The Republic of Macedonia/30th Jean-Pictet IHL Competition 2018

Jeweler in Old Turkish Bazaar, Skopje

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Old Turkish Bazaar, Skopje - Jeweler in Old Bazaar - lots and lots of gold

Church of the Ascension

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Skopje, near ancient Bazaar - Church of the Ascension of Jesus; mid-16th Century

Skopje Church of Ascension

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Entrance to Church of Ascension of Jesus

Iconostasis Church of Ascension

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Skopje, church of the Ascension Iconostasis

Prilep View

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Prilep, Maccedonia about 1 1/2 hr. drive from Popova Kula Winery near Damir Kapija. Second stop after Skopje

Prilep Town Center

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Prilep, Macedonia town center. Modern clock tower on left and ancient, burned mosque w/minaret on right. Macedonia is a majority Christian country now; ancient minaret from time of the Ottoman Empire

Prilep Cemetery

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Cemetery near Treskavec Monastery w/interesting shaped headstones. Near Prilep, Macedonia

Treskavec Monastery Alter

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The alter in Treskavec Monastery. Notice all the bottles of cooking oil. Macedonians believe that you will not enter through the gates of heaven if you do not bring oil or wax with which to burn the light of God.

Bitola, Third Stop After Skopje

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We were staying at a national park just on the outskirts of Bitola, the second largest city in Macedonia - great hotel, beautiful setting

Bitola - Heraclea Ancient Site

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Heraclea (Heraclea Lyncestis aka Herakieia Lynkestis) was an ancient Greek city founded in the middle of the 4th Century BC, ruled later by the Romans. The ruins are situation about 2 km south of Bitola. Unfortunately, the extensive mosaic floor of the Basilica have been covered to protect it and most of the good pottery and statutes moved to a nearby museum or to Skopje.

Heraclea Amphitheater/Bitola

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Ancient Greek amphitheater in Heraclea near Bitola

Athena/Heraclea/Bitola

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This lovely statue of Athena Parthenon found at Heraclea is now in the local museum in Bitola which we visited before our visit to the ruins

Heraclea Pottery/Bitola

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Pottery found in Heraclea now in the local museum in Bitola. Glad they had photos in the exhibits to show how the pots were originally found

Heraclea mosaic/Bitola

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One of the few Heraclea mosaics left exposed - gives the visitor an idea of what they are missing in the basilica's extensive, covered mosaic floor

Hotel Sumski Feneri/Bitola

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We had an 'adventure' from here, in the village of Brajcino - that is an add-on at the end of this bog.

Monastery of St. Naum, Lake Ohrid

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Monastery of St. Naum near Lake Ohrid. An Eastern Orthodox monastery established in the Bulgarian Empire in 905 by St. Naum himself; he is buried in the church. Since the 16th century a Greek school had functioned in the monastery. The area where the monastery lies belonged to Albania for a short period from 1912 until 1925 when it was ceded to Yugoslavia as a result of negotiations between Albania and Yugoslavia and as a gesture of good will.

St. Naum, Lake Ohrid

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Ancient fresco in St. Naum Monastery near Ohrid

Hotel Metropol/Lake Ohrid

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Our hotel on Lake Ohrid where the 30th Jean-Pictet IHL Competition took place

Lake Ohrid

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We were here for a full week for the Jean-Pictet IHL competition. This was a view from our room - toward the city. If you have to stay in a hotel for a week, a balcony and beautiful view help immensely

Lake Ohrid looking at Albania

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View from hotel room in Ohrid toward Albania, which you can see. Albania actually starts about 3/4 of the way across the lake

Samuel's Fortress, Ohrid

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Samuel's Fortress, Ohrid, which was the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire during the rule of Tsar Samuel at the turn of the 10th century. It is contended that this fortress was built on the place of an earlier fortification dating to the 4th century BC, which was probably built by King Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great