We left Berat and headed to the south where the Adriatic and Ionian Seas meet. The area is known for its’ year round warm weather and minimal rainfall. Unfortunately we headed into more rain!
Our first glimpse of water were the calm lagoons and islands just off the coast…
We also got a glimpse of Sazan Island which is the island that Jared Kushner’s investment firm planned to buy and build a luxury eco resort. It sits strategically in the Strait of Oranto between the Adriatic and Ionian seas. This purchase has sparked the mass public protests that we are seeing in Tirana.
Here it is in the distance…it is also a place where flamingos come to rest thus the protests being called
“The Flamingo Revolution”.
We then continued on to Vlore which is a big town on the coast. In season it is crowded with tourists but not today, it was really quiet.
It had a lovely Old Town which must be nice when the weather is good…
It was a cup of hot tea kinda day…
Vlore is also the town which has Flag Square which is the symbolic centrepiece and historical cradle of modern Albania. It commemorates Nov 28, 1912 when the Albanian flag was raised and the nation’s independence from nearly 500 years of Ottoman rule…
We stayed the night there and ate at a nice restaurant which awesome sea food, of course I had to take pictures…
And complimentary fruit and raki, the local liqueur to end the meal…
Food here is plentiful and every place we stayed had huge breakfasts with all you could eat…
We continued on the next day driving along the coast called the Albanian Rivera…
But first of all we had more mountains to climb…
A few stops along the way to admire the views…
Some hilltop villages along the way…
We stayed the night in this deserted beach town…
This is the local donkey which we saw feeding in the middle of town.
That night we stayed in a local family hotel and ate at a local restaurant but I forgot to take pictures.
However I will remember the kindness of the owner who could speak very little English but gave great hugs. She told our guide we were very nice people and served us a breakfast with her free range eggs and home grown veggies. When we were leaving she went back into her kitchen and gave me a bottle of her homemade plum jam and Don a water bottle full of her homemade raki. The people we have met here in Albania are some of the kindest people we have met anywhere in our travels.
A few more views on the way…
Olive trees grow everywhere here…
Our final stop on the coast was at another popular tourist town called Ksamil which is called the “ Pearl of the Albanian Rivera…
It has this oversized, modern hand that rises out of the shallow water. It is a local landmark where in high season people line up for hours to have their picture taken but no one here today.
Tomorrow we head inland again and only a couple of more days before our driving holiday is over…a great trip so far!
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