Bitola and Heracleia – July 15th
Distance: 6.37 km – Elevation +60 m -60 m
Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 25 degrees
Today I decided to take a “rest day” and explore North Macedonia’s second largest city. First I crossed the river Dragor to visit the old town with its bazaar and covered market. Followed by a visit to the orthodox Church of St. Dimitrie with its 17th-century icons and the walk through City Park on my way to visit Heracleia. City park is quite beautiful and the promenade is lined with busts of national heroes. The jewel in the crown was the excavated ruins of Heracleia Lynkestis founded by Philip II the father of Alexander the Great in the middle of the 4th century BC, a Hellenic city named after Hercules. It was taken over by the Romans when they conquered Macedonia and it became a major station on the Via Egnatia.
