When in 518 an earthquake destroyed the entire city of Skopje, it was a primary concern of ruling Emperor Justinian I to rebuild the city. Not even a hundred years had passed when, in the winter of 594/95, the Slavic tribes of the Balkans, the tribes of the Slavs, destroyed the city again.

Of course, we were excited in looking forward to our first impressions what would convey our first trip to Skopje.

After our mostly disappointing days at Skopje, we were already on the way back to Lake Ohrid when we were discussing to visit Matka Canyon to report about this famous ravine, as we were able to see the sign board in a bend.

Of course, our first visit to Skopje, the state capital of Macedonia should also serve a little exploring on Roman monuments which were preserved by the yet so varied history.

Our return journey from the CMT fair in Stuttgart was overshadowed by a very special event, as Greek farmers protested against the austerity policy of the government of Alexis Tsipras.

We had to postpone the planned day trip from Ohrid to Bitola several times, now finally it happened. With nearly 75,000 inhabitants Bitola is the second largest city in Macedonia today.

Lake Ohrid is one of the oldest lakes in the world, often referred to be the second oldest lake on the planet. Several times we have already reported about the lake whose water still has the quality of drinkable water and its environment in the Galicica National Park.

It is quite chilly in the morning and the sky is overcastted with clouds. We want to begin our way to Ohrid, because our friends Julia and Davide, on our advice, only have a few days time for the Campsite Rino next to the lake before following their own schedule and time table to Albania.

Early in the morning of the following day we had arranged to meet with Perparims father for a trip to the nearby town of Ohrid on the same named lake. We took the advantage of a narrow, winding road along the lakeshore, which led us directly into the city center.

What we really love within Camping, is meeting with people from different countries and learn about their ideas of traveling and outdoor. For sure, sometimes you have to be careful, not to disturb people, but mostly they like exchange too very much.

Coming into an area, that "virgin" is a relative good expression for, means a region that still seems to be relatively undeveloped, you are very grateful if you meet someone who has devoted precisely on this problem.

The fish-rich Lake Ohrid and the strategic location attracted the first settlers in the region of Ohrid more than 5000 years ago. The oldest skeletal remains in the city of Ohrid dating from the 4th millennium BC.

Meanwhile, after more than a year on the roads across the Balkans and in Turkey within our project "A journey of Intimacy and Culture along the Roman Roads", we are pleased to present a walking tour package next to Lake Ohrid in Macedonia as part of our project work.

In Europe, you rarely encounter a public service provider who used to clean shoes to his customers: the shoeshine.

Again and again there are encounters that are neither expected in their form nor foreseeable in their effects for the future. So we had tried to establish contact with the Roman city of Trier many times before the project began, to involve a well-known entry point in our project activity for the development of camper and outdoor tourism route along Roman roads in the northwestern part of Germany. In short, it was not successful.

For every culturally interested visitor to the ancient Roman city of Ohrid on the Via Egnatia, the Sophia Church should be part of the visitors program, not just because of the structure of the building but especially because of the numerous sculptures and wall paintings inside. Ohrid has long been one of the cultural and religious centers of the Bulgarian Empire and one of the centers of Orthodox Christianity of the Slavs and of Southeastern Europe.

During our search for artifacts along the way of the ancient Via Egnatia in the area of Lake Ohrid, we received a reference to a small collection of artifacts, which a cultural-historically engaged teacher had gathered in the course of his activities from all over the region.

Several times already we had visited the mountain village of Vevčani and yet there are always interesting details to discover, which were simply overlooked so far.

A further stop at Rino campsite in Kallista at the Ohrid Lake had led to visits to Vevčani, the curious "Republic" with its own passport and a carnival top address on the Balkans, but the wonderful autumn weather with plenty of sunshine had also led us to further mountain tours.

"Hey and hello, we are Luisa from Freiburg and Kevin from Emmendingen on the way to "Tierra del Fuego", so our two camping neighbors at Lake Ohrid presented themselves after their arrival on a Honda Africa Twin and fixing their tent while enjoying the obligatory welcome coffee and the associated "brandy" at Camping Rino.