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Albania
  • Tim Lynette Wilkins
  • Tim Lynette Wilkins

Albania

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  • Gezinin başlangıcı
    30 Mayıs 2018
    Tim Lynette WilkinsAlbaniaGezgin

    Going to Albania

    30 Mayıs 2018, Arnavutluk ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Arrived OK in Tirana, but it seems a long journey. Our train from mill hill was cancelled so we had to wait half a hour for the next one, then when we changed at Farringdon for the gatwick train, that was cancelled as well, and the next one trundled slowly all around south London. Then the flight was a hour delayed leaving but they made us sit on the plane in case they got a earlier slot .... Still, we are here now, and it's warm and not raining!Okumaya devam et

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  • Tim Lynette WilkinsAlbaniaGezgin
    View from our hotel room over the city
    Mosque next door - dawn prayers are at 3.45 am!Zgerdhesh city wallsMore wallsView down the stepped approach to the citadel

    kruje

    31 Mayıs 2018, Arnavutluk ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We have a day on our own here before we join up with rest of the party tomorrow. It's a lovely old hill town on the side of a mountain. We took a short taxi ride to the site of the Illyrian city of arbandon ( Roman albanopolis, now called Zgerdhesh ) dating from 1000 BC. There's not much there, just a few of the city walls, and some post holes, water channels and flights of steps cut in to the bed rock of the Acropolis, but great views and nice to get into the mood of the trip.Okumaya devam et

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  • Tim Lynette WilkinsAlbaniaGezgin
    Ceiling of the shrine
    Fresco of constantinpoleTomb of two hajjisLocal wine is really good!As is the local food!

    Second day in kruje - 1

    1 Haziran 2018, Arnavutluk ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    We walked up to top of the citadel this morning and looked at the places that we thought the group would not have time to see after they arrived this afternoon. In particular the tomb of a shi'a imam called hajji Muhammad baba, covered inside by wonderful frescos.Okumaya devam et

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  • Tim Lynette WilkinsAlbaniaGezgin
    Watchtower 1400ish
    Medieval churchFrescoes in the old house / museumKruje football stadiumCommunist era picture in the museumView down from the citadel

    Second day in kruje -2

    1 Haziran 2018, Arnavutluk ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    During the afternoon we joined up with rest of the group to go back to the citadel and see the other bits. There are fantastic views from the top and you can see why it was an important stronghold in the past. There is a communist era museum, and an interesting museum of life in Albania in the 18th century.Okumaya devam et

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  • Tim Lynette WilkinsAlbaniaGezgin
    Lezhe city walls
    GatehouseCity gateCitadel from the lower townPossibly shops on a harbour front

    Lezhe

    2 Haziran 2018, Arnavutluk ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    This morning we went north to Lezhe which is most famous in Albania as the burial place of Skanderbeg - the hero of Albania from the 14c, credited with winning battles against the Ottomans for 25 years. But for us the main interest is the remains of the Illyrian city from the 6c - 2c BC. In truth there are not many remains to see as the city has been built over them but an earthquake 20 years ago revealed some and they excavated. The most Impressive are the gatehouse from 6c and later 4c and the walls which originally went all the way up the hillside from the lower town to the citadel on the acropolis. The Illyrians did like to build their walls with massive blocks of stone.Okumaya devam et

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  • Tim Lynette WilkinsAlbaniaGezgin
    Roman forum
    Bath houseRoman road - with cart rutsMosaics in the chapelAmphitheater for 15,000Internal corridor

    Durres

    2 Haziran 2018, Arnavutluk ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    After a massive lunch at a lovely restaurant by a lake we went on to Durres on the coast. There were probably Illyrians living here first but the Greeks came over from Corfu in 7c BC and founded a colony. There is not much to see from this period as it has been continuously inhabited ever since and the Romans re-developd much of it when they took over in 229BC. There are some Roman remains - a forum and some baths found when they were building a new theatre a few years ago. But the most spectacular site is a Roman amphitheatre that was capable of seating 15000. It has not been fully excavated but the passageways around behind the seats are well preserved. When the gladiator spectacles were banned in the 5c AD the amphitheatre found other uses and some Christian chapels were built into it - one contains some beautiful wall mosaics very much like ones we saw in Ravenna.
    This evening we had dinner at a restaurant on the beach and watched the sun go down.    Okumaya devam et

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  • Tim Lynette WilkinsAlbaniaGezgin
    Communist bunker
    Roman Bouleterion with Odeon behindOdeonIllyrian stoaRoman road up to the acropolisSeats in the odeon

    Apollonia

    3 Haziran 2018, Arnavutluk ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Another long hot day with visits to 2 spectacular sites. But first this morning we stopped at a Communist era bunker, one of 300,000 Hoxha built across Albania fearing a Russian invasion after the invasion of Prague. This was on the way to Apollonia a sister city to Durres, inhabited by Illyrians then colonised by Greek immigrants then taken over by the Romans. The foundations of the walls and some buildings are the big blocks of the Illyrians but most of the remaining buildings are Roman brick built. There was an earthquake in the 3rd C AD that changed the course of the river that gave access to the sea and the town was abandoned. In the 13C a church was built on the site and this has lovely frescoes and Roman mosaics have recently been found in the refectory.Okumaya devam et

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  • Tim Lynette WilkinsAlbaniaGezgin
    Illyrian rock cut stairs at Byllis
    Early Christian basilica at ByllisIllyrian and Roman walls at ByllisView from Byllis down to the riverA Roman cistern under the stadium until an earthquake lifted it up

    Byllis

    3 Haziran 2018, Arnavutluk ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    An hour and a half from Apollonia is another hilltop site at Byllis. This was the home of an Illyrian tribe called the Byllines an it was never colonised by the Greeks but was invaded by the Romans. It is a very large site with massive walls around the hill and the remains of many buildings - Illyrian stoa, houses, agora, Roman theatre, stadium, and several basilica and Christian churches. The views down to the river below are spectacular. We had a lovely lunch in a cafe onsite where locals were celebrating a birthday with polyphonic singing and dancing.
    Tonight we are in Berat - a UNESCO protected site of traditional Ottoman houses. Our hotel is in one of the houses and we have a beautiful room with carved wooden ceiling.    Okumaya devam et

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  • Tim Lynette WilkinsAlbaniaGezgin
    Ottoman style house
    Entrance gate of the citadelView of the river valley13th century churchCitadel walls mainly OttomanCistern, probably Roman

    Berat

    4 Haziran 2018, Arnavutluk ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    This morning we walked around the ottoman era city of Berat, which is a UNESCO heritage site. It's a jumble of ottoman houses in a river valley overlooked by a citadel which has Illyrian foundations, Roman bits, mediaeval churches and Ottoman walls and mosques - a right jumble - plus its still lived in. The earliest church dates to the thirteenth century and the citadel includes a huge Roman cistern and tunnel down to the river to provide fresh water. One of the churches is now a museum of icons dating from 15C to last century.Okumaya devam et

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  • Tim Lynette WilkinsAlbaniaGezgin
    Seating of the stadium for Greek games
    Monumental tombsFoundations of a Greek temple with a Christian basilica in frontUnusual vaulted gate into the cityBaby chickBaby lamb

    Amantia

    4 Haziran 2018, Arnavutluk ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    Our visit this afternoon was to a site rarely visited - it's not even in the guide books. Now we know why. The journey there and back is on an unmade road for an hour in each direction, climbing up a beautiful valley surrounded by mountains. Once there, it's another 15 walk round the hill to enter the city proper and then there is not a lot to see. May have had Illyrian origins but mostly Greek style buildings. There is a spectacular stadium, damaged by earthquakes and an arched gate but no monumental buildings. The stadium and temple remains are outside the city on the only flat bits of land. The top is occupied by an old lady and her animals which generated more appreciation than the ruins. On balance, probably not worth the lengthy trip which meant we only arrived at our hotel at 8.15. It's up in the llogara national park about 1000m high.Okumaya devam et

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  • Tim Lynette WilkinsAlbaniaGezgin
    Fòuntain
    FountainRock cut stairsShop with well, grinding mill and holes for amphoraRoad with steps through the siteCommunist era submarine base

    Oricum

    5 Haziran 2018, Arnavutluk ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    A quick trip this morning to the site of Oricum, a 6th century port on the Adriatic coast. As the coastline has changed over the years much of the site is now underwater and in any case it is in an Albanian navy base, requiring clearance and security checks. Perhaps not surprisingly it isn't on the usual tourist routes! It is on a hillside over the sea and very much overgrown so we had it to our selves and it was lovely clambering around and finding bits of stuff. Carolyn, our friend who is the archaeologist for the trip, is just so bubbly and enthusiastic so it's a pleasure to watch, listen and learn from her. There are also people of the trip who are very knowledgeable, in particular a man who was an RAF engineer and amateur archeologist who is very useful to have around. The remains included a semi-circular building that they think was a fountain with some impressive water engineering, rock cut stairs and houses and shops cut into the bedrock. On leaving the site there was a bonus as it's a location for training Albanian special forces and about 2 dozen of them came out of the water in their swimming trunks.Okumaya devam et

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  • Tim Lynette WilkinsAlbaniaGezgin
    MGAs
    Hydrofoil to corfuMGAs and CorvetteThe only Alfa

    Saranda

    5 Haziran 2018, Arnavutluk ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Arrived here in time to rest, have a icecream and a cup of tea and sit in the sun. It's been a hard couple of days so it was good to get a bit of downtime. Tomorrow we have a long visit to the highlight site of the trip and another night in this hotel. Way hay! Two nights in the same place - luxury!

    On the way here we stopped at a viewpoint over the whole coast line and found a Italian classic car club trip - for some reason mostly MGAs.    Okumaya devam et

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  • Tim Lynette WilkinsAlbaniaGezgin
    Campsis
    TortoiseCricket or locust?Cricket or locust

    Flora and fauna!

    5 Haziran 2018, Arnavutluk ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Wherever we go the sites are covered in wild flowers and we come across animals and bugs of interest. There great bushes and trees covered in flame red flowers that I am told are campsis. Spectacular!

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  • Tim Lynette WilkinsAlbaniaGezgin
    Wall of polygonal stones
    TheatreNames of freed slavesMix of early walls, Greek shrines behind and Roman buildings outsideMosaic in niche of fountain6C AD baptistry with mosaic floor covered over

    Butrint

    6 Haziran 2018, Arnavutluk ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Butrint is probably the highlight of the trip - a UNESCO world heritage site with overlays of remains from 4C BC through to 16C AD. Mercifully the weather today was a mix of cloud and sun so our 4 hour walk round the site was not too hot. Here the indigenous tribes were Epirotes rather than Illyrians. Their material culture was identical but the Illyrians spoke Illyrian and the Epirotes spoke Greek. As usual the earliest remains are the massive stone walls but here there are some sections with polygonal shaped bigstones expertly fitted together. There is a lovely small Greek/ Roman theatre outside which there are many stones carved with the names of freed slaves. There are Greek and Roman shrines and fountains with mosaic. One circular building from 6C AD is a baptistry with a beautiful mosaic that we cannot see because it is covered over to preserve it.Okumaya devam et

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  • Tim Lynette WilkinsAlbaniaGezgin
    Basilica
    Corner of the mosaic floor of the basilicaCarving of lion biting a bullBone spoon handle in the museumRoman glassSwimming at Ksamili beach

    Butrint 2

    6 Haziran 2018, Arnavutluk ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    The largest building at Butrint is a 6C AD basilica still standing to pretty much it's full wall height. It too has a mosaic floor which is covered over except for one corner. One of the gates in the city walls had a beautiful carving of a lion biting an ox, thought to have been moved there from an earlier shrine on the acropolis. The site museum was small and had some nice but not outstanding finds. After a fascinating morning we went for a delicious lunch at a seafood restaurant by the sea and had a lovely swim!Okumaya devam et

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  • Tim Lynette WilkinsAlbaniaGezgin
    Stream from the springs
    Coppery dragonflyBlue dragonflyThe blue eye spring welling upGardens round the springsThe springs

    Blue springs

    7 Haziran 2018, Arnavutluk ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Out of Saranda on the road to Gjirokastra after about an hour we stopped at a beautiful spot which is the head of a number of really strong springs. The biggest is called the blue eye, it is so clear and blue and bubbles up almost like a fountain in a fantastic pond and stream. The whole area is home to swarms of brilliant blue dragonflies and some coppery-orange ones.Okumaya devam et

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  • Tim Lynette WilkinsAlbaniaGezgin
    View of the citadel
    HousesRoadHigh status houses

    Antigonea

    7 Haziran 2018, Arnavutluk ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Antigonea is another hilltop site that was built by Pyrrhus, King of the Epirotes in honour of his wife Antigone. It is valuable as is was destroyed by the Romans in 168BC and not re-built by anyone else so it provides an uncontaminated idea of Epirote life. It was a large site with little other than remains of wall and buildings but was nevertheless quite interesting.Okumaya devam et

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  • Tim Lynette WilkinsAlbaniaGezgin
    Ottoman houses
    Socialist realist statue of freedom fighterGallery in castle with old gunsView down through gate in castle wallsCastle with later clock towerUS 'spy plane'

    Gjirokaster

    7 Haziran 2018, Arnavutluk ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Gjirokaster is another UNESCO world heritage site. Again it is a town of Ottoman houses around an earlier castle, like Berat, but they look quite different as the houses all have thick grey stone roof tiles instead of red clay, so it looks more sombre. We traipsed up to the castle which is not particularly interesting as most of the current buildings are 17/18th century. It houses a lot of old military equipment and a nice little archaeological museum. One amusing item on display is a T33 US Air Force jet the Albanians claim was a spy plane and the US says landed with permission for repair. Whatever, the Albanians released the pilots but kept the plane.Okumaya devam et

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  • Tim Lynette WilkinsAlbaniaGezgin
    Basilica
    BasilicaWalls of the Roman villaInside the villa, some walls still have the paint of the frescoes.Wild tortoiseFortress. Its a long hard climb!

    Elbasan

    8 Haziran 2018, Arnavutluk ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    On the road back to Tirana we stopped in Elbasan for lunch and to view the remains of a basilica. Then on to a small but high quality Roman villa, and finally a crazily situated fortress. We ended the day back in Tirana and tomorrow we go on a walking tour of the city. Today was mightily hot, 38 degrees, but tomorrow it is forecast to be 10 degrees cooler, but maybe with some thunderstorms.Okumaya devam et

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  • Tim Lynette WilkinsAlbaniaGezgin
    Socialist realism picture (mosaic) in the main square
    Assembly chamber in the bunkerSkanderbeg statuePatriot fighter statueCentral mosqueMosque frescoes

    Tirana

    9 Haziran 2018, Arnavutluk ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Walk around the centre of Tirana in the morning, the highlight of which was a vist to the National Historical Museum housing the best Archaeological artefacts, and a trip to a communist era nuclear bunker in the afternoon. The centre of Tirana has lots of smart new shiny buildings and last night it was busy with people out in the bars and restaurants, but outside the centre it can be very run-down with lots of rather tatty blocks of flats. The bunker was depressing and disappointing, it now used mainly as a museum showing the development of Albania from the Fascist Italian invasion in the thirties, through the horrid authoritarian communist regime from 1944 up to independence and the death of Enver Hoxha. We have see all this in other places so didn't need to see it again.

    Tonight the rest of the group get a late flight home, so tomorrow we are off on our own again.    Okumaya devam et

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  • Tim Lynette WilkinsAlbaniaGezgin
    Tiled roofs from our hotel room
    Mosque from our hotel roomCable car lower terminusView from cable carCable car upper terminus

    First day on our own

    10 Haziran 2018, Arnavutluk ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    For the ĺast ten days all decisions have been made for us - where we sleep, where and what we eat and where we visit every hour of the day. Now we have free time it's amazing how long it takes us to decide the simplest things. Today started with the usual blue sky and sun so we decided to take the 15min cable car ride up Mount Dajti behind Tirana. All was fine till we reached the top to find it in the clouds. So our pleasant walk through the mountain forest turned into a chilly walk in fog. We had planned to have spit roast lamb for lunch in a restaurant with spectacular views of Tirana but it was closed for renovation. We found another serving the lamb but without the views, which did not matter as there were none, but the lamb was rather tough and it started to rain as we finished. So we dashed back to the cable car and returned to Tirana where it was warm and sunny. A quick trip round the market was productive and we plan to take it easy for the rest of the day.Okumaya devam et

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