Southern Albania
Today we saw some very different—and very refreshing—aspects of Albania. We docked in the southernmost port of Sarande, which hopes to become a popular resort destination.
An early morning drive took us to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Butrint, which is a remarkable chronicle of history and civilization on the Adriatic Coast. Located on a peninsula jutting out into the large and productive Butrint lagoon, it is linked to the sea by the 4km Vivari Channel. Our excellent local guides, both Albanian teachers, stepped us through ancient Greek and Roman theaters, temples and baths, through Byzantine basilicas and baptisteries, past Venetian towers and gateways, and up into a huge Ottoman Turkish fortification that towered above the site. What a site! Butrint is also a biological reserve, and one of the most impacting aspects of Butrint is that nature has reclaimed the site from millennia of civilization, and is clearly not ready to yield.
We then drove back to Sarande, where some of us walked the inspiring waterfront back to the ship and the rest of us drove up to the Turkish Lekurit Castle. None of us expected the amazing views in every direction, including a panorama of the large Greek island of Corfu and the harbor of Sarande below us.
But we weren’t done yet. After lunch we cruised up to the forgotten naval bay of Porto Palermo, where an abandoned castle protrudes out into the bay on a rocky promontory. After a little bit of swimming and kayaking, we were summoned up through the spectacularly illuminated castle chambers and out onto the crenulated tower walls. With haunting flute music wisping over the bay and some creative food and beverages from the ship’s service team, we had a cocktail party that none of us will ever forget. We are all still trying to figure out how to pool our money and buy the abandoned Ali Pasha’s Castle!
Today we saw some very different—and very refreshing—aspects of Albania. We docked in the southernmost port of Sarande, which hopes to become a popular resort destination.
An early morning drive took us to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Butrint, which is a remarkable chronicle of history and civilization on the Adriatic Coast. Located on a peninsula jutting out into the large and productive Butrint lagoon, it is linked to the sea by the 4km Vivari Channel. Our excellent local guides, both Albanian teachers, stepped us through ancient Greek and Roman theaters, temples and baths, through Byzantine basilicas and baptisteries, past Venetian towers and gateways, and up into a huge Ottoman Turkish fortification that towered above the site. What a site! Butrint is also a biological reserve, and one of the most impacting aspects of Butrint is that nature has reclaimed the site from millennia of civilization, and is clearly not ready to yield.
We then drove back to Sarande, where some of us walked the inspiring waterfront back to the ship and the rest of us drove up to the Turkish Lekurit Castle. None of us expected the amazing views in every direction, including a panorama of the large Greek island of Corfu and the harbor of Sarande below us.
But we weren’t done yet. After lunch we cruised up to the forgotten naval bay of Porto Palermo, where an abandoned castle protrudes out into the bay on a rocky promontory. After a little bit of swimming and kayaking, we were summoned up through the spectacularly illuminated castle chambers and out onto the crenulated tower walls. With haunting flute music wisping over the bay and some creative food and beverages from the ship’s service team, we had a cocktail party that none of us will ever forget. We are all still trying to figure out how to pool our money and buy the abandoned Ali Pasha’s Castle!
