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.

Struga along Lake Ohrid

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.

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.