Next day we went further north, stopping first at Lezhë, which is dominated by the ruins of the city castle first built in the Illyrian era, then rebuilt by the Venetians in the 1440s and the Ottomans in 1522.
Our visit was to the Mausoleum of Skanderbeg, an impressive modern structure protecting the ruins of St Nicholas cathedral where he was buried in 1468 but which was later converted to a mosque by the Ottomans, ruined then finished off by the 1979 earthquake.
The symbolic tomb has a copy of Skanderbeg’s sword and his famous goat-head helmet, while the originals are in a museum in Vienna. Plaques on the walls record all his battles.
After a short walk along the river …
… we continued north to Shkodër, a city in the northwest of Albania known for its stunning landscapes best viewed from Roxafa Castle.
Originally an Illyrian fortification, its remains are mostly Venetian built during their 300 year occupation from the C13th.
There are views of the city of Shkodër and the lake beyond …
… and also across the plain to the Albanian Alps in the distance.
A quick stop at the picturesque Ottoman Mes bridge …
… then we returned to the city for lunch.
Following the end of the Communist era in 1991, the whole community came together and jointly rebuilt each of the places of worship – the Orthodox cathedral, the mosque and Roman Catholic Church, an example of how easily the different religions co exist in Albania.
As we returned to Tirana, the traffic was even worse as people came to support Albania playing the Czech Republic in the Euro qualifiers. Saimir had already explained that many Albanians actually live outside Albania and the present Albanian team represents them all including players from Kosovo, Macedonia, Greece and North Macedonia.
There was a huge screen set up in the main square and we saw the crowds before the match.
Tired after a long day, we returned to Tymi for dinner, keeping an eye on the match …
… which Albania won 3:0. There were celebrations on the city till the early hours but we slept through it all!
Off Travelling Together 