Author: elainehayesblog

Leaving the coast behind us, we visited another Hellenic hilltop settlement called Finiq, with only a few ruins and an amphitheatre so far excavated.

More interesting however was this series of 5 linked bunkers on the hilltop. Following WWII, the communist government of Enver Hoxha took control and thus began a regime that lasted until 1991. During this time 168,000 bunkers were built of the originally planned 208,000 to protect against possible invasion, although they were never used.

We were able to enter and walk through …

… and look out through the small openings to the valley below.

The next attraction was the natural spring called The Blue Eye of Sarandë, reached by quite a long walk, but it did have very blue water as it bubbled up through the ground.

One more morning stop was at the C13th Orthodox Church of St Nicholas in Mesopotam …

…which incorporates some Hellenic temple walls with carvings of a lion and serpent dragon linked to the Finiq site.

Quite a long drive across the plain and through the mountains …

… brought us to the main attraction of the day, Gjirokaster, another UNESCO listed town and known as the Stone City.

We shared a spinach filled byrek pastry and took a quick look in the mosque …

… then wandered the quaint cobblestone streets of the Bazaar with their cafes and giftshops and chose one of the many ceramic pomegranates which will look perfect on our kitchen windowsill to remind us of our trip.

In the afternoon we had a tour of Gjirokaster castle which was huge, with this hall filled with old guns and canons …

… a courtyard used for various festivals in the summer …

… and a clock tower

From the castle, it was possible to see the distinctive style of the stone houses clinging to the hillside …

… and also the distinctive slate roofs radiating from the centre of the bazaar.

The Bineti Hotel was family run and our room had a castle view and was traditionally decorated.

Gjirokaster is also birthplace of the author Ismail Kadare who has written several novels set in Albania, and I was recommended one called The Fall of the Stone City set during WWII by one of the group and now just need a chance to read it!

The evening was distinctly cooler than by the coast and all the travel was catching up with us so we found a cosy little restaurant for dinner where we could sit indoors then had an early night.

In the morning, the atmosphere was quite different as on an October morning the town is slow to wake up as we headed back to the bus.

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Today began with a drive south through the Llogara National Park …

… where we stopped for coffee …

… catching a glimpse of the coast through the clouds.

Construction has begun on a direct road through the mountains to link the new airport being built in Vlorë with the Albanian Riviera.

Meanwhile, our route wound up and down through the mountains and villages …

… until we returned to the coast …

… and stopped at the very picturesque seaside village of Ksamil for lunch right on the beach.

Today is our 12th wedding anniversary and having held our reception on a boat on The Thames, we have managed to celebrate with a boat trip every year since. When we booked the trip we knew we would be by the sea today and just had our fingers crossed. Chris was quick to spot an opportunity, and as our group were placing their orders, he waved me over to a small boat tied up to the jetty!

He explained why we only had time for a very short trip round the bay but how important it was and the captain grinned and waved us aboard. It was perfect. He took us round the small island in the bay and back to shore and even recorded the moment! Meanwhile, Chris had messaged our lunch order to the group, and it was awaiting our return.

… with enough time to paddle and have a quick lunch!

The late afternoon was spent exploring the ruins of Butrint, Albania’s most important archaeological UNESCO site which began as a Greek settlement in the C7th BC and then became an important Roman colony. Later it fell under the sway of the Venetians and Turks.

The most recognisable remains are those of the theatre…

… the baptistery …

… the grand basilica.

Walking round the ruins in the late afternoon sunshine gave romantic views in every direction …

… and we even spotted swathes of cyclamen which we had at our wedding …

… and also hearts in the mosaic!

Returning to Sarandë for the night, our room at the Brilant Hotel came with a sunset view from the balcony …

… and a romantic dinner on the seafront was a perfect end to our anniversary.

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We packed up and left Tirana behind to travel south. Our first visit was to the Ardenica Monastery, built by a Byzantine Emperor in the C13th. It lies just beside the Via Egnatia, part of an important route from Rome to Constantinople and would have been a welcome refuge for travellers.

It is also said to be the place where Skanderbeg was married, a fact which may have protected the site during the Communist era, although it was converted to a barracks and was later restored.

The iconostasis inside the C18th Church of St Mary was impressive …

… and also the frescoes by the Zografi brothers who came from Korça.

We continued to Apollonia, one of 24 cities in the Ancient Greek world named after the god Apollo by the Greeks. This one was founded around 600BC and remained important in Roman times, with a school of philosophy attended by Augustus in C2ndAD. The city began to decline a century later when an earthquake changed the course of the river and was later abandoned.

The most impressive area was the seating used for civic meetings which would have been housed in a rectangular roofed building …

… and here we all are again!

There were also shops …

… and a huge library.

Due to its strategic position, there was a Communist era bunker overlooking the plain, the first one we had seen up close.

The C13th Church of St Mary and monastery were built with recycled bricks and stones from Apolonia …

… and now contains the museum with all the archaeological finds. I especially liked this lady who looks like a Jane Austen heroine with her elaborate hairstyle!

It had obviously been a hard morning’s sightseeing, but this gives me a chance to introduce our comfy bus!

The coastal city of Vlorë was our next destination and we had a late lunch on the front before our visit to this small building, now a museum.

It was here that the Albanian Declaration of Independence from the Ottomans was proclaimed on 28th November 1912 and the Albanian flag raised by Ismail Kemal, the first Prime Minister.

The day was chosen to coincide with the day that Skanderbeg raised the flag in Krujë in 1443.

A quick check in at Hotel Partner …

… meant we could join others in the Albanian ‘zhiro’ or evening walk along the lungomare enjoyed once the air is cooler, just in time to see the sun set.

Walking out later, we ended up eating in a very small side street Piceria, but we chose well with delicious seafood linguine and Chris said the pizza was the best pizza so far!

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After a brief stop at Belsh Lake …

… we continued through countryside …

… passing Kuçovë, home to the second largest onshore oil field in Albania, which was discovered in 1928 with the pumps installed by Italian investment …

… to the city of Berat. Not only is this Saimir’s home town of which he is naturally very proud, but it is also one of the oldest inhabited settlements in Albania with special status from UNESCO protecting its white Ottoman houses, Berat is separated into two by the Osum River …

… with Mangalem below the castle, traditionally of smaller houses …

… and Gorica on the opposite side comprising grander houses.

Over time Mangalem became more popular and is a maze of guesthouses and shops while Gorica, always less sunny and often damp has fallen somewhat into disrepair. We crossed the bridge for a quick look …

… and spotted this little fellow, keeping guard …

… and also the Bridge of Gorica, built in wood by the Ottomans in 1780 and rebuilt with stone in the 1920s.

We also explored The Batchelors’ Mosque with wall paintings dating from the 1920’s …

… and the alleys behind.

Next we visited Berat Castle, with quite a climb from the parking, paved with killer cobbles and again covering a huge area with buildings dating from the C13th many still inhabited and others converted to restaurants and gift shops.

Berat once contained 35 churches within the walls of the castle, although only 10 survive and after a lunch of traditional dishes we visited several.

As we waited to enter the Cathedral of Dormition of St. Mary, there was time for a quick team pic!

It is still used for prayer at one end …

… while the other side is a museum dedicated to Onufri, the greatest of the C16th painters in Albania. A master of fresco and icons, he introduced a new shiny red pigment now known as ‘Onufri’s Red’ and gave his figures more realism and individuality.

I also spotted an Annunciation …

… and this which shows saints and the city of Berat, complete with Gorica Bridge.

We saw C16th murals in St Nicholas church …

… and the Church of St. Mary of Blachernae …

… a bust of Constantine in a square named for him …

Finally, there were good views across the valley in both directions from the viewpoint above the town.

We made a quick rest stop on the way back at one of the many Kastrati petrol stations which use possibly the most recognisable motif in Albania as their logo – a bit of clever marketing when your name is so similar to Skanderbeg’s!

Back in Tirana, we spent another evening at Era before packing ready to move on in the morning.

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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!

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The sun set as we drove from the airport into the city of Tirana and we arrived at Hotel Theatro which is comfortable with welcoming staff speaking excellent English …

… and a balcony with a view of the local mosque and streets below.

We walked round the corner to Tymi for dinner, a treasure box of musical and miscellaneous memorabilia offering mezze and grills.

After a good night’s sleep and an excellent breakfast, we met our our guide Saimir and driver Vladimir and together with our fellow travellers we make a band of 17.

We began with three day trips from the city, the first north to Krujë, important for its part in the resistance against the Ottomans and home of Skanderbeg, the national hero, portrayed here with his warriors.

We visited the largely ruined castle which was once the headquarters of the resistance and offers views across the whole valley.

It contains an impressive new museum, built in the style of the castle, which tells the story of Skanderbeg and how he is remembered as an Albanian national hero and a symbol of the struggle of Christendom against the Ottoman Empire.

Gjergj Kastrioti was born into a noble Albanian family and went as a hostage into the Ottoman court where he was raised and educated then taken into the service of the Sultan. During 20 years of military service he was given the name Skanderbeg by the Ottomans, which compared his military prowess to that of Alexander the Great. In 1443, he deserted the Ottomans and returned to Albania where, with backing from the pope and other Italian states, he formed an alliance of Albanian principalities and waged a successful resistance against further Ottoman invasion until his death in 1479.

There are memorials to him worldwide, including London, and Vivaldi even wrote an opera about him.

We also wandered through the old bazaar, now a maze of souvenir and antique shops …

… before heading to the port city of Durrës for lunch.

In medieval times, Durrës was an important ancient central mediterranean metropol and it has the largest Roman amphitheater in the Balkan region which has only been partially excavated …

… containing a tiny ruined church and mosaics.

There was also the Roman forum …

… and the old Venetian tower, once part of the city walls.

The traffic returning to the city is always heavy in rush hour, which gave us time to spot this lovely mural …

… and also a teddy bear, high up on this building, apparently put there as a good luck charm during the construction.

In the evening we walked through the local neighbourhood of Blloku went to the Era restaurant …

… where we had another selection of Albanian dishes including Lima beans cooked in a clay pot, tzaziki and cornbread made with greens, eggs and cheese before ending top with this lovely Kosovo pastry filled with nuts and dried fruit and soaked in syrup called Tespishte.

Throughout the day, Saimir has been slowly building up our knowledge of Albanian history and giving us an insight into life in Albania with far too much information to share, so here’s just one thought to end the day.

The Illyrians lived in this area 4000 years ago and near to Krujë are the ruins of Albanopolis, the capital of the Illyrian tribe Alban. They were mentioned by Ptolemy in the C1st AD and the land started to be called Albania.

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Crikvenica is our last stop, chosen for being close to the airport but also for its lovely stone architecture and art noveau buildings. Having driven along the pretty winding coast road enjoying the view …

… we then passed a nasty accident, a reminder of the perils of single lane traffic, bends and motorbikes, and felt we’d done enough exploring.

Villa Mare, is a family run apartment building, a little out of town, but right on the front with its own swimming platform and loungers and a bistro a few steps away.

Enjoying a final opportunity to relax, I had a swim and we spent the afternoon reading.

After reorganising our packing ready for an early departure in the morning, we walked down to Bistro Loran, complete with sparkly lights and sea view.

We might have seen the sunset, but clouds had been building all day with rain forecast tomorrow, and the sun just slipped quietly away.

Croatia has been great and we’ve seen and done all we hoped. The driving was easy, the roads good, all the accommodation comfortable and the food tasty. I’ve eaten lots of fish and Chris found plenty of veggie choice among the Italian influenced menus.

Chris loves the numbers, so we’ve driven a round trip of 720 miles in two weeks. We walked around 40 miles – and while Chris’s new knee coped admirably, his increasingly dodgy ankle did complain a little.

As for the islands, I thought we were up to 5 – Krk, Cres, Losinj, Vir and Pag – but on the way to the airport I noticed the bridge to Krk first crossed the end of Otočić Sveti Marko so that makes 6!

A croissant and coffee in an al fresco airport cafe …

…and we are off home. Fortunately there will just be time to do the laundry before we go off travelling together again!

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Another sunny, warm day was ahead, and we decided the best thing to do was to find a beach with sun loungers and enjoy the day.

We chose Queens beach, so called because tradition says that the wife of the first Croatian king, Tomislav, was especially attracted by its beauty, and so whenever the royal family came to Nin, they would visit this beach to enjoy a few rare and relaxing moments.

The water is extremely shallow and it is sandy so it’s popular with families, especially on a Sunday.

The sea was fine for cooling off, but barely reached the top of my legs so not ideal for swimming, but we still spent a happy day here.

Nearby is medicinal mud which has apparently been used to treat various ailments such as rheumatic diseases, spinal deformities, muscular and skeletal problems and skin issues for decades. The therapy, which usually lasts from ten to twenty days, involves covering the body with the mud, sunbathing on the sandy beach, then rinsing off the mud with warm sea water. This is done in the morning during July and August. We felt pleased this let us off the hook – only one day spare and the wrong month … although some seemed happy to give it a go!

Late afternoon, and we thought we better move on to Pag, the last island on our trip and easy to include as it can be reached by bridge, which we photographed from both sides …

… as well as Fortica, the fort which has been standing over the narrow straight between Pag and the mainland since the Middle Ages.

As we drove across Pag, we could just see a dry landscape with stone walls but little vegetation …

… although there must be sheep here somewhere as the island is famous for its local cheese called paski sir, meaning Pag cheese, which obviously has good marketing as it’s been on the menu everywhere we’ve been. Pag is also famed for its lace and salt production.

We reached Pag Town and I had difficulty spotting our hotel … until I realised is was the quite large one we were parked outside!

We were eager to get inside and wash away the salt and sand of the day, before exploring the town as the sun set …

… then had dinner in a restaurant on the harbour.

In the morning we discovered we were the last visitors at Hotel Zane this season and that they were closing once we had left.

We had time to potter round the town in the daylight …

Maybe it was the rough hewn limestone, the beautifully carved capitols or the lovely painted organ or just the feel of the place, but it struck us that this was the church we liked best all trip.

Suddenly realising the time, we made a bit of a dash for the ferry, just pausing to take a last photo of the town with the salt pans in the distance …

… and ending up the last car to drive onboard before waving Pag, our fifth and final island, goodbye.

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We woke to a grey morning but we only had a drive ahead so it was perfectly timed. Say Tesla and I immediately think of electric cars, but I hadn’t realised they were named after an inventor called Nikola Tesla, so we visited the memorial centre in his birthplace of Smiljan to find out more.

The site includes the restored church where his father was priest and the house where he was born. We also saw a demonstration of the wireless transfer of electric energy from a Tesla Coil to the florescent tubes that we were given to hold – I definitely felt like I had been handed a light sabre!

Looking round, it became obvious he was dedicated to the point of obsession and experimented with various concepts including neon lights, wireless, X rays, hydro electric power and turbines. He registered loads of patents, but others often converted his research into actual workable inventions. Nonetheless, he is best known for designing the modern alternating current electricity supply we all have in our homes today..

From here, we took the toll road literally through the mountains, with several tunnels, one over 5km long and emerged into the middle of the clouds!

We arrived in Zadar, the main city in North Dalmatia, and most famous for its old town set on the tip of a narrow peninsula and surrounded by city walls.

We are staying at its heart and successfully negotiated our way into the city and located not only a handy parking space but also the Greta Residence through the gate at No9 where we will be for a couple of nights.

We’ve had a lovely time pottering round the narrow streets exploring. Zadar was bombed heavily in WWII so there is a mixture of old and new, restored bits and ancient Roman bits all mixed in together.

Kalelarga is the main thoroughfare, leading to the Cathedral of St Anastasia with her bell tower.

Zeleni Trg is the bustling central square and was once the Roman Forum, although very little of it remains apart from the paving stones and some walls.

Behind is the circular, Byzantine-style church of St Donatus, built using some stone from the Forum.

There is also a 14m high column to which, up until 1840, the town’s offenders were chained to suffer public humiliation.

At the east end is a park at the top of the bastions …

… with a view down to the Mainland Gate …

… and a harbour…

… and Trg pet bunara, a square containing pet bunara or five wells built as the original city water supply with the Captain’s Tower behind.

When it got a bit warm in the centre, we found the sea …

… and walked till we reached a couple of modern installations designed by local architect Nikola Bašić. We particularly loved the Sea Organ.

As the sea laps, air is pushed through the a series of pipes and set into the steps to make random, but strangely harmonic sounds, which can become louder and more strident with the wake of a passing boat.

Watching the sun set in Zadar has become a bit of a thing so we returned later, as did everyone else! There’s something quite special about sharing sunset with a group of people who have come together just to watch the sun sink below the horizon …

… and the sound of the sea organ made it memorable.

To listen, click here.

Nearby is Sun Salutation, made of glass panels that capture sunlight during the day …

…which then powers its own light show – conceived as a tribute to the solar system. It also collects enough energy to power the entire harbour-front lighting system.

We had noticed a small restaurant in a courtyard tucked behind a wall called Konoba Dalmacija and we went for dinner on our last night in the city, finally getting to try blitva, the Croatian side dish of chard and potatoes which is supposed to be ubiquitous but has so far evaded us. Cooked with lots of garlic and lemon, it went perfectly with my bream, while Chris had lovely grilled veg with his gnocchi.

On the way back, we stopped at St Donatus to see the lightshow, atmospherically illuminating the old stone church.

The Sunday morning church bells ensured we were awake and we were on the road once more.

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