Albania

May - June 2018

A 14-day adventure by Tim Lynette Read more

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Traveler Albania
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- May 30, 2018
- ⛅ 20 °C
- Altitude: 137 m
- Albania Tirana 41.323322, 19.83809741°19’24” N 19°50’17” E
Day 1
Going to Albania
May 30, 2018 in Albania ⋅ ⛅ 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!Read more
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- May 31, 2018, 4:05pm
- ☀️ 26 °C
- Altitude: 461 m
- Albania Qarku i Durrësit Krujë 41.511617, 19.78645541°30’42” N 19°47’11” E
Day 2
kruje
May 31, 2018 in Albania ⋅ ☀️ 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.Read more
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- Jun 1, 2018, 7:08pm
- ⛅ 23 °C
- Altitude: 555 m
- Albania Qarku i Durrësit Krujë 41.50964, 19.79401841°30’35” N 19°47’38” E
Day 3
Second day in kruje - 1
June 1, 2018 in Albania ⋅ ⛅ 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.Read more
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- Jun 1, 2018, 7:15pm
- ⛅ 23 °C
- Altitude: 555 m
- Albania Qarku i Durrësit Krujë 41.509598, 19.79389841°30’35” N 19°47’38” E
Day 3
Second day in kruje -2
June 1, 2018 in Albania ⋅ ⛅ 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.Read more
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- Jun 2, 2018, 6:43pm
- ⛅ 26 °C
- Altitude: 12 m
- Albania Lezhë 41.783501, 19.64304941°47’1” N 19°38’35” E
Day 4
Lezhe
June 2, 2018 in Albania ⋅ ⛅ 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.Read more
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- Jun 2, 2018, 6:45pm
- ⛅ 26 °C
- Altitude: 10 m
- Albania Durrës Durres Ferry Port 41.31171, 19.4462841°18’42” N 19°26’47” E
Day 4
Durres
June 2, 2018 in Albania ⋅ ⛅ 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.Read more
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- Jun 3, 2018, 12:59pm
- ☀️ 29 °C
- Altitude: 11 m
- Albania Qarku i Fierit Povelçe Këneta e Laçajt 40.709782, 19.42248940°42’35” N 19°25’21” E
Day 5
Apollonia
June 3, 2018 in Albania ⋅ ☀️ 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.Read more
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- Jun 3, 2018, 10:54pm
- 🌙 17 °C
- Altitude: 199 m
- Albania Qarku i Fierit Usojë Mallakastër 40.598309, 19.737440°35’54” N 19°44’15” E
Day 5
Byllis
June 3, 2018 in Albania ⋅ 🌙 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.Read more
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- Jun 4, 2018, 10:53am
- ☀️ 25 °C
- Altitude: 67 m
- Albania Berat King Mosque 40.70583, 19.9522240°42’21” N 19°57’8” E
Day 6
Berat
June 4, 2018 in Albania ⋅ ☀️ 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.Read more
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- Jun 4, 2018, 9:58pm
- 🌙 23 °C
- Altitude: 66 m
- Albania Qarku i Vlorës Sherishtë 40.46668, 19.5370940°28’0” N 19°32’14” E
Day 6
Amantia
June 4, 2018 in Albania ⋅ 🌙 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.Read more
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