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.