Berat and Cobo Winery

After a delicious breakfast from Esmeralda at Guesthouse Ahmetaj, our very capable guide Arjon was ready at 8:30 sharp to take us to our next stop. This time, we (I) wanted to explore another Ottoman city that was in the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Berat.

We had to take a detour, as the road from Gjiro to Berat wasn't in the best possible condition. At a crossroads, Arjon suggested we could go to Tirana and other places instead of my original plan Berat, but I stubbornly wanted to see Berat. No one tell Mom! She later on told me she would want to go see Tirana, but in my defense, I didn't know it then. Had she known we were that close to going to Tirana instead, I would've been voted down by the majority 😯

The drive was pretty long, but there was a surprisingly lot to see. During our driving along the countryside, Mom reminded how my brother, when asked, had wished for a donkey as a souvenir from Albania. There were lots of donkeys, and we even entered into negotiations with this feller:

Arjon said that we could actually have him for free, and have the milk it was carrying as a bonus! Eventually we figured the logistics would be a nightmare, and gave up (Sorry Juhi - you can thank me later, Domi!). After thinking about it though, as Arjon was negotiating in Albanian, I had no clue what the terms were. He could've been bartering Mom for the donkey for all I knew!

Donkeys, mules and horses are still used to work the land, and as load carriers. We sometimes saw donkeys carrying meters-high hay bales on their backs, let alone merchandise. It was fascinating to see Albanians in their every day tasks, you can't really see that in tourist centers. Arjon was sure to show us all the possible donkeys, sheep, horses and bunkers there were, to such degree we were starting to think he had a weird fixation about them bunkers. It was only later that I figured out he kept our attention away from all the roadkill we encountered, and I totally fell for it!

Bunker in Saranda

There were lots of bunkers though, it seemed that every 100 meter there was a bunker of some sort though. The former communist leader had become rather paranoid towards the end of his reign and commanded these bunkers to be built in case of an invasion. Little did he know that it would be his own people who'd had enough of his antics that finally disposed of him.

There were also a lot of wedding processions going on. Arjon told us that Albanian weddings usually start on Wednesdays and carry on each day with different formalities, until the final stage of celebrations and customs on Sunday. Phew, that's a lot of work! I wonder how many couples just elope? Hmm.. should've asked Arjon that.

On our way to Berat, we first stopped at the Cobo Winery, which is the biggest and most popular in Albania. The granddaughter of the founder the family-owned winery took us to a tour of the facilities. They were getting ready to start processing this year's harvest, which according to one of the owners was going to be poorer than previous ones, due to the heat and drought experienced in the region.

After the short tour, we were taken to the restaurant for a tasting. For 14 euros, which was the cheapest option, you got to taste 2 of their whites, 2 reds and finally raki made with green walnuts, accompanied with all bread, feta cheese, olives etc. you could eat. One of the owners eventually took over from his niece who had first showed us around, as apparently she was wasting perfectly good wine when she didn't coat the glasses with wine correctly in the first place. I was a little miffed at this; he could've berated her away from prying eyes, but I guess that's not a consideration.

Normally, I don't like dry white wine, let alone Brute sparkling, and I much prefer reds anyway, but their white and the sparkly one were pretty good. However, the reds were a little disappointing to me, and the raki... I really wish I could've learned to like raki, but... I didn't. The glasses of wine we were offered weren't tiny ones, and eventually we noticed the effects. Luckily Arjon was looking out for us, and tempered the process. There might have been a little self preservation involved; carrying us both out of there wasn't an inviting option, I'm sure. On a side note: Arjon didn't have any of the wine because he was our guide and driver; just so you know you can trust him.

The older owner also came to show us a video of their upcoming Harvest Fest, which looked like great fun, and we were sorry we weren't going to be around for that. But if you happen to be around there (2018 the date was September 12th), it looked worth going to.

Our drive to Berat, which wasn't too far away, was rather quiet, as I tried to concentrate on getting my head straight after the wine tasting. Not that us Finns are a talkative bunch anyway... First we took a tour of the castle on top of the hill, with magnificent views over the city.

The castle is actually still used to this day, as housing, and many restaurants, hotels, mosques and churches are also located within its walls.

The castles like this and in Gjirokaster aren't actually just one structure, but consist of many outer buildings and layers, where people in the old times would carry out their lives and trades just as in any other town.

Berat, as many other cities in the region was fought over by many different nations; Greeks, Romans, Byzantians, Slavs, Ottomans, and that is visible throughout the city. However, it's mainly known for its Ottoman architecture, as Gjirokaster. It also shares similar names with Gjirokaster, as the 'White City' the 'City of Thousand Windows'.

After the tour of the city, and late lunch, we were relaxing in the hotel, I started feeling nauseous and got a horrible headache that even a 500 mg ibuprofen didn't conquer. I don't know how I ever survived without google, but according to it, I likely suffered from a sunstroke. It was a very hot day, it should've been around 28 degrees, according to a weather forecast. We actually had a discussion with Arjon about this. He claimed it was at least 33, whereas I stuck to my guns (when don't I?) and claimed it's got to be 28 as forecast. Well, turns out it was 35 that day, and I owe Arjon a drink 😕 I can admit when I'm wrong, and I was surely feeling it.

I couldn't spend all evening cooped up in a hotel, so I dragged myself out of the bed and we headed to the Promenade by the river. It was rather busy, with families and children playing around, teenagers going to meet their friends and people just hanging out. Eventually I started feeling better, although the headache was still my constant companion.

We also stopped by at a local convenience store, and the little boy who was helping his granddad with English customers asked us where we were from. The excitement in his voice when he told his granddad that we were from Finland! I don't suppose many Finnish people travel to Albania... yet.

Before leaving the next day, I had time to take a little stroll through parts of the Old Town where we were staying. I wish I had more time for it, but the sun got the better of me the day before :(

 

Gjirokaster and Blue Eye

We started from Saranda with our knowledgeable and friendly guide Arjon towards Gjirokaster, that is an old city, one of UNESCO's World Heritage sites in Albania. We has never visited Lekursi Castle on top of Saranda Hills, only seen it lit up at night. Arjon was kind enough to take us there and we didn't regret it. The view down to the city and beyond was amazing. They were just getting ready to host a wedding, and it would, indeed be a perfect place to hold one. Arjon said that the views were even more amazing in the evening, with Saranda all lit up below.

From the Fortress on the hill, we continued inland towards Gjirokaster, passing olive groves, vineyards, cattle and bunkers.

We found this family just chillin'

The road was surprisingly good, albeit a little winding. The dirt road to our first stop though; Blue Eye wasn't so good. You would think that with the amount they get from ticket sales, they could at least fix it, but I guess someone else needs it more.

Blue Eye (or Syri I Kalter in Albanian), is a spring coming down from the mountains of crystal clear water with beautiful shades of blue and green. Arjon had many wonderful legends to tell about how it came to be, and you could choose your favorite one. 😉

The Blue Eye itself is so deep that people haven't been able to get to the bottom. They've been able to launch a probe down to 35 meters, but the force of the spring has always propelled everything back up before it reaches the bottom. The water in the pond, and the spring stays at 10 degrees C, which is way too cold for me, but there were lots of people taking their chances and jumping in. It's going to be a quick one at that. Plunging into the spring is not encouraged by the officials though.

You can rent paddle boats or even take a dip in the pool further away at a bar/cafe to explore the stream further.

If you are visiting Gjirokaster, Blue Eye is on the way, so it shouldn't be missed. Both of the sites can be done as a day trip from Saranda. There is a bus going that route too, but you would have to walk quite a long way from the road to get to Blue Eye itself, and in the parching heat, it's really not the best idea.

 'The Silver City' with its whitewashed walls was built along the hillside now looking down upon the New Town of Gjirokaster. In the olden days, the reason was for the local farmers to be able to keep an eye on their fields below. The old part of Gjirokaster was built around the 1300's, and having preserved the Ottoman-style of building, earned its place in the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Upon arrival to the Old Town, you are greeted by statues of notable Gjirokastrians. Most notable of all, Enver Hoxha, the late communist leader of Albania. These days, Gjirokaster, along with Saranda have the biggest concentration of people with Greek ancestry. 

The city is also popular for its Old Bazaar, where local craftsmen and -women come and showcase their work for the visitors to take back home with. In the past, craftspeople were especially revered for their mastery of a particular trade, especially stonemasons. It was often that generations of families (mostly men) followed in their father's footsteps and took pride in their work. That isn't the case today, as it is very rare that craft alone will support a family, and whatever reasons there may be. There is, however, one stonemason's shop in the bazaar, where the son has continued his father's trade, and you can go see his work. It's a shame, in my opinion, as their exceptional talents should be appreciated for years to come. 

On the highest location of the town, stands the castle, guarding the town below. 

Clock tower in the castle

If you notice during the visit to the castle, square holes in the castle walls, do not suggest to your guide that they are used for shooting, should he ask the question. Doesn't go down well... Just know that they are a structural element, to make sure the walls stay intact and in good shape through the centuries, no matter what nature and time throws at them. Quite impressive, really.

The Castle is at the top part of the picture (find Waldo-style)

Looking out the castle window

A visit to the ethnographic museum offers an interesting look into how the old townsfolk lived their lives in the past. It's well worth a visit with a good guide who can tell you about all of the different aspects of living. I just realized that I didn't have any detailed pictures of the houses, which is funny, because I'm into architecture, but oh well, another time maybe. 

Surprisingly, seeing as it was all the way to September, our choice of accommodation was full at the time. The friendly receptionist of the hotel walked us to another hotel, which Arjon expertly negotiated for accommodation. We didn't have much to say, as the owner didn't speak much English. But the experience was wonderful, and we were showered with all sorts of goods from their garden, fresh peaches, fresh juice of unknown origin, and a surprise of a small pot of honey. It was a little too sweet even for my tooth, but pouring it in my tea worked fine too! 

Delicious natural, home-made breakfast. The flat breads to the left were made when we stepped in to have the breakfast. Very fresh!

I have this thing about both mountains and the sea, so of course I had to take pictures from the balcony of the hotel when there were mountains on sight.

The ancient site of Butrint and Beach in Ksamil

Neither my Mother, or myself are people who could grill themselves on the beach for days on end, so to keep things interesting for Mom, and just because I myself wanted to explore different places, I had planned visiting different places around the Southern part of Albania.

On our second day upon arriving in Saranda, the ancient city of Butrint south of Saranda was our destination. Mom isn't too fond of ruins, but I dragged her on a trek around this UNESCO World Heritage Site in the 30-degree heat. In my defense, if we waited for a cooler day, that never would've come. Just make sure you've got lots of water with you; there aren't many facilities inside the site to buy any.

We took a local bus from the bus stop near the synagogue at around 9:30. There weren't many people going to Butrint, most of the tourists got dropped off at the beaches of Ksamil. The bus only cost 100 leke per person, one way (under a euro). However, the locals readily accepted euros as payment, so the trip could be paid as 1 euro, they even accepted a dollar as payment!

Getting off at Butrint was easy enough, as it was the last stop, and they do shout out each stop. However, we should've checked when the bus returned to Saranda there and then. The drop-off stop wasn't the same as the pick-up stop, which was behind some rubbish bins further along. In any case, it leaves once every hour in the daytime, now you know :) So just remember when you were dropped off, whether it was half past etc. Some people had even come in with a taxi, and asked them to wait outside, until they were ready.

Butrint is said to be founded by the exiles from Troy after its fall. The earliest sites date from the 8th century BC and is  culturally very rich: ancient Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Venetians and Ottomans have all made their statement in the city. Walking around, you could get a good feel about how big this important port city actually was.

As I like ruins, I took quite a few pictures, but I'm considerate enough not to load everything here :)

The Amphitheater

Wall in the Great Basilika

Roman Bath

Agora/Forum/ Marketplace

The Baptistery (where they baptized people) is known for its incredible mosaics, but unfortunately for tourists, it is now covered in sand as to protect it. Therefore I borrowed a picture from the time it was still available to be admired.

auroraviaggi.com

The Lake Gate

Lake view

Love the combination of water and mountains

There was a lot of climbing and uneven, sometimes slippery pavement stones involved in the experience. I wouldn't suggest anyone with mobility issues to try it, especially all the way to the castle. Some people were even wearing flip-flops, which is rather extreme, seeing as my shoes were comfortable enough, other than the soles were a little too smooth. Sneakers/trainers are the best option, unless you want to go extreme and use robust hiking boots.

The archaeologists have done a great job, uncovering so much of the ancient city and hopefully that will be preserved for generations to come.

Ksamil 

If you are taking the trip to Butrint, do stop by at Ksamil. It's a small town with famous beaches. Famous as in it has the rare white sand and turquoise water that usually isn't found in Southern Albania, which has more pebbly beaches. Best option would be to come by car, as you are rather limited of choice, even though the bus does take you to the town. 

After a decent lunch in the town, the waiter directed us to a nearby beach, which even in the beginning of September was packed full. But as we had come this far, we would go in and enjoy the swim. We paid 1000 lekes for 2 chairs and a beach umbrella, which is a little under 10 euros. 

None of my pictures do Ksamil justice, so here's something from the Swedish Nomad. The beach we went to wasn't the best, but it was the closest and we were able to have a swim or two after a hot day of walking.

From Swedish Nomad

Reflections of Saranda

You can't really tell that Albania was a communist country until the 1990's, at least in Saranda. The town itself could be anywhere in the tourist region of Europe. The numerous hotels and restaurants erected by the seaside, beach umbrellas and sun worshipers abound.

Saranda has gone from a small fishing village to a tourist hub with no end to expansion in sight. There are still bargains to be had, if you want to buy an apartment by the seaside; you can get a 1-bedroom apartment with €34 k, and that's just the tourist price. (In my experience,  there is one price for tourists, and another for locals on everything.) 

Most of the tourists in Saranda have arrived there by the convenient ferry from Corfu. And it's very common to do day trips both ways. For now, Albania's only airport is in Tirana, but there are discussions about building one in Vlore, and maybe even Saranda. That would mean even more tourists, as a bus drive from Tirana to Saranda in the South takes several hours.

There are many unfinished buildings all around Saranda and Albania. I was told this was because of the complicated building permit, title ownership and documentation practices in Albania. It appears you can start building, but if a recent change in the council regulations require your building to be 2 floors, instead of the 3 you were approved for, the building will be halted. Or it might not be clear who actually originally owns the land, even though you've got a title for it. (We had same issues in Nicaragua.) Sometimes this is handled by passing some 'incentive' to the appropriate hands.

The Bay area of the town is really the tourist hub of all. The Promenade is a gathering point for tourists and locals alike, a place to see and to be seen in the evenings.

Children with their parents come out to play and it's finally cool enough for the dogs to come out with their owners. One thing I appreciated was that dogs were allowed to swim in the sea and go to the beach, which is unlike so many other countries. And yet, there was no dog poop on the beaches that I could see.

It was also nice to observe all the different yachts and cruise ships that anchored on the bay. The passengers were ambling around the Promenade, and different vendors set up their goods just for the occasion of having the passengers come visit.

We even met a lovely elderly gentleman from Florida, who had given the cruise for himself as a birthday present 💓He had almost skipped Saranda altogether, being wary of the bad things he'd been told, but as we talked to him, he said he was very happy to have taken the chance and explored the lovely place. I do hope the rest of his trip went well.

Saranda was built on a hillside, just like so many Albanian coastal villages, as the country is very mountainous. Therefore, there were lots of steps to climb if you wanted to explore the city away from the Promenade. Most streets closest to the beach were unsurprisingly littered with souvenir - and tourist shops, but on the 2nd street from the Promenade, there started to be more mainstream shops, grocery stores and local fruit stalls. This is where the locals lived, as they've been priced out from the beach areas.

This picture is probably a more well-to-do area in any case.

During the hottest part of the day, you could see locals set up a cardboard mattress under a tree in the central park, and families sat there watching their children play as the tourists were grilling themselves on the beach.

There were a few beggars on the streets too, and the women unabashedly used their children as preps. There were also children walking around selling fruits and berries in cups. Mom often mumbled about child labor...

So, there aren't any traces of the communist regime that I can plainly see in the town. In Saranda, tourists can have a good standard of living, even on the inexpensive side when you know where to go. The beach restaurants are obviously more expensive than those further away. But there are also differences between the beach restaurants themselves. such as Restaurant Gostivari and its neighbor Fresh Fish Joni. Having enjoyed a relatively inexpensive meal at Gostivari, we thought the Joni next to it would be about the same price. It certainly wasn't! And the food was badly made, but that's something for TripAdvisor, not here.

Which reminds me of this yummy dessert though, I don't know its name unfortunately, was something local and Albanian. Very sweet and filling. It had some sort of cake on the bottom, then some custardy kind of filling, fruit and whipped cream... As you can see, I was half way done with it, before I realized I should probably take a pic of it before it was all gone. It doesn't look as pretty as it did untouched.

If you want to exchange currency, the several money exchange offices on the 2nd street from the Promenade have much better rates than e.g. banks, or even taking money out of the ATM. Even then, there are slight differences in the rates they give, so if you're particular about it as I am, do check them, they are clearly posted.

Had we spent all our holiday in Saranda, it would've been a little boring. You really should be mobile and explore all the different areas around Saranda and Southern Albania. More about that later though...

There's a lot to see up north too, but that would be for another time.

The main roads aren't in such a bad shape as years ago. There are still some improvements to be made when it comes to traffic culture, but as long as you are aware of our surroundings and don't go competing with local drivers, you should be good. However, if the police stop you, you shouldn't get out of the car, or pay them what they request, as it is against the law. That might have been my only point of hesitancy in this driving yourself business.

If you'd like to explore the country with someone else doing the driving, and a very knowledgeable guide, I would definitely recommend contacting Arjon Hila. He speaks both English and Finnish, and as a local, knows the country, its history and people. He can be found on Facebook, or you can ask me for his WhatsApp information.

Most of the time, however, we took the bus or the furgon, which is a kind of a minibus. Definitely an experience all by itself. Just be aware that you will get the tourist rates that the locals don't have to pay...

You may also see places having 2 different forms of names, such as Saranda and Sarandë. The first is the definite form, which is alright to use speaking English, and the second is the indefinite form, which is often seen on street signs or buses.

Crossing the Ionian Sea to Saranda, Albania

This, as a lot of the posts are basically for those considering maybe taking the similar kind of trip as we did to Albania, and are really about the journey itself, nothing noteworthy happened. But I feel it's good to write things down to give tips for the next person, if nothing else than not to make the same mistakes...

After spending the final night in Corfu, it was time to set sail (okay, okay, take the ferry - not as idyllic) to Albania and the port of Saranda that I could wistfully glance at from the shores of Corfu.

We had bought our tickets from an office by the port the previous day. They had told us the terminal was about 200 meters from the office, not a walk at all! Hauling our luggage in the early morning heat, we came to realize it wasn't quite the 200 meters they had told us. Fortunately for Mom though, she had left half of her clothes in the closet at the hotel, so hers was a little lighter 😂

We followed other tourists with luggage, and they were also just dragging along. Finally, after maybe a kilometer or so, we came up to what looked like a bigger terminal, and went to ask ticket counter for directions. They showed us which way to go, about a 200- meter- trek again.

Well, it wasn't another kilometer, but it wasn't 200 meters either... We did finally end up on the other side of the harbor, with a big building for security, passport control etc. Apparently this was the area where the ferries to Italy and Albania left. In hindsight, taking a taxi might've been an option, but again, Mom was soldiering on!

After checking for our tickets and passports, we took a seat in the lobby, and bought a couple of bottles of water from the small Duty-Free store. We were told to be there 45 minutes before the departure, but we were well ahead. People just kept coming in, and finally it was packed full. However, this little fella' didn't mind anyone, just continued snoozing without a care. The waiting room was nice and air-conditioned, so I don't blame him!

(Picture was taken when the crowds had departed.)

At some point, the crowd started moving towards the door, and we got up also to get decent seats. However, it eventually came about that they were there for another ferry, that left an hour before ours. I went to ask one of the officials, and he checked for me that our ferry wasn't boarding yet, and that they would call us when it was ready. So we could just sit down and continue to wait. Well, unfortunately, our previous seats were already taken, so we just queued until we hit a few seats that were left empty.

When the waiting room emptied out, we just minded our time, chilling, when we noticed a couple of hurried-looking officers come in the room. They asked us which ferry we were taking, and as we told them, they told us to hurry along, as our ferry had also already docked and was open for passengers. so, we went for our ferry, which was much less crowded than the previous one had been, but saw familiar faces that had disappeared with the earlier crowd. I hope they didn't recognize us...

We went inside from the car/loading door and left our luggage there, next to the wall, then climbed up the stairs to the upper deck. The places next to the bar under the shade were already taken, but we took a seat anyway. Unfortunately there wasn't anything worthwhile to eat at the bar, just some chocolate bars, soft drinks/soda and hard alcohol. When we set out, it eventually got too hot, so we decided to go to the upper deck, where we could at least get a better breeze.

As hindsight is always 20/20, we should've maybe picked up the seats on the sides of the boat. They were still shaded, but got a little more of the breeze. Well, the upper deck had the best views, but once we got out from the shelter of Corfu, the wind picked up and tossed us about quite a bit. I'm so glad we took the old-fashioned ferry, and not the catamaran-thingy, which would have been faster, but... I would've tossed up my breakfast for sure. The ferry trip takes about an 1 hr and 20 minutes, whereas the catamaran probably takes ca. 30 minutes.

Oh, and the Corfu time was same as in Finland, EST, but going East to Albania, it was CET, Central European time. A little confusing, but oh well...

I did take a few pictures with my phone's camera, but as the sun was mirroring everything on the screen, I wasn't able to see exactly what I took pictures of, just aiming and hoping to catch something. All I can say is that the sky was clear, and there were apparently nice cloud formations in the sky...

Upon arrival to the Saranda terminal, we were greeted by calmer waters, and after passport check, a bunch of taxi drivers. Luckily they weren't that pushy, and took 'no" for an answer. I knew that our hotel was close enough, along the beach boulevard, and after about a 15-minute walk, we had arrived!

Kassiopi in Corfu

Next day, after another noisy night, we sauntered off to a nearby bus stop near the ferry terminals to catch a bus to Kassiopi, a small fishing village north of Kerkyra that had been recommended on TripAdvisor. It took about 20 minutes for the bus to show up from the city centre to our stop. Usually the buses had the destination marked on the front, but we couldn't find it on this one. Luckily, a local lady was going on the same one, and confirmed that's where it was going.

Unlike elsewhere, you actually entered from the doors in the middle, and instead of paying the driver upfront, we were methodologically seated (as methodologically as you can do it in Greece), and when the bus started, the conductor went around collecting the fare from everyone. The trip was 3.90 EUR per person to Kassiopi. The bus picked up people along the way, mostly tourists heading to where ever they were, and they were all seated in an orderly fashion, didn't care if families or friends were separated. Eventually, we had picked up so many people that some had to stand.

The road through the mountains was winding with hairpins turns that the bus negotiated with reasonable ease. Using the other lane for leverage wasn't unheard of, and if a car happened to come by on that lane, it was their duty to move out of the way. When a car filled with young tourists didn't realise this, and challenged the driver, nothing good followed and they had to give in. The rest of the journey we then listened to the driver's discussion about tourists. Luckily that was all in Greek, so we didn't understand it. 

When we finally arrived in Kassiopi, we didn't really know where to go. Consulting a map beforehand might have been a good idea, but hindsight and all that... I do as others do, so follow the people who seem to know what they're doing. Finally, we found a small beach and decided to have a couple of ciders by the restaurant/bar and watched the tourists drive by. 

I had a feeling of "is this it?" Should I stop trusting TripAdvisor on these things? Finally, I sacrificed enough mobile data and googled where we were. Turns out we were on the opposite side of the village, from where all the action is. Well, Mom was sporting enough 

to start walking by the scenic, oceanfront route, with its many beaches and sunbathers. 

We even managed to catch a glimpse of Saranda on the Albanian side. 

and eventually we came to the actual village centre, where the harbour/port was. It was a hive of action with tourists flocking to the restaurants and souvenir shops. There were also lots of different vessels moored in the harbour. 

We ended up having lunch at a restaurant by the harbour, where I had the best ever beef stifado. And that's not saying it lightly! Wish I remembered the name, but oh well. The return trip seemed to go through a road closer to the coast, which meant we could see even more places on the way. The bus dropped us off near the harbour and terminal, although there wasn't really a designated stop there, the driver just followed a passenger's instructions on where to drop her off. Fine by us!