raising! I’m very glad that I didn’t have to cycle the open motorway into Kukes, where the speed limit posted is 60-80 kph but our driver was going 100-110.

For supper, found a nearby market for some tinned fish sand a pomegranate. We’ve seen so many pomegranate trees. The fruit is quite messy but delicious.

Podgorica (Montenegro) to Shkoder (Albania)

Today was the first morning that was sunny! Before we started out, one of the other cyclists was able to index my gears so that the easiest one worked for going uphill. With that, the bike could now do a couple of easy gears, a couple middle gears and the highest couple of gears. I was ready to take on today’s climbing. However, first we had a flattish section to the Albanian border, along a river, with mountains on either side. After the Albanian agent meticulously copied my passport details into a paper ledger, it was time to conquer the switchbacks. With that lowest gear now available, grinding upward felt easier. The views from the top were magnificent!

Morning switchbacks in Albania

After a snack break, we started down on the other side. We’ve been really impressed on road quality. Today was no exception. The road on both sides of the border was very smooth and well maintained. I applied much less brakes than I normally would on a downhill. At the very bottom, there was a flock of goats crossing. A couple of the goats were butting heads. After a few photos, I passed under the bridge and to our coffee stop.

Goats on the road

After coffee, it was a flat and busy road into the wind. I started out with four other cyclists and managed to hang onto the rear. They were nice enough to wait for me when I’d fall behind on a slight uphill or one of the many roundabouts. It was a sprint! Strava lists the ride from the coffee stop to Shkoder as my fastest 30 km ever. 

Shkoder two way bike lane

Shkoder is known as a big cycling city; and, there were bike lanes and people cycle commuting everywhere among the cars and motorcycles. No one is wearing a helmet. These aren’t fancy road bikes, either. People in Shkoder ride practical bikes for transportation.

Bike mechanic examines the rear derailleur hangar

Once we arrived in Shkoder, we started searching for bike shops to buy a replacement a rear derailleur hanger. The one that the tour leader had sent me was closed. The next closest on Google Maps didn’t sell them but recommended another place. That bike mechanic didn’t have the specific hangar for my bike but recommended me to a fourth place. There, the owner didn’t have the specific hangar for my bike but offered to make one out of aluminum. We also had some neighbor kids come by for something on their bike as well as to check out mine. Feeling that we’d expended sufficient energy and that we weren’t going to find any better options, I’ve decided to ride with my bike as it is currently for Albania and North Macedonia.

Stolia Coffee house lunch

By this time, my friend who’d come with me to find a bike shop and I were very hungry. We biked up to the cafe where the other cyclists were eating, stopping at a bank first to withdraw some leks. The meal at Stolia Coffeehouse has been my favorite so far in the trip: a matcha latte (!) and a greens salad with tomatoes, cheese and shrimp.

Rozafa Fortress

Feeling reinvigorated, we picked up some water for brushing our teeth and for our water bottles in the morning. (It’s recommended to avoid drinking the tap water in Albania.) Then, we slowly cycled a little around central Shkoder, a town first built in 400 BCE! On our way out of town, we stopped for a photo of Rozafa Fortress, also from 4th century BCE, although rebuilt by the Venetians and the Turks. We needed to save our legs for tomorrow; and, it was already almost 5 pm, so, we didn’t attempt cycling up to it. 

View from tonight's hotel 

Plus, we knew that there was one more steep hill up to our hotel tonight. There was also a hot tub. Hopefully sitting in the water jets will give me legs the extra energy needed for tomorrow’s long day of climbing.

Cycling Muo to Podgorica (Montenegro)

Bay of Kotor

It was another wet morning. The rain had stopped long enough to get us prepped and on our bikes. However, as soon as we got on the road, it started sprinkling. We stopped to put on raincoats. Today’s route took us along the bay to Kotor. Then we started climbing the switchbacks out of town up to Lovcen Park.  I’m very thankful that the climb was gradual enough that I could grind up in my second to last gear, the lowest gear currently working on my bike. Thankfully, the rain stopped; and, we soon removed our raincoats. It ended up being perfect cycling weather for the long climb up at the entrance: overcast and cool. Our tour leader was waiting at the entrance; and, she informed us that we’d need to skip Lovcen Park and take the alternative route, or we wouldn’t make it to our hotel before it was dark today. That saved us 10 km of distance and 500 meters of climbing elevation. 

Bay of Kotor

The rest stop at the entrance wasn’t open, so, we followed the alternate route to the next cafe. The door was locked but a server on the level below said that they were open if we came downstairs. They were closing for the season tomorrow. Inside, there was even a cozy fireplace! After quick hot drinks, we were on our way.

Former French Embassy

Today we went through three different tunnels, all well paved and well lit. Our lunch stop was in the historic city of Cetinje, which was originally the capital of Montenegro. As we were getting close to the lunch stop, there was a very unique building that made us stop. It was the former French Embassy, completed in 1910. Beautiful architecture! We lunched at Gradska, where I ate a ricotta cheese salad with beets and oranges as well as a delicious piece of chocolate cake and drank hot chocolate. 

Cetinje Monastery 

After lunch, we wandered over to the outside of the Njegos Museum of Biljards, the medieval castle church and the Cetinje Monastery. Lots of fun architecture with informational signs! Then, we hopped back on our bicycles and headed out of town for some more climbing. By now, the sun was peeking out. We were on a busier road but then turned onto a narrow road through wine country. The road could barely fit a car and a bike across yet was a two way road. Along the edge, wild pomegranate bushes grew. When the vegetation cleared, the views were magnificent!

Rural vista

However, a rain cloud caught up to us, which cut short one of our photo breaks. Rain jackets back on, we cycled until we got out of the rain. At that point, we were in a small town, next to a monument that looked to be for soldiers from WWII. We looked up some Yugoslavian history on Encyclopedia Britannica while we ate. Then the rain caught up to us again; and, we were back on our bicycles, climbing up through the wet. 

WWII monument?

When we eventually escaped the rain again, we could hear loud music coming from a restaurant in the middle of nowhere. It was a happening place full of cars. We pulled off nearby to get photos of yet another terrific view, this one of the Pavlova Strana River.

Pavlova Strana River

It was time to make up some mileage, though. We had to get back on a busy road. Our shadows were beginning to grow longer. At least we were cruising downhill into Podgorica, before turning off into an
industrial area on the edge of town. We had to make one final photo stop for the rainbow behind us. Then, the wind picked up; and, too late, we realized that we’d soaked in the scenery too long today, as the rain pelted us all the way to the hotel.