Experience Albania: Travel, Pictures, History, Culture

Vlore (plus Llogara and other small towns along the coastal road):  We spent two and half days exploring the many sights in and around Vlore.  We spent day one with my friend Irene (from Berat).  She took Isabel and I along for a day of beach time and scenic driving with a group of friends from college.   Irene and I            It was a day that started at 6AM (when we left Berat) and ended around midnight.  I counted seven different coffee stops/breaks from morning until night. (Isabel working on her speech for her sister’s wedding.)

This was also our lucky day.  Isabel and I ate a traditional Albanian dish called “harapash,” which is a mixture of cornmeal, butter, and sheep innards (great word, huh?). I misunderstood a neighbor describe it to me as a mixture of cornmeal and HONEY … a little off on that one.  And so I suggested we stopped for some as we drove through the town of Llogara, where harapash is known to be at its “best.”  Irene and her friends loved the idea and so we stopped for a bite to eat.  Isabel, I don’t think you’ll ever forget the look on my face when they answered our question, “So what’s in this?”

  Irene and her friend, Rudi, picking the fruits from a row of cacti … the needles ended up sticking on them and therefor sticking on the rest of us in the ride home.

             On our second day in Vlore, we went with a health education PCV named Mike to a village about forty-five minutes outside of Vlore.  He has been holding life skills classes in this village for children and teenagers.  We traveled to the village via Mike’s organization’s land cruiser on very bumpy roads.  Arriving in this village, meeting the kids, and seeing Mike conduct his class was eye-opening.

  Some of the kids who came to the class.  It was held outside under an olive tree.

 A herd of turkeys joined us for a minute, too.

A look at some places around the village:

The rest of our time with spent with my good friend, Ersa, who is also my colleague (she is one of the five English teachers at school) and Albanian tutor. 

Ersa and I - Stella (Ersa’s friend) and Ersa.

 (Our view from the balcony.)

             Ersa attended the university in Vlore for four years, so she showed us around and took us to some of her favorite places.  She also happens to be an excellent driver, so we cruised around, stopping at various spots.  We ate the most delicious food I’ve had in a long time at a seaside restaurant.  Fresh muscles, curry risotto with shrimps … Isabel ordered a fish that came whole on a platter surrounded by vegetables.  The perfect spot to be in seafood heaven.