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Saranda, Albania
We booked ourselves on to the 13:30 Ionian Seaways hydrofoil from Corfu Town to
Saranda Port. The journey takes just 60 minutes, and we were due to arrive in
Albania at 13:00 hours (no, we didn’t travel back in time; Albania is an hour
behind Greece on the Greenwich Mean Time Zone). There is an earlier crossing at
09:00 hours, but seeing as though we had to check-in at least 60 minutes prior
to our departure, this option would’ve seen us waking up at ridiculous o’clock
on the first day of our trip and missing an enjoyable Greek breakfast down by
the harbour. So we opted for the lunchtime crossing, expecting to be able to
pick up the car and be on the road by 14:00 hours. However, there was a power
cut in Corfu Town, which resulted in the closure of Passport Control. For
several hours.
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Gjirokaster, Albania
We continued our journey on to Gjirokastër, a city that’s located in a valley
between the Gjerë mountains and the Drino river and is famous for its castle
(one of the largest in the Balkans) and for its UNESCO listed Old Town. We were
staying at the centrally-located Friends Hostel, and we honestly couldn’t have
asked for a nicer welcome on our first day in Albania. We were immediately
treated like friends by our host and his family, and even the resident dog and
cat seemed interested in getting to know us (even if it was purely for the fuss
we gave them). The terrace offers amazing views across the city and up to the
castle and is a lovely sunny spot to enjoy breakfast every morning. Although
there was also a lot of construction work being undertaken in the bazaar area of
Old Town Gjirokastër, and the city’s mosque was almost completely hidden behind
scaffolding, I could see that – without the rubble, the plastic tubing, the
construction vehicles, the holes in the ground and the STOP signs – Gjirokastër
would be (and still was, to a large degree) an absolutely delightful little
city.
- Kalaja e Gjirokastres
- Zekate House
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Dhërmi, Albania
We’d actually planned to stop at Borsh and Porto Palermo on route to Dhermi, but
we ended spending much longer than we’d planned exploring Gjirokastër, so both
places were moved into the next day’s itinerary. As we drove through Himarë, I
felt glad that we’d chosen Dhermi as our base instead of this big, busy beach
resort that seemed very far removed from either of our ideas of paradise.
Conversely, our home for the next two nights in Dhermi was a little oasis of
peace and tranquility just outside the village and within easy walking distance
of the beach. Penelope’s Rooms is run by the sweetest, most genuine couple who
want nothing more than to make their guests’ stays as enjoyable as possible.
It’s also surrounded by mountains that we could gaze out at from our private
terrace.
- Dhermi Beach
- Gjipës
- Himarë Castle
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Berat, Albania
Seeing as though we’d missed out on visiting Butrint, we were keen to drop by
the ancient Illyiran city of Apollonia on route to Berat. Although I use the
term ‘drop by’ very loosely, because it was a very long drive down a very bad
road to get there. We didn’t see a single other vehicle after turning off the
SH8 at Levan, and we had the pick of car parking spaces when we arrived. Founded
by the Greeks in 588 B.C, Apollonia was once a significant trading port and
cultural centre for about 50,000 people. However, an earthquake in the third
century A.D caused the city to fall into decline. It was re-discovered in the
early 19th century and first excavated by the French Archeologist Léon Rey
between 1924 and 1938. But, 80 years later, it is estimated that a large chunk
of the site (around 90%) still remains uncovered. What has been uncovered is
pretty impressive though – especially Apollo’s Temple and the Odeon Theatre.
- Castle Park
- National Iconographic Museum "Onufri"
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Përmet, Albania
We left Berat at around 12:30 p.m, believing we had just a two hour 11 minute
journey ahead of us – plus stopping time in Benjë. However, we eventually
arrived in Përmet nine and a half hours later, and that was without stopping in
Benjë! I’m not going to bore you with the details now, because this post is
already over 4000 words long. But you can read about our experience of driving
between Berat and Përmet in more detail here, under the heading ‘Not all ‘roads’
in Albania are actually roads’ – which may give you a clue as to the reason for
our massive detour. In short, if you want to get off the beaten track here in
Albania (which is what road trips are all about, aren’t they?), I’d advise
hiring a 4 x 4 vehicle rather than a small car with a very low wheelbase. Also,
don’t place your trust in a road that starts off in good condition or in one
labelled as a State Highway (SH) on a map, because they can (and do) turn into
dirt tracks that are impassable for the majority of vehicles. On the plus side
though, we did pass through some beautiful, lush mountain scenery and deep
canyons.
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Korča, Albania
After our misadventures the day beforehand, we were keen to get on the road
early. So we cut our explorations of Përmet very short and hopped in the car
shortly after checkout at 10 a.m. Fortunately though, the road between Përmet
and Korça was in reasonably good condition for the entire journey, save for the
usual Albanian potholes. And the scenery on this particular leg of the journey
completely blew me away. We drove along quiet winding roads amidst lush
tree-covered hills and craggy snow-capped mountain peaks, we passed through tiny
farming villages and vast forests, and the sound of flowing water – whether it
be from a nearby waterfall or stream or from the Vjosa river or one of its
tributaries – was never far away.
- The Cathedral Christ Resurrection
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Tirana, Albania
After grabbing a very nice breakfast at one of the cafes on the main square in
the centre of Korça’s bazaar, we hit the road again. Our drive today would take
us along the shores of Lake Ohrid on the Albanian side and through the city of
Elbasan. Our final destination was Tirana, where we would drop off our car and
end our seven-day road trip around Albania.
- Skanderbeg Square (Sheshi Skënderbej)
- Parku Rinia
- Bunk'Art 2