Wonderful Lin and Lake Ohrid

 At one point, Albania was one of the 6 countries in the whole wide world without any entry restrictions: no useless tests, no dangerous serums. It is also one of two countries that Marcel and I love most, so we headed there at the beginning of May. In a heartbeat.  

 

Arriving in Lin

was a joy. The small and lovely village along Lin Peninsula welcomed us warmly. We had gotten there by chance (because of the plandemic, we were only allowed to transit the neighbouring countries… and there’s a long way from Romania to Albania; I tried searching for a place as close to the border as possible because I knew that Marcel needed to rest). Smiles, hospitality, and a little boy speaking very good English: that’s what we found in the narrow streets of Lin.    

 

Our breakfasts and dinners

were delightful and very tasty: homegrown vegetables for me, petulla (the Albanian doughnuts) and red eggs for breakfast (just like back home – the family hosting us was Orthodox and was celebrating Easter), and some flavourful homemade wine.

 

Pogradec

is conveniently close to withdraw money from ATMs, shop around, or buy a SIM card. Many shops are also open on Sundays, as we could see for ourselves.

 

Going up the hill

makes perspectives change.

It got us closer to villagers and their donkeys bathing in the sand, to blue-filled views (Lake Ohrid looked more like a sea than a lake), to 6^th-century mosaics (covered for conservation purposes), and to a bunker church at the very end of the peninsula (the short hike is well worth it).   

 

Kayaking Lake Ohrid

finally happened. Third time’s a charm (our previous attempts were in North Macedonia). I liked the Albanian side of the lake more, to be honest. The weather was hot but windy, so we waited until the waves dropped in size… which meant kayaking in the evening and catching a perfect pink sunset on the water. The currents were a bit strong, especially around the edge of the peninsula – Marcel tried to fish and got carried away.

 

What can change for the better?

- Water could be cleaner. I saw a sanitary pad floating in Lake Ohrid and it was not only unpleasant but thought-provoking. I strongly feel that waste should not be discharged into the lake.

- The parking spaces and the related feuds. The only vibes that I didn’t like around Lin were the (silent) conflicts regarding parking spaces. The land is precious here and I believe that the little that there is should be peacefully shared, first of all, between locals and then visitors should also be helped to park with ease.

A bonus story?

In the next blog post. :D