ALBANIA: A Road Trip: Kruja and Tirana

Although the highway between Durres and Tirana is a good one (not a freeway per se) and the trip takes approximately one hour, we decided that a side trip to Kruja would be a good option on the way.  Situated high in the hills about halfway between Durres and Kruja, our Maps App on my smartphone took us up a hair-raising narrow road to the castle.  We were just grateful that only one (rather surprised) local came down the other way, and in a spot that allowed us to pass without too much shuffling over towards the cliff edge.

Kruja’s claim to fame is that it was the centre of Albanian resistance to the Ottoman invasion in the 15^th century and was the stronghold of the country’s first leader, Georgi Kastrioti also known as Skanderbey.  The castle still contains homes of locals as well as a wonderful museum almost exclusively dedicated to Skanderbey and which explains that period of history in amazing detail.  There is also a fabulous ethnographic museum with good explanations of how the layout of the homes of the merchants and the wealthier members of society worked.  It was authentically furnished with mannequins sporting local costumes and was very effective.  I also walked down to the teqe (Bektashi mosque) which was very old and sits in the shade of a large and gnarled olive tree said to have been planted by Skanderbey himself to encourage the locals to plant olives everywhere.

The Great Gjorgi Kastrioti AKA Skanderbey

The view from the Citadel of Kruja

The Teqe with the olive tree planted by Skanderbey

The felt-maker with the finished product

Outside the citadel is the ancient bazaar area – rather touristy, but well stocked with all items Albanian, should you wish to purchase souvenirs.  We stopped at a shop which sold felt items as I wanted to buy a pair of felt slippers.  On chatting with the store owner, it turned out that he was the maker of the felt and offered to demonstrate how he made them.  We mentioned that we had watched a video in the ethnographic museum of the citadel and he said that it was he and his father who had made the video but that watching in real life was much more meaningful.  Tad and I watched amazed, as he manipulated the small piece of washed and combed wool into a slipper – it was obviously strenuous work (apparently it’s a skill that only the men of a family are taught as it’s too difficult for women to do) as he was working up quite a sweat, but after about 20 minutes, he had fashioned one of a pair of slippers.  At AUD $15 for a pair of finished slippers, I felt somewhat guilty knowing how hard the man worked to produce them.  If you go to Kruja, and are in the bazaar area, I would highly recommend looking him up and asking for a demonstration (you would be somewhat obligated to buy something afterwards, of course).  His name is Ndricim Guni and his sign outside his shop shows a slipper/shoe – the shop is closer to the hotel end of the bazaar than the citadel end.

The drive to Tirana was uneventful, although the chaos of the city left both Tad (the driver) and me (the navigator) in a sweat.  Armed with my city map, as well as the Map App on my phone, we tried to find our way to the hotel I had booked – of course, none of the names of the streets matched either map and some were one-way streets (not always marked on either map), but eventually we found our way to the Green House hotel.  It was our most expensive hotel in Albania, but considering it was in the capital city, and on viewing our room, very modern and spacious, we decided that it was worth it.  The hotel restaurant also was recommended by the guide book and so we booked in for dinner that night.  There was still plenty of light, and although it was hot, we headed out for a walk to the centre of the city (a 10 minute walk away from the hotel).

The 'pyramid' memorial to Enver Hoxha

The Peace Bell with local kids

Statue of Skanderbey in the main square

The Soviet 'realist' mosaic on the National Historical Museum

The National Opera Theatre

           
                                               Peasant-style garden sheds in a nearby park

An apartment building behind our hotel

Tirana settled in the early 17^th century but was not made the capital city until 1920.  In the late 1920s, Italian planners and architects created wide boulevards, a huge square and government buildings and banks, as well as the royal palace and some embassies. During the communist era, the National Historical Museum, the Opera and the Hotel Tirana were added around the square.  On first glance, the government buildings, painted red and yellow ochre, seem to glow in the late afternoon sun and although there were obviously works going on (repairs? maintenance?) they were carefully obscured with fences and walls.  The next day, however, we saw the back sides of these buildings with faded paint, peeling and crumbling concrete and electrical wires waving in the air, no longer attached to the air conditioners and other appliances. 

We returned to the hotel for a much anticipated Italian-themed dinner and were extremely disappointed.  The food was of a very poor quality and expensive for Albania – we decided that we would  not eat there again.

Breakfast was included in the nightly rate (as it was at all the hotels in which we stayed) and although there was not a set breakfast, we could order what we wanted.  We asked what was available and the waiter mentioned omelettes so Tad and I both ordered one.  This was again rather disappointing and we were happy that we had our shakes in our room to supplement the disappointing breakfast.

We headed straight to the National Historical Museum as we planned to be there for some time.  It’s a massive structure with three floors of artefacts and displays and although most are well labeled in English, the descriptions fail in some of the most interesting (and disturbing) displays.  The ground floor is given over to the ancient artefacts and we were pleased to see items from places we had previously visited such as Butrint, Gjirokastrë, Sarandë, Apollonia, Durres and Kruja.  The next floors were dedicated to Skanderbey followed by the monarchy (King Zog was quite the suave and urbane looking gentleman – almost looked like an actor!), and then WW II.  The most disturbing of the collections was of course the times of the communist era as well as the revolution following the downfall of communism.  So many idealistic young people who lost their lives (average age was 25 years old!) fighting for their beliefs – it would have been nice to read some of the Albanian papers and displays about the incidences at this time.  Families of the ‘martyrs’ had clearly donated personal items belonging to the young people to be placed on display and this had the effect of making the victims seem all the more real.  In the end, we were in the museum for more than 3 hours and although we covered all the material, we could have spent longer.  The museum didn’t seem to have air conditioning (if it did, it wasn’t working) and the air was still and oppressive so we couldn’t stay any longer.  We made our way back to the hotel, walking through some of the smaller streets around the square and had a little ‘siesta’ before venturing out again later for a walk to a rather grand park to the south of the city.

The park was situated up a hill and so the afternoon breeze was welcome on such a hot and sticky day. It was also a great place to people-watch and as we sat on a bench near the war cemeteries of the Germans and the British, we were able to observe the locals as they walked, chatted, jogged and passed the time. 

Part of our walking around Tirana took us to the ‘Pyramid’ a building that was to have been Enver Hoxha’s mausoleum and then became a Cultural Centre.  Today it is abandoned, vandalized and a mess in the centre of the city.  Nearby is the ‘peace bell’ created, supposedly, by the collection of spent bullet casings from the 1997 uprising.  Again, these monuments are covered in graffiti and although they are located in what could be a pleasant park, there is rubbish and broken stuff everywhere.  We also walked through “The Block” area of the city, now a lively area filled with shops, bars, restaurants and young people – this was not always the case as the area was once forbidden to regular Albanians and was the territory of Enver Hoxha and his henchmen.  There is a piece of the Berlin Wall and a concrete bunker at the corner of the park at the entrance to “The Block”  which commemorate Albanian’s isolation under communism.  We saw Enver Hoxha’s home and office building which now house a café (on one side) and an English-language school (on the other).  There is nothing which identifies the house as having belonged to the dictator of Albania for so many years.

That evening we found a little local eatery and enjoyed a chicken souvlaki followed by an ice cream for a fraction of the cost of the “Italian” meal at the hotel restaurant the night before. In spite of some modern structures, Tirana is still filled with ageing buildings and rubbish – the traffic is noisy and crazy and the small stream which runs through the city smells of sewage.  While we didn’t regret visiting the city, we were glad to leave the next morning.

ALBANIA – A Road Trip: Apollonia and Durres

The road from Orikum to Vlorë, and thence to Durres and Tirana, is narrow and winding and hugs the shoreline.  It’s difficult to believe that this is one of the main routes that links Durres to Sarandë in the south, and because of the number of beach concessions between Orikum and Vlorë, the road is incredibly busy southbound in the morning, and northbound later in the afternoon.

We were fortunate in all our comings and goings, to be travelling in the opposite direction to the traffic.  This probably saved us a good deal of time as well as frustration.  We set off reasonably early and arrived in Apollonia by mid morning – it was another very hot day with temperatures in the high 30s Celcius, and we were glad to be visiting the ancient site before the weather got too hot.

Apollonia was a thriving port town about a kilometre from the Aoos River first settled in 588BC and by the middle of the 2^nd century BC (Roman conquest) it was one of the starting points of the Via Egnatia linking the Adriatic Coast with Byzantium.  According to the guide book (“Albania” by Gillian Gloyer) Apollonia “in addition to its importance as a trading and military port, the Roman elite considered Apollonia a centre of higher learning” and “the young Octavian studied there before he was given the title of Augustus”.  Interestingly, Augustus awarded Apollonia the status of a ‘free and immune city’ which meant that they didn’t have to pay taxes and were at liberty to speak Greek and use their own coins.  The city began its decline after an earthquake shifted the course of the Aoos River far to the south, thus depriving the city of the port which had been the source of its affluence.

The church at Apollonia

The remains of the municipal building in Apollonia

The small 'private' theatre for the elite

                                The view from 'Hill 104' over Apollonia and the surrounding valley

The site was excavated by Leon Rey, a French archaeologist and his team between 1924 and 1938, and later, during the 1970s by an Albanian team of archaeologists.  The site is reasonably large but very well presented with boards showing drawings of what the various ruins represented and what they might have looked like at the peak of prosperity of Apollonia.  We spent a couple of hours wandering the ruins and then stopped for a cool drink in the shade of olive trees at the top of Hill 104 (it is 104m high) which would have been the temenos in ancient times.  The site also has an extensive and very well presented museum which can be visited for a small donation.  The museum is located in part of the monastery, with its 13^th century church and 14^th century refectory; we saw some lovely frescoes and the area is generally very well preserved.

It was early afternoon by the time we left Apollonia for the drive to Durres.  Fortunately part of the road north included an actually freeway so we reached our hotel in Durres by mid afternoon, just 90 minutes later. 

Hotel Ani was one of the three hotels I researched during my planning of the road trip and it came recommended as clean, comfortable and friendly.  The young man who checked us in showed us two rooms, one of which overlooked the main street, and the other, at the back of the hotel – we chose the back-facing room for a little less noise (even though we would have no view!).  The location of the hotel was such that we were a short walk from the main promenade area of town, across the street from the archaeological museum, and a 10 minute walk to the rest of the ancient sites in the city.  Perfect!

Tad and our new 'friend' the owner of the restaurant

                                                One of the many statues around Durres

As we knew the museum would be closed the next day (many museums around the world are closed on Mondays) we went across to check the opening times for later that day and were pleased to see that we could visit between 5pm and 8pm that evening.  So it was off to the beach for a swim and a cool-down, as well as a bite to eat.

The archaeological museum, once again, was beautiful built and laid out – unfortunately there are not a great deal of explanatory descriptions of the artefacts in English (or, it seems, in Albanian, either) but at least the provenance of the items was listed as well as dates so we could see what came from Apollonia, for example or what was excavated around Durres.

We went for a stroll around the promenade after our museum visit – the local people and visitors were all out in force –buying roasted corn on the cob, fairy floss, donuts, popcorn and sunflower seeds.  Midway rides were blaring and there was even a gypsy with a small bear on a lead (awful!) who would take photos for a small fee.  It was a lovely warm evening and we enjoyed mixing with the people before finding a nice spot to have some pizza for dinner.

The next morning we walked to the amphitheatre and made our way around the ancient site in the centre of town.  Durres was an important harbour as far back as the 7^th century BC and became another of the two starting points of the Via Egnatia under Roman rule.  The amphitheatre which the Romans built was the largest in the Balkan peninsula, and is still rather well preserved.  Unfortunately the theatre is smack in the centre of town and has been built upon by some very unattractive homes – there are also some houses that are practically in ruins that should be purchased by the government and removed to extend the excavated area, in my humble opinion, but knowing how little money the government has access to, particularly for antiquities, this is unlikely to happen.  In Byzantine times, once the amphitheatre was no longer in regular use, one enterprising resident created a small chapel out of one of the galleries and there are still some lovely mosaics on the walls. 

The amphitheatre at Durres

The main square at Durres

One of the many mosaics around the city

Hotel Ani

The beach concession to the north of Durres

One of the leftover bunkers on the shoreline

View of Durres from the Tower Bar

We continued our wandering through downtown Durres to the main square which is modern and bright, to the old city walls, and the forum and baths thought to date to the 5^th century AD.  There are also a number of Ottoman buildings scattered around this part of the city which we managed to locate on our wanderings.  We did not drive out to King Zog’s former palace as it is closed to visitors.

That afternoon, we drove a short distance north (about 30 minutes) to a more isolated and clean beach for the afternoon.  It was another steaming hot day and we were grateful for an umbrella and sunbeds on which to relax in between dips in the ocean.  In the evening, we mounted the narrow steps of the Tower Bar in town and enjoyed margaritas with a lovely view over the city.

ALBANIA – A Road Trip: Vlorë

The internet is a truly wondrous thing – I say this, because within a couple of hours of making the decision to stay at Orikum Marina, I had planned out a 6-night/7 day driving and sight-seeing tour, complete with hotel bookings in the various places we would stay.  I knew approximately how far we would drive each day, and more importantly how long it would take, and what we would endeavor to see in each place.  Naturally, my Albanian guide book was also a big help, giving suggestions of things to do and places to stay.  I must admit to being just a little nervous about driving ourselves in Albania, having already witnessed the standards of the roads as well as the drivers, however, I figured if we just went slowly we would be fine.  Besides, Tad would do the driving and I would be the navigator – as usual!

Our first day was a ‘trial run’ in that we just did a day trip and returned to Bisou for the night.  We left reasonably early and drove the 20km or so to Vlorë and spent a couple of hours walking around.  Unfortunately none of the museums we wanted to visit were open, but we did get a good feel for the largest city we had visited in Albania so far.  Not terribly exciting, not terribly clean, and very HOT!  I think I may have omitted the fact that we had been experiencing unseasonably hot weather for the past couple of weeks, but while we had been on the boat and at anchor, we didn’t feel it so keenly.  Once ashore, on paved roads and footpaths – it was a different story!

Soviet 'realist' style statues of the martyrs and founders of Albania

Some local men in a back street of Vlore playing chess

The main square in Vlore

One of the oldest mosques in Albania - in Vlore

Vlorë is a large port city into which ferries from Italy pour in, as well as commercial cargo ships, etc.  The port area is reasonably nice but the city has very little to offer tourists – most head south along the coast (from which we had just driven) to spend an inexpensive beach holiday, or inland to explore the more remote mountainous regions.  We decided to try and find a castle mentioned in the guide book as it seemed that it would offer spectacular views – the book said that it was “a few kilometres from the city centre” and although we had purchased a road map (useless) it was only when I used the Map Application on my smart phone that we found a very worn and potholed road that wound up the mountainside for about 15km and eventually arrived at Kanina Castle – actually a parking spot at the side of a road from which wound a rather steep, cobblestoned path to the castle. Quite a number of the old towns in Albania have been cobbled with limestone cobblestones, which look lovely but are lethally slippery, particularly where cars have driven over them and smoothed them out even further.  There seems to have been no attention paid to the steepness of the incline on these paths and while ascending is a good workout for the legs, descending again can be rather treacherous if you do not have good rubber treads on your shoes.  One guide pointed out that we should walk on the black stones as they are less slippery – that’s if you can find any!!!

The walk (hike!) up to Kanina Castle

But the view was worth it!

In any case, we climbed up to Kanina Castle, of which little remains, but the book was right – the views were spectacular up and down the Albanian coastline.  I am not sure that I would recommend the place as a ‘must see’ but we felt the trip was worthwhile.  We headed back to the marina and Bisou after descending back to Vlorë, and then off to the beach for a swim to finish off the day.

ALBANIA – Porto Palermo and along the coast

The Albanian coast is long; surprisingly long.  Actually, I didn’t realize just how long it was until we started motoring north – why motoring?  Because the wind simply didn’t blow, or at least didn’t blow in the right direction.  It’s not really a problem because it does mean flat seas, and good visibility and we can poke our nose into little bays and coves for a look which we otherwise might not be able to do.

We didn’t have far to go the first day we left Sarandë – a mere 15nm – so we took our time and explored a couple of nice-looking bays.  Unfortunately they were not suitable anchorages for the anticipated wind direction later on that day so we couldn’t stay but it was nice to have a look.

Arriving at Porto Palermo some three hours later, we were amazed at the size of this lovely natural harbour.  Amazed because it is such a well-protected bay, and also that no one has thought to develop it into a marina or other water-based centre.  Of course the north end was occupied by the military (navy) during the communist era and there are still remains of the buildings, and old wharf and other detritus.  But the centre of the bay has a small isthmus at the end of which is one of Ali Pasha Tepelena’s castles, still in excellent condition.  There are also the remains of a concrete wharf to which one can tie up (although it is very high and the means with which to tie off are few and far between) – we were the first boat to arrive in the area, although we knew that our friends had left the day before, and we chose what we felt was the best (and safest) place to moor Bisou.  Waiting for us on the wharf were a young man and a policeman – the young man turned out to work at the nearby restaurant but was helpful in tying us up as we came into the wharf – and the policeman just wanted our passports (checking that we had legally stamped into Albania).  It was somewhat amusing to see the stern face on the policeman as he asked for our documents, and then, once he had written everything down in his little notebook he gave us a big smile and said “Have a nice day!”

The fortress at Porto Palermo

Some of the old, pre-communist buildings including a small church

Sunset over Porto Palermo with Bisou in the foreground

Bunkers on the hillside

Once settled, the first order of the day was to have a swim in the lovely clear and warm water!  Heaven after being in a harbour for the previous four days.  It was not long after our swim and a bite to eat that the wind started gusting from over the mountains; for an hour or so it blew up to 35 knots but we were securely fastened to the wharf and just waited it out.  When the sun came out again and the wind subsided, we went ashore to explore the castle on the isthmus.

Palermo castle, or more appropriately ‘fortress’ was another of Ali Pasha Tepelena’s constructions.  It was also used by the Italian forces that occupied Albania during WWII, as well as a prison.  The views from the fortress over the bay are lovely, especially in the soft light at the end of the day.  We returned to Bisou to find an Austrian couple moored up behind us in their catamaran and ended up going ashore with them at the local restaurant for a simple (and very cheap) dinner.

An early departure the next morning was in order as we had a long journey ahead of us to our next destination – the Albanian coast is lovely but has very few sheltered anchorages along it and the usual northwesterly winds were predicted for later in the afternoon.  As usual, there was little to no wind during the morning and we motored along the coast looking at beach resorts, cliffs and isolated coves.  In spite of the isolation of some of the coastline, the areas were peppered with concrete bunkers (apparently some 750,000 were constructed and placed along the coast during the communist era!  That’s a lot of concrete!).  We wondered how the soldiers reached the bunkers and how often they were relieved from their shifts.  Further up the coast, as we approached the Karaburun Peninsula, our charts indicated that the area was previously mined (our pilot guide reassured us that the authorities had cleared the mines many years earlier). By early afternoon, we had rounded the Karaburun Peninsula (even more bunkers and larger lookouts here) and anchored off a lovely beach in crystal clear water for a swim.  Then it was time to head into the bay of Vlore and down to Orikum Marina, the only marina on the Albanian coast! 

Built and run by an Italian-Albanian organization, the owners obviously had grand plans.  The marina is not large, but the red-brick, castle-like structure of its buildings which contain holiday apartments, and the empty ground-floor areas that were to house shops, restaurants, etc. are imposing.  The marina is run by an Italian called “Luigi” (Tad wanted to ask him if he had a brother called “Mario” but we never got around to it) and he was very helpful and friendly.  The marina is not really set up for catamarans, but they were able to accommodate us on the main key alongside a large motor yacht and we felt quite secure.  The toilet and shower block was close by and we were quite private as there were not many occupied boats around.  There are a number of beach concessions right beside the marina and a small town about a kilometer away for shopping, restaurants and ATMs.

It was while we were checking in at the marina office, and advising the agent of our intention to head to Durres in the next day or two, that we had a good look at the map of Albania in the office.  This, in addition to our conversation with the Austrian couple, of the facilities at the remainder of the harbours in Albania (they are all commercial harbours and not really equipped for yachts although they will find a place for you to stay the night), made us reconsider our need to continue northwards.  We’d already managed to get through almost a week of our one month ‘escape’ time from Greece, and we could feasibly use the remaining time to explore Albania while ‘parking’ the boat in Orikum.  So that is exactly what we did – we hired a car and planned a circular route to visit as much of the centre of Albania as we could manage in a week.