Ancient Cities & Mountain Roads

Today, we had to leave Ksamil and check into our accommodation in Sarandë. Before doing that, though, we wanted to visit the Roman ruins at Butrint. We expected it to be a relatively small Roman city with a handful of ruins. Instead, we arrived at a massive 200-hectare peninsula that contained the infrastructure of a fully functioning ancient city. There were baths, theatres, houses, basilicas, fortifications and much more. The only major feature that seemed to be missing was the aqueduct, which had supplied the city with water for centuries but was unfortunately no longer visible. The information throughout the site was really interesting. It covered the entire history of the area, with evidence of occupation dating back as far as 50,000 BC and continuing until its last known occupation in the 19th century AD.

The site was occupied by the Greeks from around 800 BC until approximately 44 BC, when the Romans began taking control. The Byzantines eventually took over again in the 9th century, before ceding control to the Venetians in the 14th century. The Ottomans were the final major occupants before the site was eventually abandoned and left for a couple of centuries before being rediscovered. The information boards did a great job of showing how the area changed throughout these different periods, particularly how the influence of so many different rulers shaped the architecture and design of the buildings. There were artefacts and archaeological discoveries from the various periods, and even floor mosaics that remain in their original locations and incredible condition. One particularly impressive mosaic is still present in the baptistery, although it remains covered for most of the year to protect it from damage. Unfortunately, we couldn't see it in person and had to settle for the photos.

As always, it was hilarious watching Lewis run around like a child with ADHD, trying to wrap his head around the age and sheer scale of the site. The whole place was genuinely enthralling, and it was easy to lose track of time exploring it. By the time we felt like we'd seen the whole site, it was already early afternoon.

We realised that if we wanted to see Gjirokastër as well, we'd better get moving. The drive took around an hour and a half, and before we knew it, we'd arrived in Gjirokastër. As we'd discovered, the roads are significantly better in the south of Albania, making driving much faster and far less stressful. After some of the drives we'd endured in the north, this was a blessing. After grabbing some lunch, we started wandering around the town and taking in its unique architecture. The white stone houses extending over the walkways, complete with wooden detailing, were unlike anything I'd seen in Europe before. I know Berat has similar architecture, but for me, this was the first time I'd experienced it.

What made it so impressive was how consistently the whole town followed the same aesthetic. Rather than simply wandering into an old town within a modern city, it genuinely felt like we'd stepped out of the car and into a completely different time period. We didn't have a huge amount of time, so we mostly stuck to the main areas around the tourist centre. The next stop was the castle overlooking the town from the top of the hill. The castle was another highlight, particularly because of the views. From the top, we had almost complete 360-degree views over Gjirokastër and the surrounding mountains. The unrestricted access to most areas of the castle also added to that feeling of being completely immersed in the past. There were some interesting information boards throughout the castle, covering its history as well as the wildlife found in the surrounding area, which was a nice change from the usual historical information.

This has easily been one of my most challenging logs to summarise in just 20 photos, given how much we managed to fit into the day. But I've done my best. Unfortunately, that means I've had to leave out the incredible drive home. We were driving through the mountains around sunset, and the way the sunlight caught the tops of the mountains while leaving the valleys below in shadow made the whole landscape look like a painting. I managed to squeeze one photo in, but there are plenty more that capture just how beautiful the drive through the Albanian mountains was. It certainly made it a little easier to stay awake for the drive home. By the time we finally arrived back at our accommodation in Sarandë, though, we were completely exhausted and basically passed out. No drinking tonight.Read more