Lake Ohrid

Posted on November 6, 2023 by Clunegapyears

3-5/11/2023

On our last night on Berat, neither of us slept. On top of a rock hard bed, one of the hosts chained dogs kept barking! I mentioned it to the son, saying other guests would not be happy. Later, I received an email from Booking.com. The host had claimed we had failed to show. Either, they were concerned that I’d leave negative comments in my review or they didn’t want to pay Booking.com their commission. I was concerned that my credit card would still be charged, so I filled in the form that we had stayed. Despite the noisy dog, the rigid bed, the lack of kitchen equipment (e.g. 1 knife), rubbish Internet, no freezer door (everything in the fridge froze,) and leaking toilet… I would have left a generous review as a) it was cheap and b) the mother and 2 teenage children were so sweet and we felt sorry for them. Ho hum.

Being shattered, we pretty much drove directly to Lake Ohrid.
Much poorer area, for instance, Chicken soup, bread and water for lunch was £2.50 ….. for both of us! Most people we’ve seen at lunch order soup and a big bowl of rice. And strip farming. I imagine this is a legacy of the communist years where people had a strip to grow their own veg. A bit like allotments on a larger scale.

*A large area of long narrow strip* *farming*

For much of the drive, we followed a railway track. Neither of us thought the crumbling concrete viaducts looked safe. Google advised this line closed in 2007. Shame as it used to be a known panoramic trip. The whole of the Albanian railway line is now defunct. A small freight section is apparently under repair.

Just short of our Airbnb, we drove through Lin on Lake Ohrid to the spit at the end.

*And across Lake Ohrid to North Macedonia*

Having parked, I was scammed into buying a jar of fig jam by an insistent older lady. I was NO match for her. We both started the walk around the headland. A bit of a clamber over a steep drop. J’s vertigo kicked in, so he returned to the car.

Our Airbnb is a step up in quality. Gifts of food and the hosts mother delivered baked goods yesterday. Apparently, she would have bought pastries today, but we politely declined. as we knew we were going for a fish supper. But the apartment is cold! Oh so cold. A small electric heater thankfully in the kitchen / lounge. Our warm PJs are in the roofbox, and that is not being unlocked till Crete! Lots of heavy blankets on the bed and snuggling for warmth!

Yesterday we had a bitter wind and lots of rain. Max temperature was 13C. All our warmer clothes, hats etc are buried … in the roofbox! Not kind that friends on Crete were telling us it was 32C!

We attempted to drive to an ancient burial ground. But the road went from tarmac, to stones to mud. Didn’t fancy 11km of that in the rain. So aborted, but not before passing a rubbish dump, including about 30 vehicles. People lived opposite! We’ve been staggered by how much rubbish there is … everywhere. We have seen people throw sacks over the edge of the road. Drop things out of car windows. And we will stop using wet wipes … seen loads, and they just don’t disintegrate.

Pogradec is pleasant … cold having a coffee. We stopped for a fried fish late lunch at a taverna recommended by the Airbnb host So good we went back today and shared a large fish … Ohrid trout is deservedly highly regarded.

*Corries’ ears flapping in the icy wind*

*The tavern*a *was full of stuffed animals … thought some might think we were lunch!*

*Great to watch a family of 3 generations celebrate and dance.*

Day 2. The sun returned today so we set off on a walk. Up and up. It became a sheep track. Fab views. The summit (summit as it truly is a mountain) is crowned with phone masts. We decided to stop following the walk, as we didn’t fancy a steep descent on a path, similar to those we’d climbed up. We re-routed the slightly longer way along the easier the access track for the masts … Leaving the masts, we saw all the Restricted Area signs. Oops. Then the police appeared. Language barrier. We were clearly hapless tourists walking, so they waved us on!

*A quick look at the ponds where the karst feeds Lake Ohrid*

We went directly and hungrily to the fish taverna and shared a whole BBQ Ohrid trout. Being on a healthy eating kick, we started with salad. Being greedy and hungry, we also had chips! But we did manage to maintain our dry November!

Berat

Posted on November 2, 2023 by Clunegapyears

1-2/11/2023

A wander in Berat the night we arrived and our last supper out! We are going dry and healthy eating for November!!!

*We climbed as far as we could in the old town … all paths leading to guest houses*

Yesterday, we drove up to a typical town for coffee. Full of people.

*Advert for BA on a travel agent, probably as so many Albanians go there. All the other adverts were domestic companies*

Just beyond, the valley floor was littered with abandoned military buildings … the largest Albanian munitions manufacturing was here. Used to employ over 2000. Now, those, that work, make stone bricks and tiles. Officially, unemployment is reducing and at about 10% for men. Probably as so many have left for the UK. And frankly, I just don’t believe the official stats given how many working age men, particularly, are hanging around cafes, bars and town centres.

We were headed to walk to a waterfall and then to view points over a canyon. But the road was a dirt track. I was having an off day (lost my mojo) and didn’t fancy 11km each way of having to concentrate just to the waterfall.

That afternoon, we walked up to the castle … at one time, 42 churches, until most were destroyed during the atheism years. Now only 8. Some were then destroyed during WW2. Proper castle, still with houses inside the castle walls.

Today was wandering Berat proper. Either side of the river. Great views of the Ottoman town of a 1000 windows. Had to Google… apparently, there were no windows on the street side so the women couldn’t be seen from the street. I guess they put as many in as possible the other side for light.

*Wouldn’t want to have to curtain all these!*

*J’s haircut and beard trim … £2.90 with good tip*

We’ve been interested in car ownership since I read that in 1991 (end of communism) only 600 cars were registered. I appreciate there were probably a number of illegal ones on the road. So a few googled facts:

Albania has the oldest cars in EU and EEA members.
In 2020, 540,000 cars were registered. Of which only 4000 were under 2 years old. The majority of 311,000 were 10-20 years old. 180,000 were over 20 years old.
Albania has the lowest ownership rate… just 1 in 5.
40% of all vehicles are registered in Tirana … no wonder it was noisy, polluted and chaotic.
Mercedes is the most popular vehicle brand, accounting for over 18% . Perhaps we should bring our young (12 year old Merc) over for a refurb!

Triple A Day

Posted on November 1, 2023 by Clunegapyears

31/10/2023

Appollonia ancient site, Ardenica Monastery and Ate well.

Update on sleep. We slept brilliantly. Even the neighbouring dogs didn’t bark for long as the pup wasn’t howling! It transpired, the poor pup had been tied up far the other side of the owner’s house. Oh dear … at least we slept.

We packed up as moving day. Vlore to Berat. But with stops, of course.

Appollonia Ancient site

It’s a national park, and it did feel like a nice walk with things to see. The site is quite vast, and we quickly lost other visitors when we walked to the Nypheum and main Theatre, which were out on a limb. Only 10% has been excavated and relatively recently 1920/30’s and then 1980’s. The museum had some fine pieces. Some going back to C8 BC. Despite such long occupation, the buildings are Roman, with many stones recycled from earlier construction.

*Iconostasis and some frescoes in the church*

*No site in Albania would be complete without damage by Hohxa’s communist era*

*The main Theatre away* *from the* *other visitors*

Ardenica Monastery

The only monk inhabited monastery in Albania. Not surprising really since the atheism years repressed religion and Albania is mostly Muslim – a legacy of the hundreds of years of Ottoman rule.
It was saved destruction in the atheism years, 1967-99, as the quick thinking Abbott said that the national hero, Skanderbeg, had been married here. Didn’t stop some damage as it was then used as a military barracks.
Despite this, it was a goose bump moment. Stunning frescos on nearly every wall from 1744.

No pix allowed so pinched these off the web.

*They’ve done fundraising so loaded. Restoration works, new plumbing etc*

*The frescoes were pretty much on every wall*

Ate Well

We arrived in Berat at our new home for 3 nights. Talk about chalk and cheese! The last was bijou, and this is super spacious. But not well equipped, not even a dish cloth. And bits broken, like the toilet seat, the toilet leaks, the front door doesn’t lock. The fridge was brought in whilst we were out, and it’s ancient and missing the freezer compartment door. Ho hum only £16.50 per night! Oh, and the bed is rock hard 😔.

We wandered up one side of Berat in the dark and then down. Started our meal outside. Finished it inside … it had started to rain so Corrie was left in the car. Good food and half a litre of red. Waiter happy to talk about a waterfall and canyon I’d read about and the state of the roads! Good to have a good Last Supper. We are going dry for November and healthy eating. Think we will definitely lose weight as breakfast is fruity quinoa with honey and lunch is Dahl with leftover grilled veggies! Wish us luck, fortitude and sympathy.

Sleepless in Vlore – North and South

Posted on October 30, 2023 by Clunegapyears

29-30/10/2023

We exercised with the fab view. The resident pup was a little in my face when lying on my mat. Corrie is keeping her distance from the older big dog and puppy. I wonder if she’s protesting in case we are considering another dog. But we are so NOT!

We parked up in Vlore town, roadside … I’d only been able to identify underground parking. Walked about 1.5km along a main straight boulevard to the main sites … didn’t take us long!

*Amazed this attractive mosque escaped destruction*

There was a Museum of Independence, but it looked a bit fusty so we gave it a miss. On our walk back to the car, J was desperate for a pee and I was desperate for food. We passed cafe after cafe. A pizza place. A fast food place. I can’t usually eat at these. Joy … a board advertising food. We sat and asked for a menu. No food; it’s Sunday. OK just a drink then … and a pee for J – he was 😃. Are there any restaurants near? No, they are far. Grr, by which time my stomach was turning acid. So I dived across the road to a supermarket, and lunch was Bagel Bites and a bar of chocolate! Hunger assuaged, we didn’t fancy the picnic in the car later!

We drove north to Narte Lagoon. A main fishery and huge. We stopped and walked along a causeway to a small monastery.

A second truly crap nights sleep!!! The feckin dogs started barking even earlier. Last night it was 1.30. Tonight it was 11.30. I guess as previous guests have fed them, they hang around the apartment. The pup seems to sleep in the porch. This means that when he hound howls and barks it is right by us. The little fecker then moves round to under our bedroom window. We are used to barking dogs, cockerels, donkeys etc … but not this close or for so long. I managed to doze off again, but J had a pretty sleepless night. I’ve messaged the owner to ask if the dogs can be kept away at night … no reply. We will see what happens tonight. The folk are running a business, so I’d like to leave good reviews, especially given how cheap it is. Concerned that if I go public about the dogs, they will ‘disappear’! Another female chained by the owners house. 2 pups under a bench. What I think father mimed was that the mother was eating her pups! So difficult. Let’s see what tonight brings.

*The culprits! Butter wouldn’t melt, eh! No wonder they’re dozing now … they’re awake at night. And poor sods have had their* *ears* *cropped* *… the big* *feller, ears really cropped close and no tail.*

So an easy day going south of Vlora. First stop was the C12 church in the middle of marshland. We abandoned the car along the dirt track and walked the circle around the marsh. Tiny church remains plus ruins. It was unusual as it has a narthex… a new word to us. It’s an ante chamber or porch separated by a railing in early Christian churches. Not much in evidence here.

We had our picnic along a beach in the sun. Considered going to the ancient site in the military area. However, the sun and lack of sleep (barking dogs again outside our door for hours again) made us sleepy. So we headed home via a butcher and small supermarket.

*The view is still stunning. More so as clear* *and we* *could see the lagoon* *where* *we were* *yesterday*

Riviera to Vlore

Posted on October 30, 2023 by Clunegapyears

28-29/10/2023

We left our cheap quirky apartment with an extra bed in every room

Destination another apartment just south of Vlore. The 3 hour drive was 7 hours. I’d planned some stops, of course.

The first stop was Borsh Castle. The tarmac Road ended just beyond it. Heart sank at the steep cliff, but there was an easy zig zag paved path up. My sort of castle as there was no one else there. Only the church had been restored. Free to roam and clamber. And great views.

*We stopped for a coffee and watched fill containers with spring water. Saw it a few times on the drive.*

Stop 2 was a viewpoint of another Ali Pasha castle. And the No. 3 was the castle on an island. The engineers built the castle and causeway. Then Ali P had them murdered. We often look at places and think what a lovely motorhome overnight stop that would be … this was one.

*The causeway. The young lad fishing was from a French Motorhome… a tad jealous*

*All the rooms radiated off this circle inner chamber*

*Holes must be from manacles as all round the prison*

Stop No. 4 was another Hoxha bunker, but a big one. It was also going to be our picnic stop. J’s vertigo kicked in badly … it did look as if there was a sheer drop. So I had a quick wander to the entrance of the bunker.

And our picnic was at another viewpoint up in the clouds.

*Stop No. 5 picnic in the clouds. Temperature dropped to 16C*

No. 6 and final stop was to tread in the steps of Caesar’s 7 legions who landed easily on a large flat beach and marched over the hills to surprise Pompei just south of Vlore. At the top of Ceasar’s pass fab view as you emerged from the forest.

We received a message from our next accommodation. Don’t try to find the apartment. Meet at Dontello Hotel, my father will be in a white VW Touran … follow him. Really pleased they do it this way, as we zig zagged up some steep un made tracks and semi tarmac tracks to the apartment. We would have definitely lost confidence had we tried to do it ourselves.

On arrival, we cracked open the wine to soak up the views. The apartment is basic, but clean. To eat at night we have to bring the garden table and cracked chairs inside, but who cares at £14 per night.

Clune Gap Years

A journal and reflections of our motorhome travels