The presence of limestone and granite in Prespa's single, mountainous watershed means that plants that prefer one or the other as their dwelling ground can both find a home here, from delicate mountain violas to towering lizard orchids. On the Greek side of the lakes basin alone, over 1,800 species of plants have been recorded. … Continue reading Prespa: A Journey from Home pt. 4
Mountains set Prespa apart, enclosing its vast waters behind a gallery of stone. They’ve shaped the cultures of the shared lakes, from the spiritual seclusion of hermits in Ottoman times to pastoralism in the recent past. On the highest mountains – Kitsevo, Belavoda, Mali i Thate, and Pelister at 2,600 metres, snow holds fast until … Continue reading Prespa: A Journey from Home pt. 3
The Prespa lakes – Greater and Lesser – are amongst the oldest in Europe. Ancient lakes, enduring lakes, they are believed to be more than three million years old. At times, the larger resembles the sea, when veils of mist and cloud vanish the far shores. Or when sharp light stirs its surface - all … Continue reading Prespa : A Journey from Home pt. 2
“It is through the power of observation, the gifts of eye and ear, of tongue and nose and finger, that a place first rises up in our mind; afterward it is memory that carries the place, that allows it to grow in depth and complexity. For as long as our records go back, we have … Continue reading Prespa: A Journey from Home
All journeys ask of us some substantial shift in perspective. To travel with any degree of interest in the unfamiliar means necessarily attuning yourself to such a variety of people, wildlife, landscapes, environments, languages and customs that the world feels irreversibly larger than any single measure of it could ever possibly contain. You learn a … Continue reading Learning a New Light
Julian Hoffman 