Seabiscuit and Beyond: Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia

Location: Tivat, Montenegro

Mid-June we met up with an Intrepid tour group in Tirana, Albania for a tour of northern Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia. You can read the detailed itinerary of the trip here Intrepid Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia

Dave and B on boat ride on Matka Lake, North Macedonia

Saturday, June 15, 2024 - Ksamil to Tirana, Albania (Intrepid Trip Day 1): This morning we traveled by bus from the Albanian coast to the capital city of Tirana. We arrived mid-afternoon and caught a local bus from the bus station to our hotel near the center of Tirana. We checked in, went and retrieved the luggage we had left behind, went to a nearby pub for a beer, then met with our tour group and leader, Kafu, for introductions and details about our upcoming trip. Kafu led the group to a nearby restaurants and we shared a meal of traditional Albanian food and told stories about travel, families, etc.

Our group includes 12 travelers - 5 from Australia: Robyn, Natalie and Scott, Helen and Ed; 2 from New Zealand: Julie and Jonathan; 1 from New Zealand who lives in Australia: RoseMary; 1 from Canada: Kayla; and 3 from the US: Greg, Dave and B.

A mural between our hotel and Skanderbeg Square, Tirana, Albania

Sunday, June 16, 2024 - Tirana to Shkoder, Albania (Intrepid Trip Day 2): We had a leisurely breakfast this morning then Kafu walked us to Skanderbeg Square (Skanderbeg is one of Albania's national heroes) to meet up with our tour guide for our Free Walking of Tirana.

Our group in front of the Opera House in Tirana at the start of our walking tour

The mosaic at the National Historic Museum. It shows some of the important milestones in Albanian history. Originally installed in 1981, it was destroyed in an earthquake in November 2019. It was restored as an EU4Culture Project completed in May 2023.

The Pyramid of Tirana was originally built as a museum dedicated to the communist dictator Enver Hoxha. Since then it has served many purposes including as a radio station, a night club, and as NATO headquarters during the 1999 Kosovo war. You can read more about the pyramid, its history and its current use by clicking the link above.

The villa of Albanian dictator (1945 - 1985) Enver Hoxha in the Bloku neighborhood, Tirana, Albania. The Villa was recently transformed into an art center. The following link includes photos of the inside as it was during Enver Hoxha's residency, Opening Red Doors - The Villa of Enver Hoxha

At the end our of tour, we had lunch in the New Bazaar area, then we loaded onto a mini-bus for the drive to Shkoder, about 100 km north of Tirana. After checking into our hotel, we walked around the old town, had supper at a seafood restaurant and went up to the castle to watch the sunset.

A mural in old town Shkoder, Albania.

Shops and cafes, old town Shkoder, Albania

Cafes in old town, Shkoder, Albania

The Xhamia e Madhe - Ebu Bekr mosque, Shkoder, Albania

Statue of Mother Teresa, Shkoder, Albania. Her family was of Albanian descent and there are many tributes to her throughout Albania and North Macedonia where she was born.

Looking over the wall of the Rozafa Castle above Shkoder, Albania. The Drini and Buna Rivers and the town of Shkoder are below.

Walls inside the Rozafa Castle, Shkoder, Albania

Sunset from Rozafa Castle, Shkoder, Albania

Monday, June 17, 2024 - Shkoder to Valbona Valley, Albania (Intrepid Trip Day 3): We had an early start today with check-out at 6:30 and onto the mini-bus at 6:45 for the ride to Lake Koman. Lake Koman is a manmade reservoir on the Drin River, formed by dams that provide hydroelectric power. The road from Shkoder to the Komani ferry landing is pretty rough and we bumped along for about two hours before reaching the boat launch/ferry terminal where we boarded a small boat for a ride on the lake.

A view of the fish farms on the Drin River on the way to the Komani ferry landing.

The Komani Ferry Landing on Lake Koman. It was very busy with multiple ferries and private boats arriving and departing plus mini-buses, private cars, tourists and luggage in the very small parking lot.

A boat similar to ours on Lake Koman.

B and Dave on the Lake Koman boat ride.

The Lake Koman canyon.

Kafu tuning a guitar at the lodge where we stopped to swim and relax in the sun.

B going in for a swim, Lake Koman, Albania. Only four of us went swimming today, B, Robyn, Natalie and Greg.

After our rest break, we headed toward the Fierza-Komani Ferry stop where a mini-bus met us to take us to our guest house in the Valbona Valley of northern Albania.

The mountains surrounding the Valbona Valley. This is the view from the veranda of our guest house.

Another view of the mountains surrounding the Valbona Valley

We walked down the road and ate supper in the courtyard of a nearby guest house.

It was Natalie's birthday so the chef at our guest house made a cake and we all helped her celebrate.
Robyn and Natalie.

Tuesday, June 18, 2024 - Valbona Valley, Albania (Intrepid Trip Day 4): This morning we went for a hike.

Bunkers at the start of our hike in the Valbona Valley.

Heading towards the mountains on our morning hike in the Valbona Valley.

A shepherd bringing his goats down a rocky outcrop, Valbona Valley

Our destination, a tea house.

Heading down towards the village.

The view of the mountains on our way down.

After our hike, we had lunch at a restaurant in the village then had the afternoon to rest and relax. Early evening we had a talk with "Uncle Adam" and his wife. They were both born and raised in the Valbona Valley and still live on the farm where he was born (she grew up on a neighboring farm). They were children when the communist regime came into power and have seen many changes within their lifetime. We discussed their lives, the good and not-so-good about the communist regime, the changes that have happened recently and their hopes for the future generations of Albanians.

Kafu pouring rakija, a traditional Albanian drink, for us to sip while we chat with "Uncle Adam" and his wife.

Our group at Uncle Adam's farm house, Valbona Valley, Albania

Wednesday, June 19, 2024 - Valbona Valley, Albania to Peja, Kosovo (Intrepid Trip Day 5): This morning we crossed the border into Kosovo, one of the world's newest countries; they declared their independence and were formally recognized as a country by the US and other UN countries in 2008. There are still several countries, including Serbia and Russia, who do not recognize Kosovo as independent and instead view it as a territory of Serbia. It's interesting to note that over 90% of the population in Kosovo is of Albanian descent and Albanian is one of the official languages in the country (Serbian is the other).

Our first stop was the Decani Monastery, a world heritage site built in the 14th century. Because there is still a threat that the monastery might be damaged by religious zealots, the monastery is protected by NATO peace keeping troops.

The Decani Monastery, Decani, Kosovo

Inside the Decani Monastery, Decani, Kosovo
If you want to see more pictures of the frescoes inside the monastery or want to learn more about its history, the link to the monastery website above is an excellent source of information.

We arrived in Peja early afternoon and checked into our hotel. Kafu led us on a walking tour of the town and we had lunch at a local restaurant. We had the rest of the afternoon to explore on our own.

One of the squares in downtown Peja, Kosovo

Thursday, June 20, 2024 - Peja, Kosovo (Intrepid Trip Day 6): Today we hiked in Kosovo's Bjeshket e Nenuma National Park. The mountain range surrounding the park is on the border between Kosovo, Albania and Montenegro and is known as the Albanian Alps or Accursed Mountains. We hiked up to a small cabin, then made our way back down. We had lunch at a guest house, then drove back into Peja to relax for the rest of the day.

The hiking guide post at the start of our walk.

We waited for this flock of sheep to go by before starting up the mountain.

A road leading into the mountains. We didn't hike on this one.

B, Robyn and Helen taking a rest break.

Our destination - a cabin with refreshments at the base of an alpine bowl.

The view from the guest house where we ate lunch.

Friday, June 21, 2024 - Peja to Prizren, Kosovo (Intrepid Trip Day 7): We left Peja this morning and drove to Gjakova, Kafu's home town. We did a walking tour of the town, visited a mosque and had coffee and baklava at one of the local cafes.

Old town Gjakova, Kosovo

Lots of stores in Gjakova sell traditional Albanian costumes.

Another store selling traditional costumes

The Hadum Mosque, Gjakova, Kosovo

Inside the Hadum Mosque, Gjakova, Kosovo

We stopped on the way to Prizren and walked across the Ura e Terzive (Terzi Bridge aka Tailor's Bridge) over the Erenik River. It was built by the Ottoman's in the 15th century, modified in the 18th century to deal with the changes in the river's course and restored in the 1980s. It consists of 11 arches and 10 niches, is over 190 long and 3.5 meters wide.

Ura e Terzive (Terzi Bridge) near Gjakova, Kosovo

We arrived in Prizren early afternoon, checked in to our hotel, did a walking tour of the town and ate lunch at a local restaurant. We had the afternoon to explore on our own, then met up with the group for rakija tasting.

An old Ottoman Haman (Turkish bath house). It is being restored to use as an exhibition place.

Old Yugoslavian cinema projection equipment inside an old theater. The theater is now used as a youth activist gathering place.

The Sinan Pasha Mosque, Prizren, Kosovo

The Sinan Pasha Mosque at night

The shop that provided the rakija tasting. We tried 8 different rakijas including some made with grapes, pomegranites, plums, walnuts and hazelnuts, plus gin and vodka

Saturday, June 22, 2024 - Prizren, Kosovo (Intrepid Trip Day 8): This morning we hiked up to the Prizren Fortress.

The view from the trail on the way up to the fortress.

The old stone walls inside the Prizren Fortress

On the way down from the castle we stopped for a coffee break then we had the rest of the day to explore Prizren on our own. We looked inside a few churches and mosques and explored the Albanian League of Prizren buildings and the Archaeological museum (inside an old Turkish Hamam) and climbed the clock tower (built in 1948).

A huge tree near the Prizren Bistrica (the river that runs through the old town area)

Inside the Archaelogical Museum, Prizren, Kosovo

Costumes on display in the Albanian League Museum

The view from the top of the clock tower, Prizren, Kosovo

Early evening, a small group of us took a mini-van to the Petrovic Winery near the town of Rahovec for wine tasting.

Wine tasting in the Petrovic Wine Cellar - Jonathan, Julie, Dave, Scott, Robyn, B, Kafu.
We tried three wines - Red, White and Rose plus rakija.

The exterior of the Petrovic Winery

Sunday, June 23, 2024 - Day Trip to Pristina, Kosovo (Intrepid Trip Day 9): Today we went to Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, to explore the city and the surrounding area. We visited the Gracanica Monastery, the Bear Sanctuary, downtown Pristina and the tomb of a Turkish sultan who died in battle in Kosovo.

One of the bears at the Bear Sanctuary.

The Gracanica Monastery

Statue of Bill Clinton in Pristina, Kosovo. Clinton and Madeline Albright were both instrumental in gaining NATO support for Kosovo during the 1999 war.

Bust of Madeleine Albright in downtown Pristina, Kosovo. She was a strong advocate for NATO intervention in the 1999 Kosovo war.

Ed at the Heroinat Memorial in Pristina. The Memorial is constructed with 20,000 pins, each one to represent a woman who was raped during the 1999 Kosovo war. Many of these women were soldiers for the Kosovo Liberation Army during the 1999 Kosovo War.

The National University Library of Kosovo in Pristina, Kosovo

Monday, June 24, 2024 - Prizren, Kosovo to Skopje, North Macedonia (Intrepid Trip Day 10): We drove through the Sharr Mountains, a mountain range that extends from southern Kosovo to northwestern North Macedonia to northeastern Albania, from Prizren to the border crossing into North Macedonia.

After ~1 hour, we stopped for a coffee break in the Sharr Mountains. This is a view of the mountains and wildflowers from the cafe.

While drinking our coffee, Dave noticed a group of ladies cooking something alongside the road. Kafu took us down to watch them cook flija, an Albanian dish with multiple crepe-like layers brushed with a cream/yogurt between the layers. They cook the flija in the morning (4 - 5 hours) and by early afternoon, it is hot and fresh and ready to serve. It wasn't ready yet so we didn't get to try it.

The flija is cooked in large pans with hot coals on top of the lids. The lids with the coals are heated over the fire pits on the right of the photo and changed out as they get cool. Kafu stepped in to help move the lids around while the ladies added more layers of crepe batter and cream/yogurt to the flija.

North Macedonia (formerly Macedonia but revised to North Macedonia in 2018 in response to a dispute with Greece) is a former republic of Yugoslavia. After the break-up of Yugoslavia, they declared their independence in 1991. We arrived in Skopje, the capital and largest city of North Macedonia, checked into our hotel and had a traditional lunch at a sidewalk cafe in the Old Skopje Bazaar. We had some free time in the afternoon to explore on our own, then met up with the group for a Free Walking tour of the city. Skopje's city center has hundreds of statues and sculptures surrounding the main square, the bridges, the downtown area and the river banks, most of them were installed as part of the Skopje 2014 redevelopment project.

One of my favorite statues, located at the base of the Stone Bridge crossing the Vardar River.

The statue of Alexander the Great on his horse Bucephalus in the center of Macedonia Square, Skopje.

This statue commemorates the establishment of the Anti-Fascist Assembly for the People’s Liberation of Macedonia (ASNOM) in 1944

The Stone Bridge over the River Vardar connects Macedonia Square on the right bank with the Old Skopje Bazaar on the left bank.
Our hotel was on the left bank near the Old Bazaar.

After our walking tour, a group of us went to a wine bar for drinks and a light supper.

Kafu, Natalie, Dave, B, Julie and Robyn at a wine bar in the Old Bazaar neighborhood of Skopje, North Macedonia

Tuesday, June 25, 2024 - Skopje, North Macedonia (Intrepid Trip Day 11): Our adventure today was a trip to Matka Canyon. Lake Matka is a man-made lake within the canyon used to produce hydro-electric power. We took a boat ride on the lake, explored Cave Vrelo and hiked back to the cafe/boat launch area.

The mountains above Matka Lake

Inside Cave Vrelo, Matka Canyon

Julie, Robyn, B and Dave hiking to the Matka Lake Cafe after our boat ride

The cafe above the dam at Matka Lake

B, Natalie and Robyn swimming in Matka Lake. It was really cold!

Some bathroom humor.

This was posted above the urinal in the men's room at the Matka Lake cafe.

We went back to Skopje and had the afternoon to relax and explore on our own. Dave and I had lunch in the Old Bazaar neighborhood, then had a massage and a hamam (Turkish Bath) before meeting up with the rest of the group for supper.

Wednesday, June 26, 2024 - Skopje to Ohrid, North Macedonia (Intrepid Trip Day 12): This morning we checked out of our hotel and drove from Skopje to Ohrid, a city in southwestern North Macedonia on the northeast coast of Lake Ohrid. Ohrid is said to have 365 churches, one for each day of the year. We checked into our guest house, then went for a walk along the shore of Lake Ohrid and had lunch at a seafood restaurant. Lake Ohrid is famous for its trout, and a few of us tried Trout in Prison, homemade pasta with trout baked in parchment paper. We had the afternoon to relax and explore the town.

Our group having lunch at Kaneo Restaurant on the lakefront in Orhid, North Macedonia

Early evening, we went to the Monastery Winery for wine and rakija tasting.

Wine tasting at the Monastery Winery near Ohrid, North Macedonia
Clockwise from the bottom left: Kafu, Natalie, Scott, Robyn, B, Dave, Jonathan, Julie

Thursday, June 27, 2024 - Ohrid, North Macedonia (Intrepid Trip Day 13): We went out on a boat ride on Lake Ohrid this morning. Lake Ohrid straddles the North Macedonia / Albania border with about 2/3 of the lake in North Macedonia and the other 1/3 in Albania. Lake Ohrid is one of the oldest lakes in the world and one of the deepest lakes in Europe.

Because of the passenger limit on our boats, we split into two groups. This is the boat with the other half of our group. Our boat was the blue one you can see in the video below.

The monastery St. John Kaneo on the shore of Lake Ohrid

B steering the boat on Lake Ohrid, North Macedonia

Almost everyone went swimming today.

After our swim, the captain served us coffee and rakija, then we went back to shore just before the rain started. We had the afternoon to explore on our own, then had supper as a group at a restaurant near our guest house.

Looking up at Samuel's Fortress, Ohrid, North Macedonia

Monastery St. John Kaneo, Ohrid, North Macedonia

The entrance to Samuel's Fortress, Ohrid, North Macedonia

The view of Ohrid from Samuel's Fortress

Friday, June 28, 2024 - Ohrid, North Macedonia to Tirana, Albania (Intrepid Trip Day 14): We left Ohrid early this morning so that we wouldn't have to sit in Tirana Friday afternoon traffic. The drive was ~3 hours and we arrived in Tirana around noon (the traffic was very light).

Welcome to Albania - home of over 175,000 bunkers.
This is the view of a hillside across the road from the cafe where we stopped for a coffee break after crossing the border into Albania. We counted 10 bunkers that we could see; according to Wikipedia, there are an average of 5.7 bunkers for every square kilometer (14.7 per square mile). They were built in the 1960s - 1980s to protect the Albanians from a potential attack from Yugoslavia.
One of our tour guides joked that "When you travel to Paris, you bring home with a magnet of the Eiffel Tower. When you travel to Albania, you bring home with a magnet of a bunker."

We checked into our hotel, had lunch at a traditional Albanian restaurant and had the afternoon to explore on our own.

Inside the Ethem Bey Mosque, completed in 1819-1821. It was one of the few mosques in Tirana that wasn't destroyed during the communist era.

We went inside the Ethem Bey Mosque and to BunkArt2 (we visited BunkArt1 previously). Quoting from the BunkArt2 website "BUNK'ART 2 is the second phase of an historical-cultural project that is focused on the preservation of the collective memory and on telling the story of the communist regime, including the horrors of that regime... While BUNK'ART 1 is dedicated to the history of the Albanian communist army and to the daily lives of Albanians during the regime, BUNK'ART 2 reconstructs the history of the Albanian Ministry of Internal Affairs from 1912 to 1991 and reveals the secrets of “Sigurimi”, the political police that was the harsh persecution weapon used by the regime of Enver Hoxha." The displays inside the bunker are harrowing and show how the communist regime was able to control the Albanian citizens through spying, torture, oppression and propaganda.

The entrance to BunkArt2, Tirana, Albania.

The exterior of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, Tirana, Albania

It was our last night together as a group and most of us met up for one final drink before saying our goodbyes.

Kayla, Robyn, Julie and Natalie having a farewell drink.

Jonathan was so moved by the trip he wrote a poem. With his permission, it's included here:

Kafu not SNAFU

The Balkans, what can I say!
Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia,
New friends along the way.

Here a castle, there a mosque,
Rich in history everywhere,
Valbona Nick with his language thirst,
Not the Greeks, but Albania first!

Rakia in the morning, Rakia in the evening, Rakia at suppertime, Oh and don’t forget the beer and wine.

Guided walks and history talks,
Butterfly walkers and winos,
Kafu dealt with the lot.

With a beaming smile and a happy face,
Kafu was keen to share this place.
“For the local speciality- I’ve booked a dinner”
I for one- not going home thinner!

With a crew of seasoned travellers,
Who have seen and done alot,
A tour leader a trip can make or break,
Happy to say we thought Kafu was great.

Pleased to report we got…
Kafu….not SNAFU!

Jonathan reading his poem while Julie looks on.

If you are interested in reading about what it was like to grow-up in Albania during the transition between communism and current times, I highly recommend the book Free by Lea Ypi

Saturday, June 29, 2024 - Tirana, Albania to Kotor, Montenegro: Almost everyone had an early departure this morning and left the hotel between 4:00 and 5:00. We were some of the last to leave with a taxi scheduled for 7:00 for a ride to the bus station on the southeast side of town. We had breakfast and coffee there, got sandwiches for lunch later, and boarded the bus at 8:00 for the ride to Kotor. We crossed the border into Montenegro and all was going well until, about 700 meters after leaving the Budva Bus Station, our bus broke down.

Our bus broken down in Budva, about 25 km from our final destination of Kotor. The radiator was leaking and all of the coolant had drained out.

We waited on the curb in the shade until a mini-bus came to pick us up. We arrived in Kotor about 16:00, two hours later than the original schedule. We enjoyed the evening inside the old city walls.

A cold beer at one of the pubs inside the old city walls

The fortress walls and monasteries in the mountains above the old city of Kotor, Montenegro.

Sunday, June 30 - present - Tivat, Montenegro: We are currently pet sitting two dogs, Millie and Callie, plus Charlie the black cat in Tivat. We're here until July 21st and then we're off on our next adventure.

The view from the apartment where we are staying in Tivat. We are right across the street from the beach and have been swimming in Boka Bay every morning.