Makedonija  Macedonia
"FYROM"
The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia managed to break away peacefully from Yugoslavia, but it has an interesting ethnic mix: 67% Macedonian, 23% Albanian, 4% Turk, 2% Roma,and 2% Serb. I hoped that increasing the English minority by 0.00005% wouldn't upset things too much..
Not my escape from Albania  (on the horizon)!  Lake Ohrid.
                                                                                                          Ohrid, Macedonia, 21st October
My journey to Orhid started of at the decrepit national football stadium in another minibus, the driver stopping after five minutes to conjure up some more passengers. Then began an ascent inland, with many new houses being built by returning emigres proudly displaying the Albanian flag, lots more bunkers, and impomptu stalls set up all along the route with little or no protection from the elements. No-one seemed to be complaining, and there is undoubtedly a deep love for their country.

A rain-sodden walk across the frontier, and I felt deeply sad to leave. I feel sure I will return: Girocaster and Berat look to be interesting places to go to, and  now here I am; in a wet, out of season Ohrid amidst the Fyromese. They have a hard act to follow.
                                                                                Hotel Riviera, Ohrid, Macedonia, 22nd October
It's been a quiet, restful day after the restrained oddness of Albania. Ohrid is perfectly situated on its eponymous lake, the deepest in the Balkans. If depth changes a lake's appearance I don't know, but at times the waves have crashed over the promenade, and with a brooding Albania only hazily in view, you could almost be forgiven for thinking you were on the coast.

I even spied a Macedonian naval detachment, which in a landlocked country is always a pleasure. I asked a guard if I could take a photograph of the tiny patrol vessels, but he refused, so I did a little James Bond manoeuvre  with my camera semi-hidden in my jacket pocket [sadly, the photograph didn't work- I suspect Macedonian espionage has infiltrated Snappy Snaps, so I wasn't able to send it to Albanian and Greek Intelligence]
The couple of hours or so I spent by the lakeside with the late October sun deftly warming my face was pleasant enough. I had spent the morning climbing the streets of the UNESCO-listed old town, visiting the
church of St Sofia, the marvellous church of St Clement, where a garrulous and enthusiastic guide talked me through the 13th century frescoes which covered the walls. At one point though, she subjected me to a rather tortuous explanation iof the four different ways the Macedonian Orthodox Church could become autocephalous. Thankfully, I'll spare you the details...

The Citadel, as is often the case, was rather impressive from far away, but less so when I ventured inside. It didn't help that local pre-pubescent Europop was blaring from a workman's tent.
This evening I found the one church that had eluded me-St Jovan Bogaslov Kaneo (see picture on left), beautifully lit, set away from the town at the edge of a cliff. It was quite magical, the wind blowing across the lake, the lights of a Macedonian town across the water, the dimmer beacons in Albania further afield.....Mars and the stars were spinning in the firmament, the Milky Way and its billions of souls looking down at me, when all at once, the Angel of the Lord came down and said to me "Verily, you shall be a great leader and fisher of men, for [Stop it now, Editor].
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