Looking back at thousands of years of history from the picturesque shores of Lake Ohrid, in North Macedonia.
After opening the gate, we came to a large wooden door, only to find it locked tight.
As we turned to leave, defeated, Rachel noticed a priest arriving at the gate.
Sunbathers lounging on a dock at Lake Ohrid.Credit:Armand Habazaj
He unlocked the door, we stepped in, and I immediately gasped.
Ive seen a lot of churches, but this one was well worth the journey.
The priest pointed out Biblical stories depicted in the intricate art.
Jovanovic Guest House, in Ohrid.Armand Habazaj
When we asked if we could take pictures, the priest pointed to a sign forbidding photography.
Then he shrugged, perhaps thinking better of it.
Memories are important, he said.
From left: A cobblestoned street in Ohrid; a room at the Jovanovic Guest House.Armand Habazaj
It sits on the shore of Lake Ohrid, which straddles the border of North Macedonia and Albania.
While excavations of the underwater village are ongoing, present-day Ohrid feels like a window into an earlier time.
Ohrid is said to have once had 365 churches, one for each day of the year.
Ruins of an ancient settlement beneath Lake Ohrid.Armand Habazaj
(Sveti,orsvetafor the feminine, means sacred or saint in several Slavic languages.)
But on a damp Sunday afternoon during the spring shoulder season, no such fleet appeared.
So instead, I reached out to a tour company I found online.
Sveti Jovan Kaneo, overlooking Lake Ohrid.Armand Habazaj
You only have tomorrow available?
Nikola Martinoski ofB&F Cruise Ohridresponded, almost immediately.
Tuesday will be sunny.
The town of Ohrid, in North Macedonia, and its namesake lake.Armand Habazaj
These days, North Macedonian officials summer there instead.
We also zipped by the thatched-roof huts at the Bay of Bones.
These replicate a 3,000-year-old villagea younger sibling of the subaquatic settlement currently being excavated.
From left: A cobblestoned street in the town of Ohrid; icons inside the Sveti Jovan Kaneo church.Armand Habazaj
As predicted, the sun came out on Tuesday.
From left: A group sets off on a hike from Risto’s Guest House, a hotel and tour operator in the village of Elshani; Risto’s Guest House.Armand Habazaj
A view of Lake Ohrid from Restaurant & Terrace Uno.Armand Habazaj