Albania (Oct 2022)
Albania has developed into an emerging destination in Europe and not only for motorcyclists but also for those who want to enjoy their holidays on the Albanian Riviera and for those who want to discover its wonderful landscapes! It was blocked for years due to the communist regime and after finding its stride after liberation from it, it is making steady progress not only in modernizing the life of Albanians but also in its tourism.
I had crossed our neighboring country several times in the past to be in Montenegro on my trips to Europe and also when I was returning from those trips to Greece. But I had never taken the time to discover its beauties. In conversations I had with my fellow biker friends who had visited it, they told me about its beauties. So I decided to travel to our neighboring country to explore its beauties. The days my companion Maya and I, had at our disposal were not many, so it was decided to explore the southwestern part of the country, which is not far from our base.
At the end of October, with the weather as our absolute ally, as the weather reports said, we would make our expedition. The bike was ready and patiently waiting for the first start to begin our expedition. This moment arrived on the morning of the last Thursday of October.
Patras (Greece) – Sarande (Albania) 345 km
We left from our house early in the morning and after crossing the Ionia Highway, we entered in Egnatia Highway in the direction to Igoumenitsa city (Greece). A few kilometers later we stopped at the archaeological site of Dodoni (Greece). It was my second time visiting this spectacular place and Maya's first. The ticket price was at 2€, and I think was quite cheap. We started walking towards the ancient theater. You feel awe when you are in such places and it is reasonable! You feel the greatness of your ancient ancestors!
The archaeological site of Dodoni is located 22 km south of the city of Ioannina (Greece), in the narrow valley between the mountains Tomaros and Manoliasa. Ancient Dodoni was a cult center of Zeus and Dione, as well as a well-known oracle of the ancient Greek world.
Dodoni as an archaeological site according to archaeological evidence appears to have been active since the Bronze Age, centered on the worship of Gaia or another female fertility deity. Later, the cult of Zeus was introduced to Dodoni by the Sellians, to develop in a short period of time into a dominant cult.
The archaeological site of Dodoni includes the acropolis of the settlement, which occupies the top of the hill and the sanctuary of Zeus, which is located at the foot of the hill and is defined by a precinct, which on the eastern side, where its entrance was, is a continuation of the precinct of acropolis.
The sanctuary functioned as an open-air, with a simple house for the needs of worship. The various rituals took place around the sacred tree, where the pair of gods resided. From the flight of the birds that nested in it and from the rustling of the tree's leaves, the soothsayers interpreted the will of Zeus. Oracles were also given based on the gurgling of the waters of the sacred spring and the sound of copper cauldrons standing on tripods around the sacred tree.
After we walked through this wonderful place I flew my drone to take some shots for the video of the trip. After completing our visit back in time and history, we returned back to the parking lot to get on my motorcycle, to continue our trip…
We got out again on Egnatia Highway and continued towards Igoumenitsa city (Greece), covering the 64 kilometers that separated us quite quickly. We crossed Igoumenitsa and rode towards north, to the Greek Border Station of Sayada. It was not far, only 29 kilometers away but the backroad which lead us to the border demands your attention.
There wasn’t a lot of traffic at the border, and we crossed the Greek checkpoint quite quickly. We stopped for shopping at the Duty Free Shops and after that, we continued to the Albanian Border station. We got through there pretty quickly too, since the check was typical. We continued in the direction of Ksamil (Albania). After 20 kilometers we arrived at the dock of a ferry that would take us to the opposite side, to Butrint. An improvised ferry, (i.e. a platform with wire ropes to the right and left), which covered a very short sea distance. We paid 3 euros total. The operator told us that it is 2€ for the motorcycle and from 50 cents per person. It didn't take more than 5 minutes to get to the other side...
As soon as we arrived across, I parked the motorcycle in the parking lot opposite the entrance to the Archaeological Site of Butrint. The guard assured me that the motorcycle would be safe under his supervision, so we entered to visit the archaeological site of Butrint, which is one of the most important historical and archaeological sites in Albania. The ticket cost us approximately 9€ and it was quite expensive compared to Dodoni.
Before going to Butrint, we had done our research and had read several things about this important archaeological site. History tells how on his way to ancient Italy, Aeneas stopped at an area on the coast opposite Corfu Island (Greece). There - according to Virgil - he saw spread before his eyes "A little Troy": a city where the King and his court welcomed him in a spacious castle. The name of the city was Butrint and it was founded by Helenus, the son of King Priam, after the fall of Troy, in the 8th century BC. UNESCO declared Butrint part of the World Cultural Heritage and turned the sparsely populated area into a national park.
After we were done our visit to the archeological site of Butrint, riding the motorbike we continued on our route towards Ksamil, the little diamond of Albania, because of its wonderful beach which in the summers is full of tourists. The village of Examili - in Greek - is so called because it is 6 miles from NW Corfu. The so-called Albanian Riviera starts from here and extends northwards. We refueled in Ksamil and the price per liter was 0,30€ cheaper than it was in Greece. Several Albanians spoke Greek to us and some of them, in a conversation we had with them, told us that they had lived in Greece.
We left Ksamil and continued towards Sarande city where we had booked a hotel. We had another 14 kilometers to cover. The road to Sarande is provincial and I could say that its condition was good. In less than an hour we had reached Sarande. The route with the sea on our left became even more beautiful. There was good visibility and Corfu Island across seemed very close.
We entered in the city of Sarande and I used the directions of my GPS to access my hotel, which was next to the beach. Entering the city, we were impressed by the many newly built apartment buildings. It seemed to us from the beginning that an anarchic building prevailed, but this kind of thing showed that a lot of money spent into this area. We easily arrived at the Sun N Blue hotel where I had booked through booking.com. Decent, good price with its own parking space and right on the beach. The view from the room was wonderful!
After settling into our room overlooking the sea, we went out to explore this small town of 40,000 inhabitants. Communication was easy in Greek language and we had no difficulty communicating at any time. We didn't need to speak English at all. We exchanged a few Euros for Albanian Lek, to be more comfortable in our transactions and of course we also used our debit card where needed.
The population of Greeks living in Sarande is quite big and you will hear Greek language everywhere. I won't tell you that I was thrilled by the beauty of the city as it doesn't have any picturesqueness and maybe its coastal road is its strong card, but I was thrilled with the good facilities (whether we are talking about hotel units, or restaurants and cafes), with its cleanliness city and of course with very very low prices! Several newly built apartment buildings are in the mountainside where the city is amphitheatrically built. The port is beautiful and picturesque, while the beach front is very beautiful! A spot where locals and visitors to the city enjoy their walk and drink their coffee or eat in the adjacent cafes or restaurants. The current name of Sarande comes from the name of the Byzantine monastery of 40 Saints, in honor of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. The ruins of the monastery are preserved on the hill above the city.
It doesn't take long to walk around most of the city, since it's small, but there's nothing worth mentioning. I could say that we had a great day and late at night we returned to our accommodation.
Sarande – Gjirokastër – Sarande 115 km
A sunny day dawned and found us having our breakfast on the balcony of our room, a remnant of the Covid era... It seems that some hotel units served breakfast in the rooms instead of in the restaurant area (due to Covid) and it remained because of a lower cost???
After breakfast we enjoyed our coffee in one of the many cafes on the beach and returned to our hotel to get ready to leave for Gjirokastër. My motorcycle was patiently waiting for us in the hotel parking lot and as Ι I put my thumb to ignition button and started, my ears filled with the pleasant purr of its engine!
At the exit of the city we had a close call with the car of a woman driver who ignored our right of the way. She ignored the STOP sign but luckily, I had anticipated her movement and we were spared the worst. A rider must pay a lot of attention when riding and even more so in Albania where the driving behavior is not the best!
We continued north and entered the newly constructed Kardhiq-Delvinë road which was delivered in August 2022. It was not on Google maps or in my GPS maps, although it was updated with the latest version of Garmin. That's why riders shouldn't blindly trust the navigator and we should have maps (on paper) when we travel and why not when we have trouble asking the locals too. There is no shame! By asking you reach to the city they say! The road crossed a mountain mass and is a good choice as long as one does not wish to use the same route back and forth (Sarande to Gjirokastër and back).
We arrived at Gjirokastër and I wasn’t impressed by the new town at all. I asked a policeman how to get to the old town and he gave me directions and I found myself driving up an uphill cobbled road until I reached the point where it became a pedestrian street. I parked the motorcycle and Mayia and I, started walking to explore the old town.
The old town of Gjirokastër has been registered since 2005 on the World Heritage List "as a rare example of a well-preserved city". The city is built on the slope surrounding the citadel, on a plateau. Although the city walls were built in the third century and the city itself is first mentioned in the 12th century, most of the existing buildings date from the 17th and 18th centuries. Many houses in Gjirokastër have a distinct local style, which has given the town the nickname "City of Stone", because most of the old houses have stone gray roofs.
So, we found ourselves in the district of Bazaar, with the Ottoman houses of the 18th century. Wooden loggias, stone roofs and many – many – large windows, decorated with white embroidered curtains dominate everywhere we look. Many of the Ottoman mansions can be visited for a 1-2€ ticket. If you must choose just one, follow the signs that say "Skenduli House": If you're lucky, you'll find Mr. Skenduli himself there, who will be happy to show you around (in fluent Greek) through the three floors and… nine fireplaces of his father's house, which was confiscated during Hoxha's reign to become a folklore museum and today is slowly and gradually being restored. Very close by, is the house where the bad boy of Albanian history, Enver Hoxha, was born - which was almost completely destroyed by fire and rebuilt in the same place - and today it functions as a Folklore Museum, with its rooms representing houses, loggias and other areas of a traditional Ottoman mansion. Other attractions worth visiting are the remains of the Roman Aqueduct, the 18th century Church of Agios Sotiros which is open every Sunday, the Turkish baths and the Gjirokastër mosque built in 1757.
We made a break to enjoy a coffee and continued our tour by walking uphill to the castle which was not far away. It took us 10-15 minutes to get to the entrance paying 200 Lek (1.70€) at the entrance. The castle that gave its name to the city was in turn baptized, according to legend, by Princess Argyro, who fell from one of its towers when the Ottomans invaded the city. Straight out of a children's fairy tale with knights and princesses, the second largest castle in the Balkans is extremely well preserved, and has enough labyrinths, dark rooms, dirt paths, battlements with panoramic views of the entire Gjirokastër valley and small museums to keep you busy for a whole afternoon.
Among the most interesting parts of the Castle are the atmospheric semi-dark corridors that lead to the War Museum, immediately after the entrance, the two tekkes of the Bektasi Dervish order, the Clock Tower, which was bombed in World War II and remained visible forever at the time of the bombing (11.45, in case you were wondering) and the large flowered plateau that hosts the stage of the Gjirokastër National Festival of Traditional Music.
After walking a large part of the castle, we sat in the enclosure where remains of USAF aircraft allegedly forced down by Albanian Air Force in communist period is located and I flew my drone to take shots of the castle and also of the city where the view (from the castle) enchants you. We filled our souls and minds with beautiful images and began to descend towards the old town. We stopped at a cafe and ate a delicious burek, got our strength and got on the motorbike to return to Sarande. The return would be from the south, passing by Blue Eye. We didn't stop there because we were scheduled to do it the next day. The distance to Sarande was 57 kilometers, of which 22 were to Jorgucat village. There we left the road and turned right and headed towards Muzine village, Blue Eye and Sarande. A beautiful route on a road with several twists and turns in a low mountain complex that needs attention.
We arrived at Sarande in the evening and had time to enjoy the sunset that disappeared behind the bay where the city is hidden. Later on, we enjoyed our dinner at a restaurant recommended to us by a lady who spoke fluent Greek and had divided her life between Athens and Sarande. Mussels and other seafood made up this fine dinner. I could say that he price was normal. Not expensive but not cheap either. Our day ended with a walk on the wonderful beach front of the city.
Sarande – Blue Eye – Kakavia - Patras 320 km
A very beautiful day has dawned! In the fall having the opportunity to enjoy so many beautiful days in a row it is rare! We took our breakfast in our room and started packing to leave. First, we enjoyed our coffee in a nearby cafe and then, after checking out, we put our stuff in the motorcycle’s panniers and left Sarande behind towards the Blue Eye. The route was familiar since we had done it the previous day on our way back from Gjirokastër. We covered the 20 kilometers that separated us and arrived at the gate of this National Park. Fortunately, the guard with a tip of a few euros let us pass with the motorbike and we didn't walk the 2 kilometers which is the distance from the gate to the point. A nice pedestrian path has been built that takes you to the water spring, which blends harmoniously with the environment.
Blue Eye, or Syri I Kaltër in Albanian is a very beautiful and picturesque spot in the green scenery. It is one of the 18 springs of the Bistritsa river with a diameter of about ten meters and the shape of an oval eye. Its color (from where it got its name) is blue like the sky. The depth of the source is estimated to be more than 45 meters, as the strong water pressure does not help divers in its accurate calculation. The water flow is 6 cubic meters per second and the temperature is around 13 degrees Celsius. The spot is a place of attraction for many tourists, as the sight is amazing. The source is in a green landscape dominated by oaks and plane trees. I can't say I went crazy but if anyone is in the area why not visit?
After a few kilometers we entered in a quite familiar road to me, the one that leads to the border station of Kakavia (Albanian-Greek Border Station). I have crossed this road several times passing through Albania. After a while we had entered Greece again and went to Piges Vellas (a few kilometers from the historical village of Kalpaki) for lunch but also to enjoy nature. There was quite a crowd because as I said the day was sunny! We had trout and I can assure you it was delicious! We enjoyed the moments and got back on the bike to continue the way back. We passed outside the city of Ioannina and after a few kilometers we entered Ionia Highway where after a boring two hours on the highway, we arrived home...
Neighboring Albania for a short-day trip is an ideal destination since it is only a few kilometers away from Greece and has enough beautiful places to visit! Also, gasoline is cheaper than in Greece and certainly the cost of the trip (accommodation and food) will be cheaper than traveling in Greece. Personally, although I have passed through it several times, I had never taken the time to get to know it. But now I have several parts of the country in mind to get to know in the future…
