Sofia - 26th October

Today is a very long bus journey, from Ohrid to Sofia.  Actually it is two bus journeys, we are breaking in Skopje.  It’s not that early a start, it’s a 10.45 start from Ohrid, and a 15:00 bus from Skopje.  The day would be nothing really two write about if it weren’t for the fact that our 3 ½ hour bus journey (according to Lonely Planet) from Ohrid turned out to be almost 4 ½ hours leaving us with only a short gap in Skopje to make our connection.  Still we did, and aside from a long border entry at Bulgaria (or to be precise the EU) the second bus journey was actually quite smooth.  In fact so easy was it that we were still awake enough after checking into our hostel to go out for a pint, to you guessed it, an Irish pub.

Because this day had little else to blog about, I’m going to take this opportunity to do a more Dorota like blog entry and do my West Balkan awards, with the best in a number of categories (and maybe a few other awards – it’s not the Oscars so I can make them up as I go along).  It probably won’t mean much to anyone but it will help me remember.

Accommodation – Best: Dubrovnik Apartment; Worst: Bosnia Private Room; Best Value: Ohrid Apartment; Worst Value: Zadar Hotel (Niksic Hotel was worth it given the alternatives)

Meal – Best:  Dinner at Tiffany’s in Pristina; Worst: None really stand out, although some average Burek in Mostar wasn’t helped by bad service; Best Value: Ohrid dinner (although the free wine helped); Worst Value: Overpriced Soup overlooking Sveti Stefan

Irish Pub – Best: Dubrovnik; Worst: Budva

Town – Best: Skopje; Worst: Podgorica; Overpriced: Dubrovnik; Underrated: Zadar; Overrated: Kotor (the town)

Beauty Spot – Best: Tara Canyon; Overrated: Zlatni Rat in Bol;

Historical Site – Best: Ohrid’s Lake Churches; Overrated: Split’s Diocotlean’s Palace

Bus Journey – Best: From Dubrovnik to Kotor; Worst: From Budva to Podgorica (a short journey at less than 2 hours but a horrible bus).

And the big prize

Country– Best: Macedonia (it’s not quite a beautiful as Montenegro, but it has more history, better food, and is cheaper)