The kids and I embarked on our most ambitious and complicated overseas trip yet. Seven countries (five new ones for me), at least ten border crossings, five flights, four buses (one overnight), two rental cars, one high speed train, ten different hostels or hotels a ferry and a whole bunch of memories. This is the Balkans tour of 2017 with Glen and Alexandra (Ale).
100 U.N COUNTRIES
I've been at this travel business for a long time and while all places are memorable for one reason or another, Albania will always be special to me because it is the 100th U.N. country visited. Only 93 to go to complete the set!
Tirana was great. With Seb and Lily I picked up an SUV rental car from Tirana International Airport and drove to the Backpacker Hostel in downtown Tirana. We took a self-guided walking tour around the city to get bearings, withdraw money and scope out a place for dinner that evening. Glen and Ale arrived at around 7pm - the first time I've seen them since Chile a couple of months ago (but it seemed longer). Sadly the dinner place was closed but we stumbled upon a nameless seafood place where we were the only patrons. It was a really nice meal and a beautiful evening in Albania's capital but I doubt I could find the restaurant again. We went to Skanderbeg Square and saw the Et'hem Bey Mosque & Clock Tower while the kids played in the water fountains. The square had just recently opened and the entire thing is essentially a water fountain.
The next day we drove to Berat via Fier where we visited the Greek ruins of Apollonia. The ruins were a great way to spend a few hours and we had afternoon tea at a neat little cafe. During the drive I got waved down by one of the many police officers beside the main road. I didn't know that it was a requirement to drive with lights on at all times but the police officer was kind enough to reach into the car and turn them on for me once he figured out I couldn't understand Albanian.
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| The Greek ruins at Appolonia |
THE TOWN OF A THOUSAND WINDOWS
The town of Berat, about three hours south of Tirana, is known for its historic architecture and scenic beauty. It's called 'the town of a thousand windows', due to the many large windows of the old decorated houses overlooking the town. In July 2008 the old town, called Mangalem district, was given UNESCO World Heritage status. There are plenty of gorgeous sites within easy walking distance - the church of the holy trinity, the citadel, Berat castle, the ethnographic museum and the panorama of the town from high of the hill. It's a stunning place, unspoiled by mass tourism and delightful at every turn. I didn't want to leave after only two days there but I didn't want to miss out on some of the other hidden treasures of Albania either. We had to keep moving.
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| The view of Berat from Berat Backpackers |
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| Beautiful view of Berat |
The old town center of Gjirokastër is another UNESCO World Heritage site, described as "a rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town, built by farmers of large estate". We took a detour to check this place out and it didn't disappoint. This would be the southern most point of the trip - from here it's pretty much north all the way until we get to Paris in three weeks.
Gjirokastër can be divided into roughly two halves, the old town up on the hill, and the new town in the valley below. The castle is the historical and geographical center of the city and where we spent most of our time. The views are amazing and there is a lot to explore including an armaments museum, various chambers in differing states of disrepair and a couple of large open areas used for folk festivals. Dinner was on a lovely little terrace at a restaurant called Kujtimi not far from the huge Kodra hotel. We stayed for sunset and wandered around the old city streets for a while before driving back to Berat (about two hours away) for some late night drinks at Berat Backpackers.
Tomorrow is another new adventure as we drive over the border into Kosovo.
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