Christine Presents: The Way to Loc, Albania

Kali mera fill mou,

(good morning my friends, Greek)

Leaving Igoumenitsa, Greece and heading up the mainland toward Albania. On our right we could see the Ionia Sea soon to become the Adriatic Sea. One and the same but of different names. We stopped at a bakery in the city and bought pastries. Mine was cheese in phylo dough. Love that stuff and must remember to make more recipes with it, the dough is so flaky and light.

Headed to the boarder we hit a detour and had to drive in fields to go around the dam. Relis did say we would drive through a field on the way to his home in Loc, Albania. LOL, I don’t think he meant this.

After leaving the border station we headed toward a national park where we could tour the grounds of the castle at Butrint. This place was amazing. It was shaped in a triangle with and sat on an island. The outer wall were about fifty percent intact. There were numerous building, including a Bapistry, a forum and a theatre.

After leaving the Butrint, we headed north along the coast but managed to get lost in the city taking several turns in the wrong the direction. There are no signs. I mean there are NO signs to anywhere. To get back on the right road, Relis, my Albanian son-in-law, would lean out the window and yell, rougae Produda, meaning route to Produda. It was the next city in line to our final destination.

There are people hawking wares everywhere and one quickly learns to ignore or firmly tell them ‘no’ but one little boy at the castle was different. Relis likes to talk to them. Speaking some English, he asked me where I was from and I told him Oregon and quickly thought he might not know where that was so I told him America. His reply with a cheeky grin, “Obama.” That stole my heart. And of course I had to take a picture of him.

Hairpin turns up one mountain then down the next. Mile after mile we experienced hairpin turns that featured magnificent scenery. We saw sunlight glisten off the waters of the ocean and foggy clouds float around Korfu and the other islands in the sea.

We stopped in Borsh, Albania for coffee and the little restaurant there featured a waterfall through its center. The coastline of Albania is becoming a tourist attraction not just for the Europeans but for Americans as well. Many of the restaurants feature menus in English as well as Albanian.

More to come: