Ohrid

Ohrid in North Macedonia is a three hour drive from Tirana, depending on the severity of traffic in Elbasan.

Ohrid was first settled by Illyrians and Greeks, and later became the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire. The ancient theater was built by Greeks in 200 B.C., and the castle was first built by Tsar Samuel in the 10th century.

Like all nearby cities, Ohrid changed hands between Normans, Byzantines, Bulgarians, and Ottomans, before finally becoming part of Yugoslavia.

The town is easy to get around, and old paths and walls are lit with whimsical lanterns.

Spolia in the walls

A local mosque

An 800 year old tree

The Church of Saints Clement and Panteleimon was built in 893.

Some buildings on the site are constructed over ongoing archeological excavations.

Saint Clement helped revise Saint Cyril's Glagolitic alphabet into Cyrillic here.

The church was later converted into a mosque by the Ottomans.

The site of the church, called Plaosnik, has evidence of inhabitation since the 1st century A.D.

Mosaics

A handsome church

The Church of St. John at Kaneo resides a short walk down from Plaosnik.

And a short walk from Ohrid

The church was probably built in the 13th century, influenced by Armenian churches.

The church is dedicated to John of Patmos, the writer of the Book of Revelation.

The walk back to Ohrid involves a (sturdy) cliff-side boardwalk.

The Church of Saint Sophia was the seat of the Bulgarian Patriarchate in the 10th century, and the interior is filled with Byzantine frescoes.