OHRID MOSAIC TOUR / WORKSHOP 2019

A rare opportunity to enhance your mosaic skills in an inspiring and stimulating environment, surrounded by history, in a country where mosaic is a centuries old art form and enjoy the welcome of a culture with a rich tradition of hospitality and kindness.

Tour

Ohrid, the City of Light (Lychnidos), the Balkan Jerusalem…. a world natural and heritage city listed under the protection of UNESCO. Centuries ago, this region was the setting of a glorious era of an artistic, cultural, and religious enlightenment. On the shores of this Lake, heavenly and mosaics were created, splendid frescoes painted, manuscripts written, and one of the world's first universities - the first Pan Slavic University, was established. We will take full advantage of the opportunity to study and be inspired. We will see Roman, Christian, Early Christian monuments and vivid mosaics in Ohrid. We will see dazzling mosaics in Stobi and Heraklea , we will see beautiful landscapes, taste delicious organic & homemade dishes, swim in the crystal clear waters of … and much more….

Workshop

The class will explore working with the traditional materials of glass and stone and possible found objects, natural stones, ceramics…., the complexity of working with more than one material, spacing, andamento, texture….for students of an intermediate level…. and cutting techniques and basic skills for the beginners. You will leave the workshop with an elevated sense of what mosaic is about, a new way of thinking about your work and the knowledge to enable you to push to the next level. DAY 1 30 August (Friday) - Ohrid Our meeting point is at the Skopje Airport – time to be confirmed. We will travel to Ohrid in a minibus and upon arrival will be accommodated in our rooms in the hotel.

DAY 2 31 August (Saturday) Ohrid Morning - After the breakfast in the hotel, we are going to a walking tour in the old city of Ohrid, accompanied by a professional tourist guide.

We will visit Ancient Theatre (Hellenistic - Roman period- 2nd century BC); Church Mother of God Perivleptos (St Kliment) 13th century, one of the most significant medieval monuments in , which fresco paintings formed the basis for a new trend in ; Gallery of Icons,…one of the most valuable in the world, with works from the famous medieval painters between 11th and 19th centuries; St Kliment’s Monastery of St Panteleimon at Plaoshnik; Early Christian in Plaoshnik (5th century AD) with mosaics floors…built when the town Lychnidos (Ohrid) was an important Early Christian Episcopal centre; church St. John Kaneo (13th century)…on the unique cliff near the old fisherman’s settlement of Kane0…. We will finish our tour with a walk through the Old Bazaar.

After couple of hours free time for lunch, we are going back to the hotel with a minibus or taxi.

Evening – get acquainted dinner in a nice restaurant.

DAY 3 01 September (Sunday) Ohrid Morning - After the breakfast in the hotel, we are going to another walking tour in the old city of Ohrid, accompanied by a tourist guide.

We will visit Tsar Samuel’s Fortres, which dominates the town….originally built by Tzar Samuel (9th century); the cathedral temple of Ohrid’s archbishops, the church St. Sophia (9th century), the national museum – the house of Robev family and we will also visit a recently discovered archaeological site - a Basilica from an early Christian period (4-5th century) with an exceptionally well preserved mosaic floor. We will finish our walk in the old Bazaar where we will have a couple of hours free time.

We are going back to the hotel with a minibus or taxi

DAY 4 02 September (Monday) Ohrid Morning - mosaic workshop in our classroom in the hotel Free afternoon

DAY 5 03 September (Tuesday) Ohrid – St Naum - Ohrid Morning - After the breakfast in the hotel we are going to a boat cruise

Our final destination is the monastery complex with the church St. Naum (9thcentury), where we will also have a lunch. On our way to there we will stop and visit the church Mother of God Zahumska (14th century), on the shore of the lake, which can be reached only by boat and we will make another stop to visit Bay of Bones – the archaeological museum on water, an interesting dwelling reconstruction dating to the Bronze and Iron age (1200-700 BC).

DAY 6 04 September (Wednesday) Skopje – Stobi - Popova Kula - Ohrid Morning - After the breakfast in the hotel, we are leaving Ohrid with a mini bus and accompanied by a tourist guide.

We will visit Stobi, an archaeological site, a former crossroad of ancient civilisations , where we will see an early Christian ruins of the Theodosian palace with extensive and ornate mosaic floors, ancient amphitheatre, baths… After that we are going to a winery for a wine tasting and enjoying breathtaking views from a summer terrace, complemented with an extraordinary wine and lunch, We will be back in Ohrid for our dinner in the hotel. DAY 7 05 September (Thursday) Ohrid Morning - mosaic workshop in our classroom in the hotel. Free afternoon DAY 8 06 September (Friday) Ohrid – Heraklea – - Ohrid

Morning and afternoon - After the breakfast in the hotel we are going to a tour with a mini bus and tourist guide.

We will visit Bitola and have a walk in an old city Bazaar, we will visit Heraklea- famous for its dazzling mosaics, ancient theatre and Roman baths -now well preserved remains of once thriving settlement, believed to have been founded by King Phillip II of Macedon in around 4th century BC. Following that, we will go to a Macedonian village to have a homemade traditional lunch with home-made wine etc. We will have a walk in Pelister, the mountain over the town of Bitola..and we will be back for a dinner in the hotel.

DAY 9 07 September (Saturday) Ohrid – Kurbinovo – Brajcino - Ohrid

After the breakfast in the hotel we are going to a tour with a mini bus and our tourist guide.

We will be driving through the mount Galicica and stop at the top, where after a short walk we would be able to see the both lakes, on both sides of the mountain, Lake Ohrid and Lake . We will visit the church of Kurbinovo and we will have a lunch in the small village of Brajcino.

We will be back in the hotel in the late afternoon hours.

DAY 10 08 September (Sunday) Ohrid Morning - mosaic workshop in our classroom in the hotel. Free afternoon DAY 11 09 September (Monday) Ohrid – St Jovan Bigorski - Ohrid Morning - after the breakfast, with a minibus and a tourist guide we are going to a tour to visit St Jovan Bigorski Monastery.

We will see the one of the most valuable treasures of the Monastery, the iconostasis, which is considered a most beautiful and most valuable wood-carved iconostasis. Another valuable Monastery treasure is an dating from 1020 with supposedly miraculous healing power. After, we’ll go to a nearby ancient village, situated in the heart of the national park for a lunch, prepared using only organic products, following traditional recipes.

We will be back for a dinner in the hotel.

DAY 12 10 September (Tuesday) Ohrid Morning - mosaic workshop in our classroom in the hotel. Free afternoon Closing dinner in a nice restaurant - optional

DAY 13 11 September (Wednesday) Ohrid – Skopje – Sydney After the breakfast in the hotel and checking out, we will travel to Skopje to transfer to Skopje Airport for our flight to Sydney.

The workshop fee includes: - Hotel accommodation in comfortable, 4 star Hotel Bellevue, Ohrid – twin share / Single accommodation supplement + $300 - Breakfast and dinner daily in Ohrid; - Get acquainted dinner in a nice restaurant in Ohrid; - Transfers – Skopje Airport – Ohrid / Hotel and Ohrid / Hotel – Skopje Airport; - Several excursions with lunches included to different sites in Macedonia, including the mosaic sites; - Admission fees for all museums and mosaic sites in Macedonia; - All applicable tipping and gratuities for group arrangements; - Service of a tour leader throughout the itinerary; - English speaking local guide; - All instruction, mosaic materials and supplies (bring your own hand tools); The workshop fee does not include: - Airfares and Travel Insurance; - Applicable passenger airport taxes; - Some lunches not listed in itinerary; - Beverages with meals; - Airport to hotel transfers if not travelling on the suggested dates with the group; - Visa requirements; - Items of personal nature

The total cost of Ohrid Mosaic Tour / Workshop is: $ 2780

Bookings:

Deposit of $ 700 is required on booking to be paid by 31 May 2019,

The tour fills on a first-come basis. Eight participants are required for the workshop trip to be held. Maximum workshop size is 15.

Balance due 1 month prior to the tour start -31 July 2019.

Direct Deposit:

Account Name: Biljana Pop Stefanija

BSB: 012475

Acc. No: 471447394

ANZ Bank

Cancellation Policy:

No refund on the deposit fee. Please note this deposit is non-refundable, as there are deposits to be paid and some upfront expenses from this.

For cancelations within 14 days of the tour start day, no refund on the total fee paid, unless your place can be filled by another participant.

Direct inquiries, booking and space availability questions to

Biljana Pop Stefanija:

m. 0450577725

e. [email protected]