Wednesday 14 June 2017

Korçë, Albania and surrounding villages










Albania must surely have to rank as one of Europe's lesser known countries and I can count on one hand the number of people I know who have visited the strip of land on the Balkan Peninsula which is lapped by both Adriatic and Ionian sea coastlines.
Of those who visited, the majority were on military deployments but all came back raving about a fascinating and beautiful country, where the people are genuinely welcoming and proud to show off their homeland to the rest of the world.
In fact, to say Albania is fascinating is probably an understatement. 
Until 1992 the country's borders remained closed and nobody was allowed in and out, meaning that the country is still in its infancy as a travel destination.Albanian citizens were forced to live under the rule of hard-line communist leader Enver Hoxha, who kept control of his populace through a combination of fear, paranoia and brainwashing until his death in 1985 of a heart attack.
Farmers were made to hand over the majority of their crops to the state for redistribution and any private enterprises were strictly forbidden. 
Money was in parts of the country replaced with tokens which would then be exchanged for a carefully regulated amount of goods.
As you travel through the Albanian countryside you'll notice curious markings in the luscious green mountainside which our informed guide told us was a result of farmers being forced to pointlessly plough even when there were no crops to produce, all in the name of work, discipline and ultimately hardcore communism.
Following tedious passport inspections both leaving Macedonia and entering Albania (between the borders there is a couple of hundred metres of no-man's land), we finally crossed the border near St Naum and entered the city of Pogradec after passing a few tacky looking resorts on the shores of the southerly end of Lake Ohrid.
Pogradec's bustling city centre was an assault on the senses with some locals going about their daily business whilst others hung out on the street corners, selling everything from rugs to live rabbits in an area where unemployment is rife.
After stopping briefly for a caffeine hit which arrived in the form of a cappuccino, we hopped back on the bus and headed inland towards the student city of Korçë, population 80,000ish.
A flat tyre resulted in an enforced stop in the Albanian countryside, where we were able to take in the splendid view of country houses backed by the towering mountain landscape.
The brief pause also allowed for us to examine one of Albania's most common sites, bunkers.
All across Albania Hoxha built huge bunkers, often in people's front gardens, in a bid to convince his people that the country was under threat of foreign attack and that his word should be followed indefinitely.
Bunkers still lie in gardens, on the side of roads, in fields and in cities and many of them have since the fall of communism and Hoxha's death, been converted into colourful murals and innovative indoor spaces.
As our bus chugged past the bleak factories and heavy industry that surrounds the perimeter of Korçë, the skies darkened as we pulled into town.
We again disembarked the bus and set about strolling through the chaotic market where animated salesman peddled out some of the freshest looking produce I've ever seen.
There was barely room to swing a cat in the market and we soon excited exhausted onto the city streets flanked by that stereotypical high-rise tower block housing, clearly a hangover of the communist regime.
A couple of twists and turns later and we found ourselves in the newer part of town and what a contrast it was.
We browsed the modern cobbled streets dotted with bars, restaurants and clothes stores and strolled alongside Korçë's huge student population, who arrive from all over the country to study at the city's universities.
At the top of the newer end of town sits the grand Orthodox Church of St George, again sitting beneath the imposing mountains.
In Albania various cultural influences are evident including that of the formerly occupying Ottomans, and these days the south of the country is predominantly Christian and the north, Islam.
After a thoroughly enjoyable few hours in the hugely contrasting city of Korçë, we headed to the countryside and the settlement of Pustec.
In impoverished Pustec we were greeted by friendly locals who even at some points welcomed us into their homes.
Pustec is interesting in that the population is largely aged under 18 and over 40, with the majority of young people leaving the rural areas of the country to move to the city to study and in search of work.
Curiously despite parts of Pustec resembling the villages featured at the start of the comedy film Borat, a number of grand houses exist just a short walk from the considerably more modest farmers' shacks.
Despite spending less than 12 hours in just a small part of Albania, the visit left me wanting more.Known mostly for the mafia and dodgy roads (a lot of improvements seem to have been made to road surfaces), Albania is a melting pot of culture, friendly locals, natural beauty and a rich and varied history and I would wholeheartedly recommend anybody with an interest in the region to go and discover for themselves how a country can find its feet after emerging from the dark shadow of communism.

Ohrid, Macedonia





















Although its name may sound like an ancient kingdom out of a Terry Pratchell novel, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia undoubtedly boasts one of Europe’s richest areas of breath-taking natural beauty, that of Lake Ohrid and its array of surrounding settlements and national parks.

As is often the case I was alerted to this semi-hidden gem whilst browsing a Lonely Planet article detailing 2017’s must visit locations.

A quick Google search was enough to convince me that I needed to get to Ohrid, especially as my list of European countries that I had yet to visit was quickly diminishing and within the space of a few weeks the trip was booked.

Touching down at the minuscule Ohrid Airport I didn’t have a great deal of idea what to expect, other than excellent photographic vantage points from which to capture the grandeur and beauty of the lake which measures 34 kilometres in length and at certain points, 300 feet in depth and is home to tonnes of species of fish and other water-based creatures.

Known for being the home to many beautiful churches which number well into the hundreds, Ohrid town itself is a charming collection of cobbled streets and an atmospheric old quarter which cascades gently down the side of a hill.

From our base at the charming Villa St. Sofija we were able to comfortably navigate the sites of the UNESCO listed old town on foot, taking in the spectacular views from St Clement Church and towering Tzar Samoil’s Fortress which looks over the town, as well as checking out the old amphitheatre and scores of medieval buildings, many of which are still homes to locals ensuring that the town still has a lived-in feel.

The boardwalk to Kaneo allows for easy access to the fishing village packed with restaurants and small beaches and following the boardwalk further is an absolute must, as it leads to The Church of St Jovan of Kaneo, a medium sized place of worship (by Ohrid standards) with behind it an excellent vantage point allowing visitors to capture that postcard Ohrid image of the church overlooking the pristine waters of the lake.

As is the case with all of the previous former Yugoslav states I have visited, the locals were exceedingly welcoming and intrigued by us with an excellent command of the English language.

Naturally Ohrid does welcome its fair share of international visitors (mainly Dutch), but is still just about worthy of being dubbed a ‘hidden gem’, with crowds not yet becoming overwhelming.

A range of traditional and international bars and restaurants line the waterfront dotted with local captains offering boat tours of the lake and the nighttime scene keeps kicking into the early hours, particularly at the weekends.

With an average wage of around 250 euros a month, western visitors can enjoy excellent value with a bottle of beer pricing around a £1 and a good feed available for less than £5 a head.

No trip to Ohrid is complete without a dip in the crystal clear lake itself, and as difficult as it may sound, try not to be put off by the chilly early summer water and the snakes which can be seen pouncing on some of the unsuspecting smaller fish.

Once we’d spent a day exploring the old town, we decided to take a tour to the ancient Orthodox monastery of St Naum, stopping on the way at Trepejca, the St Tropez of the Balkans, a small village which comes alive during the summer months and again offers yet another great spot to try and snap a photo which does justice to the lake’s incredible beauty.

A little further afield between Ohrid and the capital Skopje, but absolutely undoubtedly worth the two hour drive is Macedonia’s (interestingly the only state to leave Yugoslavia without a war) biggest national park, Mavrovo.

As well as being the home to bears and lynxes, Mavrovo offers crisp air and stunning views (again) of Macedonia's highest peak, Mount Korab, which reaches 2,764 metres above sea level.

After a stop at the Albanian feeling town of Debar, we enjoyed a look around Sveti Jovan Bigorski, probably the best situated monastery in the world, perched high up a valley, interestingly right across from a mosque meaning that at times both the monastery’s bells and the mosque’s call to prayer can be heard at the same time.

Mavrovo also offers skiing during winter months and is also the site of a number of small traditional mountain villages with an authentic feel of remoteness and detachment from the real world. Scruffy shepherds herding their flock along potholed roads are a reminder that life in the national park area for many, remains unchanged by the evolving world going on around them.

The catch with Mavrovo and indeed Ohrid being, that if you're anything like me, you'll fall in love with any one of a number of the stray dogs, all of whom did though seem to be friendly and well-fed.

As a sucker for Yugoslav history and travel (Kosovo is now the only state I haven’t yet visited), it was perhaps inevitable that I would end up visiting Ohrid when travelling to Macedonia, but I’ve also heard rave reviews of the capital of Skopje, said to be a cultural melting pot complete with bustling bazaars and markets.

Ohrid and its surrounding areas are certainly must-visit spots for nature lovers, culture junkies and religious folk and visiting you cannot help but be swept away and marvel at the picturesque setting, with every turn unearthing a new view that will have you reaching for your camera yet again.

Following last year’s introduction of flights from London Luton it is undoubtedly only a matter of time before more Brits clock on and follow the lead of the Dutch and pack up and head off in their masses to take up a spot on the shores of the placid lake. So my advice would be get to Ohrid and do so quickly before the crowds grow to the intolerable levels seen in the likes of Dubrovnik and prices begin to rise to match.