Day 12: Albania – country of bunkers and car wash

Going to Albania, we knew about this country only that there are many bunkers and say in Albanian. The plans were as soon as possible and, preferably, without stopping, drive her "on departure". Immediately after laying out the first photo from Albania in Instagram, we further learned that there are many "Yugoslav terrorists", sell wives and weapons at every step and are generally very dangerous. To immediately calm our readers, let’s say that nothing terrible with us happened, but about how our twelfth travel day went to Europe by car – in this article. Unlike most reports, this one turned out to be quite large and in terms of the number of photos and by volume, but I really want to show you Albania, which first frightened to you, and then I received it welcoming and showed my beauties.

We drove: 460km

Passed: 7 km

The morning began with breakfast at the hotel and check-in to filling to add the tank to full – who he knows that instead of gasoline poured in this Albania (suddenly the donkey urine), and in general, it is possible to dwell, or there as in Poland in dashing nineties , do not have time to stop, and the car has already been stolen. In general, we decided to reserve food and gasoline in advance. In the last path from Montenegro, the Montenegrin black cat was accomplished, wished good luck and said not afraid. We believed and went towards the border.

Chernogorsky happy cat

The border of Montenegro Albania we passed approximately at 10 am. Despite the early hour, there was already a small queue, but she moved very quickly. "Daeges drove" – written on the border of Montenegro Albania, and approximately the same words can be described by the process of its passage. Giving a passport and documents to the car in the window, after 5 minutes we received all the documents back and went towards Albania.

In one of the passports, a stamp was concerned about the departure from Montenegro, in the second such stamp was not found. To avoid problems on the Albanian border, we went back to the stamp on foot – well, that was not far. In English, no one said, so after 10 minutes talking in the language of gestures, a new stamp appeared in the passport – about the entrance to Albania! So we learned that the border of Montenegro and Albania are combined.

Queue on the border of Montenegro Albania

The first local residents who we met, were very polite burenks – they were Brere on the edge of the road, respectfully inferior to cars. Sometimes the traces of gypsy ties were visible in the bushes, but the Gypsy was noticed themselves.

The first few tens of kilometers the idea that it is impossible to stop here even in order to go to the toilet, did not leave us for a minute. Mountains of garbage, bedrooms, dirty children and furniture, standing right on the streets, not added optimism. And here, from the nearest mosque, a cry of Muzzin, who called Orthodox Muslims on prayer, so that I was impressionable and, besides, the pregnant navigator of our crew, not the fact that the soul went to the heels, and she found a comfortable corner, covered with a rug and reported that before the border with Greece, it is not disturbed at all.

Furniture stands right on the street

Ahead on Mount seemed to the castle, which turned out to be one of the oldest castles of Albania – Rosafa (Rozafa Castle), built in the III century to our era. According to legend, three brothers have tried to build a fortress for a long time, but nothing worked – the walls all the time. And then on the old beliefs it was decided to bring the gods to the sacrifice so that they allow to build a castle on this place. As a sacrifice, the wife of a younger brother was made – beautiful Rosaf. He could not tell his wife for a long time about the decision, but he had to.

A woman agreed to sacrifice himself, but only if it is hurried so that she can feed her child. A woman, together with her son, closed alive at the base of the fortress. Since then, the fortress is in this place, and the blood of Rosafa and her son bonds the foundation. But what sights can be when you threw stones in you a few minutes ago, as soon as we saw that you photograph the sofa, abandoned in the middle of the street. We decided to go further, and somehow scary in this Albania, well, these are attractions! &# 128578;

Rosaf Castle in Albania

In traveling by car, we always take with you several navigation programs, and this time was no exception, but none of them had a detailed map of Albania. As a result, sometimes we drove into non-existent bridges, unfinished roads and sought the way according to our intuition. Fortunately, it is located in the area of that part of the body, on which normal people are sitting, so the right direction "ass feel" we are just fine.

The navigator led us to a closed bridge

In the capital of Albania, the city of Tirana, we decided not to go, but headed into the coastal city of Vlör, so that then along the coast go to the southern city of Saranda, who judging by the reviews resembles the European resort and is quite safe. Sometimes along the road came across quite decent houses in which you can live.

People live here

But more often still unfinished designs, because it is very difficult to call it home.

Albanian real estate in the mortgage

While we are going towards the sea, it’s worth a little talk about the roads of Albania. The main transport in the country is old, the rusted Mercedes, there are really a lot of them here, but there is a manpure transportation and strange aggregates like this.

Albanian vehicles

Double Wheel Wheel

Completely frozen bus drivers! For example, this drove a large number of children. He did not fully observe any traffic rules and boldly walked on overtaking through a solid, not paying attention to the counter transport. Passengers, apparently, also took part in Battle against a strange car with Russian numbers, because when they overtook us at high speed, everyone turned out the window and showed very indecent gestures. &# 128578;

Bus in Albania

Among all this road Vakhanlia, refueling looks like oasis of civilized life.

Petrol station in Albania

Gasoline in Albania

In Albania, a huge number of miles for cars (in Albania – Lavazh). We have not seen such a quantity in any country, in no city. They are everywhere! Apparently, the used rusty Mercedes must necessarily wash, otherwise they do not go.

And this is also Lavazh!

If there is a car wash, then there must be a service. If we translate the lower line with Albanian into Russian, then it means "spare parts", but what the owner wanted to say the name, a Russian-speaking man not to understand, although it may not only be a Mercedes, but also our Zhiguli?!

Slowly, looking at the surroundings, the first fear has already passed, and we got to the city of Vler – the resort town, founded in the VI century BC. The city has survived the Amphitheater of the I century to N. NS., Ruins of several fortresses, churches of the XII-XV centuries.

But we, unfortunately, did not see any of this, as they still wanted to drive Albania during the day, and we had little time at stopping. All that we did in the Whether – bought a local SIM card to get the Internet, and then you never know where it will take us, suddenly you have to look for a hotel on the way?

Resort Vlera

Coastal streets of debris

Alfa Bank branch in Albania

All sorts of things for tourists

The city itself seemed pretty clean us, at least the central streets and the coastal part. Here it was quite possible to stop for the night. There are hotels at very reasonable prices: for example, night in a two-bedroom five-star suite Hotel Vlera International We would have cost $ 80 (at the rate of 2012 approximately 2500 rubles). Now the hotel is not available for booking.

Hotel Vlera International

By the way, at the moment (2015), a decent hotel in the Weller can be found from 1,500 rubles, for 3000-5000 rubles it will be a good hotel with a private beach and other buns, and for 100-150 dollars you can withdraw private apartments.

Hotels in Vler, Albania

People on the streets of the city a little, the beach within the city is also half empty. Surprisingly, in the communication salon, the seller talked to us at quite decent English. If from the central streets to move to the side, then there, of course, the picture is not so rainbow – there are quite pentalized houses, but still quite pure.

Sea in the city of Vler

And we go further, towards the Logar National Park, through which the mountain road is held, with which stunning views of the sea should be opened.

With the views we guessed – such beauty is rarely where to meet. The further we drove, the fewer people and cars came across, so we were osmellies and without any fear stayed at several viewing platforms to take pictures of this beauty.

Stop on a spontaneous view

Such Albania we like

On one of the stops, we stumbled upon an abandoned military base, a little more about which we told in the article dedicated to quite atypical Attractions Albania, And there you will find a story about the famous Albanian bunkers.

Abandoned military base

Abandoned military base in Albania

I must say that it is from this platform one of the most beautiful views of the sea. Perhaps that is why absolutely all cars passing by, stop here at least a couple of minutes.

Roadside Picnic

Mountain Serpentine in Albania

But we need to go further – there are even more hundreds of kilometers on serpentine and it is very desirable to get to Saranda during a light day.

We tried to reduce our stops to a minimum, but it is simply impossible – paintings around stunning. During one of the stops, we saw an unusual tunnel, very similar to the one that we visited the Crimea a couple of years ago in the city of Balaklava. It was located Submarine repair plant, And now – Museum.

The Internet in these places refused to work (as, however, almost everywhere in Albania), so we tried to get to the tunnel closer and find out what it is, but loud barking dogs and scream in Albani, made us retreated from their plans. If there was a stock in time, then we would still search for options, but the night approached and it was time for us to go. Already at home we learned that this is the former joint base of the Navy Albania and the USSR, now it is closed and is not guarded very carefully, so if desired, it was possible to get there.

Tunnel in Mountain, who attracted our attention

Former Navy Base Albania and USSR

Adjacent territory under guard

Night ruthlessly descended on us, we still did not have time to get to Saranda in the world, so we decided that on our part it would be stupid to skip such a great sunset.

In Saranda, we arrived at around 20:00 when there was a complete dark out on the street. The Internet still worked pretty badly, so the search for the hotel we carried out as in the good old days, when in the early 90s we went to relax to Crimea or on the Russian Black Sea coast. The method is very simple and reliable: you go to the hotel, ask about free rooms, then the price for them, then ask cheaper. So we removed the number in Hotel Seaside Saranda Just 35 dollars a day with parking and breakfast.

In early September, almost all hotels had a free issue, in the city center of hotels in more expensive ($ 70-100 per day), but if you move to the side, then you can find for $ 20.

Hotels in Sarenda

We have dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, paid for this $ 18.5 (two salad, two hot, wine, beer and water). After dinner, we had a second breathing, and we were just two hours just walked along the embankment, went into local souvenir benches, ate ice cream and just rested.

In one of the souvenir shops, a funny story happened to us: we did not touch anyone and stood choose the original souvenirs for my relatives, here we have someone in the pure Russian language, I start to tell: "I went to play football and scored a goal!"When you see our rounded eyes, the store’s shop continues its monologue in Russian:" Hi! Bye! Vodka, rag, fountain pen!". On this, his vocabulary was over and already in English conversation we managed to find out that he was taught by the Russian tourists who sailed here on an excursion from the Greek Island Corfu. By the way, it is less than half an hour at the boat, and if you have a desire and visa, you can easily go there on a tour of Saranda.

This article was stolen from http: // poznamka.Ru.

Purchased by souvenirs from a funny Albanian merchant, we went to relax, but most other tourists (mostly the Greeks and Italians) went towards nightclubs, discos and karaoke, which are quite a lot here. So ended our twelfth day of travel in a rather nonypical country for recreation – Albania.

Conclusions of the twelfth day

We were very afraid of Albania, and now regret that we drove it in one day and did not see any essential attractions. Now there is a huge desire to return and see it in more detail, see the roofs of an ancient girkastra, look into the capital of the country and visit the hodgeal bunker, walk along the Embankment of Wliers and Dieres, and what are the waterfalls here (judging by the photo) that we are ready to collect a suitcase right now and go to Albania. We will definitely return here again, and then no little is an interesting place will slip away from us.