Located at the shores of the lake it shares a name with, the City of Ohrid is a popular travel destination because it has a rich historical and cultural background with fascinating buildings. In ancient Greece, it was called ‘city of the light’ and for some time its great many churches were basis for the nickname ‘Jerusalem of the Balkans’. Ohrid and Lake Ohrid are both recognized by UNESCO as both cultural and natural world heritage sites. 

No matter which time of the year you decide to visit the city of Ohrid, you’ll have a memorable experience. Even during the peak of the winter, it’s still incredibly sunny and the skies are pure blue. The snow-capped mountains just add an extra element to this fascinating destination. Meanwhile, if you go in the summer months, you are able to do some hiking, swimming and sunbathing. Another advantage of a summer visit is that more shops, restaurants, and hotels will be open for tourists. Lake Ohrid is a natural wonder of not only the Republic of Macedonia, but Europe as a whole.  

But unfortunately Ohrid is not the first destination people choose to visit but I believe that should change. From my experience, I believe that Ohrid is a must-go place in Macedonia. 

The city of Ohrid is a place where there is good food, great people all for an affordable price, but what's even better is that it's not as crowded as Western Europe thus, you can enjoy the stress free environment 24/7.

My experience with Ohrid is great, and every time I have visited this city I have been satisfied, and I was stunned each time. Of course I'm still young and hopefully, I get to travel a lot more in my life, but with what I've seen until now I can freely say that Ohrid is a big attraction for all of the youth in the region, including myself. There is a tradition in Macedonia that when school ends and before the "Ohrid Calling" events begin, everyone must visit the city and stay for at least one week, from the end of July to the beginning of August. In those seven days, everyone from all over the region and further gathers and occupies Ohrid until the concerts end so until then Ohrid is simply a city for the youth to party and connect in!

This experience represents some kind of freedom for me, especially as a high school student, because in this period, we are slowly taking a step towards independence.This was the perfect opportunity to connect with youth all over the Balkan's and beyond because the artists who are hired for Ohrid are the most famous in the world, so it attracts young people from all over the Balkan's and even wider. This is a great chance where the Macedonian youth connects with the youth from the region, we meet each other on the beaches and talk about similarities between us, while avoiding the differences, and at night we all dance together to the best music of our generation knowing that these are the golden years of our life! I am fortunate to say that now I have many friends around the region and even some from Sweden and Germany because of these concerts, so you can say it feels like a youth exchange but without the formality of it!

After the week, the concerts begin. The entertainment of Ohrid Calling, where everyone connects for a couple of hours of great music, cannot be described in words – it can only be experienced. To the music of the world-renowned DJ's , we all listen and jump to as if our lives depended on it, and as if my job for the day was to have fun like never before!
As I'm writing this, I recall memories from the experience and from all the concerts I was in, and I'm absolutely sure that everyone who reads this blog will agree with me that these moments are the most precious for us young people who came to Ohrid to enjoy the best nightlife of our life!

I'm glad that I had this opportunity  and I am cheerful for those who also experienced the the events and beauties that Ohrid has to offer. I hope that in the following years I will have opportunity to visit other cities in the region and enjoy my youth years meeting and getting to know the diversity of my region. 

Author: Jovica Jankovikj (Јовица Јанковиќ)