The new group
Skopje, Macedonia
There are statues everywhere. Huge lions, men on horses, figures from history. Everywhere. Pomp and Circumstance on a grand scale.
It looks even more spectacular at night, when the fountains are lit
© Heidi Deflorin
Matkar Canyon, Macedonia
Lake Ohrid, Macedonia
This is such a peaceful and relaxing place to spend a couple of days.
Apparently the photos on the menu are printed from Google and bear absolutely no resemblance at all to what they bring you from the kitchen.
Tirana, Albania
Kotor, Montenegro
I gaze up at the church and fortress high up on the hillside. Heidi says there are over 1000 steps. Gulp!
We leave the hotel at 6am in the hope that we will miss the heat and be back for breakfast. Hmmm!
The steps are actually not too bad as they zig zag up the slope and there are landings to catch our breath. The views as we go up are spectacular.
Reaching the top feels like a great achievement; although Heidi says we can continue walking for an hour and a half upwards to the viewpoint at the very top of the mountain!
Heidi leads us through the window of the fortress and we climb or rather slide down the slope to a little ruined church and some friendly goats. Oddly,we walk up hill for a little while before coming across a house. Here we have a drink and celebrate Darcy’s birthday with cake and proseco that Heidi has carried all the way up the mountain. A great birthday spot.
After, we slither down the path, switchbacking at each corner. This is actually more tricky than going up; I nearly slip over a few times.
And yes we do make it back for breakfast. Just!
The rest of the day is spent boat riding and exploring the old town.
© Kinza Schmidt-Paborn
Dubrovnik
Journeys with my pencil 