Soon after we crossed the border into North Macedonia, we found a lovely spot beside Lake Ohrid. The lake was beautiful in the autumn sunshine, the reeds around the shoreline supported local wild fowl and the colours reflected on the water constantly changed as the clouds moved rapidly across the sky. There were no tripper boats on the lake at that time of year although we did spot a solitary canoeist as well as a small fishing boat.
We spent a couple of pleasant evenings at the restaurant next to the camp site. Rino, our host spoke excellent English. He told us his family were Muslim but not the same as “Arab Muslims”. They certainly made use of alcohol – we were served schnapps before dinner and brandy afterwards and we were given a bottle of local red wine to take home with us.
We were the first diners to arrive at the restaurant and Rino was watching football in the cosy dining room heated by a wood burning stove. I suppose, to be polite, he changed channels from football to one showing a garish Christmas cartoon with a “Jingle Bells” type soundtrack. We assured him we preferred the footie.
As the evening progressed a group of men had gathered in the opposite corner to watch the football. Rino asked us if we would object to their smoking, explaining that, although it was illegal to smoke indoors, if he didn’t allow smoking, no customers would come to his restaurant. We assured him we didn’t mind at all – the smell of the wood burning stove masked any smell of cigarettes.
