After breakfast with Napolean's picture in the dining room, we checked out of the hotel about 9:30 am. We were dropping off the rental car at Ohrid airport where Ilce was going to meet us. He and Violeta had stayed in Struga last night with Violeta's brother and family. We found the airport easy enough - Ilce was already there waiting for us. JB and Ilce transferred our couple of bags to Ilce's trunk then JB and Tina dropped off the car at a designated spot and left the keys in the trunk. Nice and easy.
We drove north along Lake Ohrid heading to Struga - there are 3 towns on the Lake - Ohrid and Struga in Macedonia and Pogradec in Albania. Violeta is from Struga and her brother still lives there. We were having dinner at her brother's. Along the way we stopped at Kalishta Monastery which is under the authority of the Archbishop of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. The oldest part of the Monastery complex is the cave church - The Nativity of the Holy Mother of God - which was built in the 14th century. I looked at the steep narrow steps and decided I didn't need to risk my neck to climb up to see it. The entrance to the cave is inside the door - the building was built around it.
The new church was rebuilt in 1977 on 18th century foundations. Unfortunately Mass was going on so we could not go in. But inside is an icon of the Blessed Mother with her face and clothing painted black and holding a black Jesus. JB and Tina had been here before and wanted me to see it - just a reason for another trip!
We walked thru downtown Struga. The former Yugoslavia built modernist monuments in the 1960s and 1970s to commemorate the victims of the partisan fight against the Nazis and Fascists after the invasion by German and Italian Axis Powers during WWII.
The Drini Mall seems out of place on the main drag. I had seen it in a travel blog.
There are 'Casinos' everywhere in Macedonia - JB said they were mostly slot machines.
Statue of a woman along the Black River Drin which originates in Lake Ohrid in the town of Struga then flows north. I'm not sure what the statue signifies, but look at the holes in the pavement - the walking can be tough going all over Macedonia and the other countries we visited.
We wanted to stop for coffee but didn't want to have it in the city center so Ilce drove back along the Lake and we stopped at a cafe there for coffee. Then we decided we needed something sweet so we walked to another cafe. There were great views of Lake Ohrid from both cafes.
I decided on cheesecake which came covered in warm caramel - it was delicious.
We were all wondering what this was above - it was like a chocolate tree - so we ordered one to check it out. Too chocolatey for me!
We eventually made it to Tina's uncle's house - her aunt and cousin welcomed us so graciously - her aunt and Violeta laid on a feast - these pictures are of the first course.
Above stuffed cabbage. Everyone was offered Raki, the national drink - I declined. Barbecued meat was the next course. Then the dessert arrived! Everyone was stuffed - the food was delicious - and the family was so welcoming and friendly - I couldn't believe it was our first meeting.
Tina's uncle raises doves - people buy them for weddings and other celebrations. Her uncle told us that each pair has a different colored band on its leg. I love their ruffled tail feathers!
Tina's aunt on the left gave me a jar of homemade jelly - I was holding on to it for dear life so I wouldn't drop it - JB, Tina's uncle and cousin - Tina - there were so many leftovers that her aunt packed some up for us to take home. Violeta was taking the picture.
Violeta had a sore throat when we were still in Bitola - she was taking medicine for it. She was wearing a scarf around her neck when we met her in Struga. I think her brother was the one who dubbed her Indiana Jones. When we were leaving she put on the hat - her brother added the white feather - she was a good sport and posed as "Indiana Jones."
It was sad leaving - Violeta would be gone to Florida for 6 months anyway - Tina would be gone for a year or so. Thank goodness for the internet for providing phone calls including face time, texts, emails, Facebook, Instagram - they all help people stay connected.
We headed back to Bitola in Ilce's car - I was sitting up front with him - he can be a speed demon! I didn't know until the drive home that he had to work that night at 6 pm! He had laid down for a while at the uncle's house - I didn't know why at the time.
We arrived home and spent the rest of the night relaxing or preparing to pack our bags - we were heading for Greece on Tuesday - we only had 1 day left in Bitola.
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