Albanian Adventure

We left Tirana at 8.15 in the morning and set out towards Elbasa and the mountains beyond. I want to see more of Tirana as it has a vibrant art scene and university. Luckily we have more time there next Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning. The National Art Gallery is there but it is closed for refurbishment.
We drove towards the town of Elbasa which had a huge industrial plant under the communist government. It was a heavy pollutant of the local area and since the fall of the communist government has largely closed down but a Turkish company is working part of the plant. It was sad and very industrial. A reminder of how strict and repressive a regime it was.
We passed through the town and saw the work being done to renovate the old railway system. During the communist regime trains ran throughout Albania but fell into disrepair around 2012. They are now being rebuilt. Part of the huge amount of work that is taking place to rebuild the infrastructure of the country. Goods can then be transported more cheaply hopefully reducing prices in the shops and traffic on the roads. Train travel will also support the growing tourist industry which it seems is where most investment is going.
The walk we had was eventful! According to our guide Albanians can’t understand why we want to walk up a mountain and back down! They work 6 days a week and it is the last thing they want to do on the 7th! And it certainly wasn’t a pastime during the communist regime . So there are no real footpaths as we know them! Our guide took us up the mountain and then straight down it along a path that was more of a goat track with lots is very spiky vegetation.! At the end of the path there was an 8 foot drop onto the path below! Not a problem you may think but many in the group were well into their 70s and even those who weren’t were a bit anxious! Anyway my new friend Liz and I slid down first and then the others followed. Luckily all survived in tact. One of the things I love about the people who do HF holidays is that no one ever complains! They just get on with it!
We then had a 3 hour drive further up into the mountains circling the beautiful and deepest lake in the Balkans Lake Okrid. We will be returning there for further walks.
We are now in the mountainous village of Voskepoje. It is a beautiful place high in the mountains. It is about 5 degrees cooler up here. We are staying in a guest house and have just enjoyed the most fabulous vegetarian meal. All the vegetables are grown in their garden and the water is pure spring water. We had a mountain herbal tea to complete the meal.

There is a government initiative to rebuild many of the villages that fell into disrepair or were abandoned during the previous regime. They are encouraging Guest Houses and holidays here not just for tourists but also for Albanians. It is cool up here in the summer and has snow in the winter. I’m looking forward to exploring it more.
Having a wonderful time !Read more