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Exploring Albania
  • Dr Morbius
  • Nicola Dietz
  • Dr Morbius
  • Nicola Dietz

Exploring Albania

Et 41-dags eventyr af Dr Morbius & Nicola Læs mere
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  • Start på rejsen
    28. februar 2024
    Exploring Albania
    1Buggered, but airborne...
    View from Accommodation near MXPAperol Spritz and a focaccia... I've missed Italy.I wonder what they do at a baby put stop? 🤔1OMG... A real bed 🥰

    Hello Albania

    29. februar 2024, Albanien ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    The next part of our adventure is a month driving around Albania. I had a cunning plan to fly from Marrakech to Milan, then catch a connecting flight to Tirana.

    Unfortunately, the part of the plan where I saved money flying Wizz Air came unstuck when the flight was delayed 7 hours (they're not known for their punctuality). That meant we missed our connecting flight, so that had to be rebooked to the next day and then I had to book overnight accommodation at the Milan Airport.

    Painful, but not as painful as sitting in the Marrakech airport from 6:00 to 17:00. All part of the adventure... 👍

    Anyway, we stayed the night in a very cheap, but very comfortable hotel near the Milan airport (6 star by Moroccan standards 😁) and caught the flight to Albania the next afternoon. And of course we had to have an Aperol Spritz and focaccia while in Italy, even if it was just in an airport bar.

    So we have arrived a day late, but staying in a very nice Best Western hotel at the airport. We pick up the hire car in the morning and will then drive to Durres for a week of relaxation at the beach. Stay tuned...    Læs mere

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  • Exploring Albania
    View from accommodation at the airportView from our accommodation near DurresAn Albanian bunker... they're everywhere. Google it!Local beer only 200 Leks (AUD$3.20)

    Durrës Beach

    1. marts 2024, Albanien ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Picked up the rental car and headed for the coast. Driving in Albania is... challenging. The roads could use a bit of TLC and you're constantly dodging motorbikes, people, tractors, carts, dogs, and cows. So didn't get to see much scenery along the way, but Nicky said there wasn't much to see anyway.

    But we eventually arrived at our accommodation just south of Durres, which has a brilliant view of the beach and ocean. The host was terrific and spent a half hour recommending places to see and things to do. We aren't actually in Durrës but a bit further south along the beach

    Afterwards we went for a walk along the esplanade, which was not very busy. Many places are closed in the off season and lots of maintenance activities being undertaken in preparation for the coming summer months.

    Eventually settled in for a very nice Italian seafood meal before walking back to the unit in time for a lovely sunset.    Læs mere

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  • Exploring Albania
    1

    Chilling on the Beach

    2.–3. mar. 2024, Albanien ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    We've been on the go for a few months and the objective of this week was to just chill and relax.

    Fairly easy to do with walks along the beach and cheap wine/beer.

    So here are a few happy snaps of our time here. I took a lot of photos of all the abandoned facilities along the boardwalk as it's rather surreal. We think most are simply shut for the winter, although some places have been closed for a long time. The really interesting thing is that despite things being abandoned, there's very little theft or vandalism. In Australia, most of the stuff left out would have been stolen or destroyed by now, but not here. Interesting...

    Anyway, enjoy...    Læs mere

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  • Exploring Albania
    Interesting street art1Read the circled message... :^)Albanian street food... munching on a Byrek. Despite the look on her face, they are quite delicious1

    A Visit to Durres

    4. marts 2024, Albanien ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    There are a few things to see in Durres, so we thought we'd drive up to visit. Because it was supposed to rain on Monday, we decided to head up on Sunday. Ok, that was not a good idea. Remember I said Albanian roads were a bit of a challenge? Try it on a Sunday! Let's just say it took a couple of hours to drive into Durres, turn around and come back.

    So despite the rain, we tried again on a Monday and we made it through. There are a few Roman artefacts around and the streets are interesting to walk around. But after a few hours the rain finally hit and we headed back, but still enjoyed the visit.    Læs mere

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  • Exploring Albania
    Security cat checking Nicky's papers...View from our accommodation... mmmm, not badFërgesë... not sure what's in it, but absolutely deliciousSpec i mbusher... Capsicum stuffed with rice... yummmmmmm1There's something about hanging teddy bears from construction sites... seen heaps of them1

    The City of a Thousand Windows

    7. marts 2024, Albanien ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Left Durres Beach this morning to visit Berat, known as the City of a Thousand Windows. And you can see why. And before you ask... no, I didn't count them.

    We were hungry when we arrived and decided to try traditional Albanan dishes. We settled on Fërgesë and Spec i mbusher... OMG! Absolutely delicious. There are a number of dishes that we're going to have to work through over the next couple of days.Læs mere

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  • Exploring Albania
    3

    Apollonia and Vlorë

    10. marts 2024, Albanien ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Left Berat this morning to head to the southern coast. On the way, we stopped at the Apollonia Archaeological Park to see the ruins of the ancient city of Apollonia.

    It was really interesting, but very little of the city has been uncovered. Some French archaeology dude (Leon Rey) exposed the main square in 1924, but that is only 6% of the entire city and no further exploratory works have been undertaken since. Which is a shame, but I guess archaeology isn't a priority with the Albanian government right now. However, there's plenty to be discovered one day.

    After that we headed down to our accommodation in Vlore with yet another view of the ocean 🥱.    Læs mere

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  • Exploring Albania
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    A Dreary Day in Vlore

    11. marts 2024, Albanien ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    Stormy weather in Vlore today, so not a good day for going out.

    Not overly heavy rain, but it's blowing an absolute gale.

    Looks like a mostly sit-inside day... have to find that bottle of wine.

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  • Exploring Albania
    1Our security guard mate1Gateway to the island pathSt. Trinity's Church1Cat! With flamingos off in the distance...1One of the old communist bunkers built in the 70's...1

    St. Mary's Monastery on Isla Zvërnec

    12. marts 2024, Albanien ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    The sun came out today (yay!), so after breakfast we drove up to Isla Zvërnec, a small island in Narta Lagoon just north of Vlore. The lagoon isn't deep and there's a walkway between the mainland and the island, which used to be a religious hangout. The lagoon is quite large and the home to flocks of flamingos. Unfortunately they were hanging out too far away to see properly, but still kinda cool knowing they were there.

    The island isn't huge, but quite beautiful with large pine trees as a backdrop to St. Mary's monastery, which is enclosed in a walled compound. We "talked" to the lone security guard for a few minutes and we must have impressed him as he gave us the key to the gate at the back of the compound which gives you access to the rest of the island. What a treat walking through the pine forest to the far side of the island where we came across another small church, St. Trinity's.

    We made our way back and after we said our goodbyes to our new friend we went back to Vlore to visit the old town. Mind you, it isn't really that old nor very big, but it had an interesting collection of restaurants. After that, we just walked around the waterfront until another storm blew in. All in all, another great day in Albania.    Læs mere

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  • Exploring Albania
    An old submarine base1

    Vlore to Sarande

    13. marts 2024, Albanien ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    A rainy day for our trip down the coast to Sarande. We had the option of the quick highway route of 2 hours or the coastal road at 3.5 hours. We took the slow one, of course.

    The road has many twists and turns, goes up mountains and down to beaches... very spectacular. Unfortunately, the very top of the mountain was fogged in so we couldn't see the view from the pass, but still had a great trip. It even cleared up for us by the time we got to Sarande and settled in to our accommodation with yet another awesome view.

    One interesting thing is that the road network in Albania hasn't been kept up to date in Google. So a bit of a challenge getting to destinations via roads that don't exist or have been moved. All part of the fun 😊    Læs mere

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  • Exploring Albania
    Ancient Roman cat!Where's Nicky?An old Roman wellShe looks lost...Lots of really noisy frogs...1Back to the unit for sunset

    Butrint Archaeological Centre

    15. marts 2024, Albanien ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Another nice day in the south of Albania so we went for a drive down to the Butrint National Park, which has one of the most important archaeological sites in the country. It's history goes back to the iron ages up through medieval times and has been the home of Greeks, Romans , Byzantines and the Ottoman Empire. Fascinating to be able to walk through history like this.Læs mere

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  • Exploring Albania
    11

    Lazy Day in Sarande

    17. marts 2024, Albanien ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Today is our last day in Sarande before heading inland, so took advantage of the nice weather for another stroll or two along the boardwalk and sample of the food. It's been a nice, relaxing stay, b ut looking forward to heading up into the mountains to see what's out there. One thing for sure is colder weather methinks...Læs mere

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  • Exploring Albania
    Ooh, look... a cat!The view from our accommodation in Gjirokaster

    The Blue Eye

    18. marts 2024, Albanien ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We checked out of our unit and headed inland, stopping first at the castle on the hill behind Sarande to get some views overlooking the city.

    Our objective today was to visit The Blue Eye on the way to Gjirokaster. We decided to take the slow route, which had some beautiful scenery, but didn't take long to work out why it was slow... the road was a bit... um... crap. It reminded us of the road out to Lawn Hill in North Queensland, only not quite as good. And of course we only have a Kia this time instead of a Pajero, so it was pretty slow going. But we're glad we did it as we saw some stunning scenery and wildlife along the way.

    The Blue Eye is where an underground spring surfaces and is the source of the Bistricë River. They are unsure as to the actual depth of the "hole" the water comes out of as the high flow rate of the water prevents divers going any deeper than about 50 metres. The water is crystal clear and you can see the bottom of the stream and the hole itself. It's a popular place to go swimming, but too cold for Nicky.

    Afterwards, we eventually arrived at Gjirokaster and, unfortunately, followed Google Maps to our accommodation. Now... Gjirokaster is a lovely old town built on the side of the mountain and the roads are steep, windy, and in places, very, very narrow. Couple that with the fact that Google hasn't come through here in a while and let's just say... it was a bit of a nightmare. Google was directing us over cliffs, through houses, and up steep roads that were too narrow for the car. After a number of dead ends and back-tracking, we were thinking of just finding new accommodation somewhere else.

    But luckily, we ran into this bloke who stopped us to invite us into his restaurant. When we explained that we were lost, he got the address, jumped on his motorbike and asked us to follow him. I felt a little better after he got lost himself a few times, but eventually he found our accommodation for us. He wouldn't take any money, simply insisting that we go visit his restaurant. That's definitely where we're having dinner tomorrow night. The Albanian people are so friendly and helpful.

    Anyway, it was a long day of driving, but an absolutely wonderful day!    Læs mere

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  • Exploring Albania
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    1Tepelenë Castle walls1Flat out working1Our accommodation

    Gjokaster to Përmet

    20. marts 2024, Albanien ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    Woke up to a beautiful day, so we were keen to continue our journey through the mountains.

    After breakfast we backtracked a bit to visit Hadrianopolis, an ancient Roman city named after the dude who built the wall in England. It was very intueresting, moreso that it was currently under restoration by a university in Italy. So we got to see them working through the various ruins.

    From there we continued on to the town of Tepelenë for a cup of coffee and stretch our legs. It was a lovely town with wide streets and lots of trees. After coffee, we drove out to visit the Benca Aqueduct, built in the 19th century by Ali Pashe Tepelena to supply fresh water to the Castle of Tepelena. So not as old as the Roman artefacts but still interesting.

    The drive to Përmet was awesome. The rivers running through the valleys were a beautiful blue colour. We found yet another wonderful restaurant. Most of these are family run and they have their own recipes, so the same dish varies from place to place. But still absolutely delicious.    Læs mere

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  • Exploring Albania
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    13Sulfer deposits from one of the spring ventsOne of the thermal spring ventsRoad to the Permet Old TownThese are traditional Albanian roofs made from simple stacked slateThe river at PermetPermet town with the mountains behind

    Bënjë Thermal Bath

    21. marts 2024, Albanien ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Today we paid a visit to the thermal baths just south of Permet. The sulfer springs have a whiff of rotten eggs about them, but they are crystal clear and warm (24C). Sometime in the past, someone built a huge bath to allow visitors to enjoy therapeutic properties to treat skin diseases. Not sure about that, but Nicky was keen to have a go.

    To get to the spring baths you cross the Katiu Bridge, an old Ottoman stone bridge built in the 18th century.

    Afterwards, we returned to Permet and took a stroll through the town. A really lovely place.    Læs mere

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  • Exploring Albania
    Road hazardsWe're in wine countryStopped for a coffee along the wayFlat out in Albania1

    Permet to Korce

    22. marts 2024, Albanien ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Today we drove to the town of Korce. It's only a 135km from Permet, but Google said it would take over 3 hours, so we knew we were in for some fun mountain driving.

    There were a lot of hairpin turns, but the scenery was just awesome. I was a bit nervous because Google street-view showed the road to be semi gravel, but that was in 2016 and they had paved it since then. Whew!

    Korce is the home of the famous Korce beer here in Albania and I can't wait to pay a visit to the brewery. It's one of the biggest cities we've been to so far and it has really interesting architecture.    Læs mere

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  • Exploring Albania
    1Whoa... look out below...1

    Korçë

    23. marts 2024, Albanien ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    There's not heaps of sites to visit in Korçë, but it's a fascinating place. Most of the places we've visited so far have been smaller towns and villages, Korçë is the first reasonably sized city we've been to and it's interesting to see the differences. It's busier, but the pace of life isn't really hectic. It was Saturday and the parks were filled with people just sitting in the sun and chatting or play backgammon. Fresh food markets are everywhere and everyone was out doing their shopping.

    We wandered through dozens of different streets and there was always something interesting to see. I've mentioned that the Albanian people are very friendly and we obviously stand out a bit as tourists, so they're always quick to wave or say hello.

    We visited the main Orthodox church of Korçë and it was quite pretty. Totally different from the cathedrals and mosques we've visited so far. Very colourful with lots of paintings.    Læs mere

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  • Exploring Albania
    1Trying to check out of our accommodation but the host is ignoring us.112Guri i Kuq - abandoned iron mine

    Pogradec

    25. marts 2024, Albanien ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    We drove north to the town of Pogradec on the southern shore of Lake Ohrid, which is a pretty good size at 20 kms long and 14 kms wide. It makes for a lovely setting with the still water and surrounding mountains.

    We stayed here a couple of days just wandering along the beach and through the town. We took a day drive up the coast to see some sites. One of the more impressive was Guri i Kuq, an abandoned iron mine from the Soviet era pre 1990.    Læs mere

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  • Exploring Albania

    Shkodër

    29. marts 2024, Albanien ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    The next stop on our Albanian journey is the town of Shkodër in the north, on the shores of Lake Shkodër. We walked through the city to Rozafa Castle, a former Illyrian stronghold overlooking the city and the lake.

    Afterwards, we walked back to the city to enjoy a well-earned beer and a bite to eat. While we were there, one of the street dogs took a liking to Nicky and sat with us the whole time. We noticed that he had an ear tag, as did a number of other dogs. A quick Google search explained that a program introduced in 2016 involved sterilization and vaccination of stray dogs. When this is done, the dog gets an ear tag and is set free. The locals love them and they're well fed. What a great idea.    Læs mere

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  • Exploring Albania
    12

    Theth

    30. marts 2024, Albanien ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Today we went for a drive up into the Albanian Alps to visit the small village of Theth.

    It was a fairly slow drive with some very impressive hairpin curves, but some beautiful landscapes to be seen. Unfortunately, it's the off-season, so not a lot happening in the village itself, but still a beautiful visit,Læs mere

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  • Exploring Albania
    Mother Teresa was Albanian

    Tirana

    5. april 2024, Albanien ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    The last stop before we leave Albania, Tirana is a bustling city of 900,000 people. They cater more for tourists here with lots of museums and tours.

    Most museums deal with the history of communism in the country and the effect it had on the people. Many sad stories, but to see them overcoming their history is encouraging.Læs mere

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  • Exploring Albania

    Goodbye Albania (Missing You Already)

    7. april 2024, Albanien ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    Well, Albania has been an enjoyable experience to say the least. It's a beautiful country with wonderful people. They've had a pretty tough time of it from the communist era, but they are slowly making there way forward and it will definitely be a country to watch.

    I've gone through and picked out some photos of the more memorable places we visited, but it's hard to choose any one place that was the best. We will miss it here.

    Mirupafshim Shqipëri!    Læs mere

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    Slut på rejsen
    8. april 2024
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