I don’t typically like using guides, as I prefer to see places through my own eyes rather than someone else’s. But we had used Get Your Guide in South America and found them to be very good, and with getting around here a little tricky without a car, we decided to use them again.
We left the apartment at 9:30am to meet our pickup. There were four of us on the trip, an Australian couple and ourselves, plus our guide, a young lady who turned out to be excellent. It probably took all of ten minutes before everyone clicked. Our Aussie companions were great fun and easy company.
Our first stop was just over an hour from Sarandë. The journey itself was part of the attraction, taking us along a relatively new stretch of road that apparently did not exist last year. There is a big push to improve the infrastructure here and things are changing quickly. Apartment blocks seem to be springing up everywhere too, but I suppose that is progress.
The road took us through open countryside and over mountain ranges before bringing us to the pretty little town of Gjirokaster. From there we climbed up to the impressive castle that sits above the town. Perhaps oddly, as you enter the castle you are greeted by an array of anti-aircraft guns. No one seems to know exactly where Hoxha acquired them, but they were brought here as a show of strength, along with the American training aircraft that sits in the courtyard. Thankfully, I was able to look past all that, as the views from the castle were magnificent.
From there we made our way down into the old town, stopping first to take a look inside one of the underground shelters built during the dark days of Hoxha’s rule. As a result of his paranoia, there are thought to be as many as 750,000 bunkers scattered across the country, much to the detriment of the people. This one was about eighty metres long and could accommodate around 250 people, although like most of them it was never used. To be honest, I couldn’t wait to get out. I kept imagining the whole thing caving in.
Lunch was an authentic Albanian affair, which we enjoyed with our Australian friends. There was plenty of laughter before we headed off to Syri i Kalter, the Blue Eye.
It really is mesmerising. The water is an incredible shade of blue that seems almost to glow. Adding to the mystery, no one knows quite how deep it is. It forms the source of the Bistrice River, which we look out on from our apartment, and pumps out more than 18,000 litres of water every second.
It is a bit of a tourist trap, but it was worth the visit for the colour of the water alone.
Dream Chasers 