“Albania 🇦🇱 ~Shkoder City”
Here was a place we made it to that we really enjoyed, after we left the no so great central region of Albania 🇦🇱. Here in the North we found a more European flair that we love!
Keep in mind the fall of communism happened in the early 90’s, so all the churches and the few mosques we see are not old and ancient. Most were built, starting in the early to mid 90’s. Some are very pretty, but definitely more modern, so we did not visit any.
Our focus was to travel to Shkoder Lake, but what we saw looked nothing like what I saw in photos. None of my photo from the lake shore turned out. There may be a time in the year when the hazy air clears, so a photo of the lake with mountains would actually look good. With the haze, it’s like a fog that doesn’t clear.
While in Shkoder what we did enjoy seeing was an old and amazing Fortress. We saw it from town, then had to work a little at finding the right road to make it up to the hilltop.
Driving in Albania leaves a lot to be desired, but it is the best way to get around to see what is beautiful and interesting, which are regions, quite spread apart. What makes the driving tough is the local drivers drive way too fast, and they pass cars recklessly, and expect other to move aside when they are coming at you in your lane! For this reason, we are off the road by dark. The roads are very narrow, and the signage goes away, once you leave the main thoroughfares.
From up on the hill at the fort, we had the most amazing views of the town of Shkoder. It was quite scenic. It made our day!
At days end, we found an interesting hotel, owned and operated by a family that goes back many generations. Their family history goes back to one of the members being the first Dentist in Albania. The staff are very nice, it’s affordable and there is A/C and free parking.
We enjoyed Northern Albania. We appreciate towns and villages with character and charm. Many Albanian towns are not so, but Shkoder definitely is
Due to its strategic location, the hill has been settled since antiquity. It was an Illyrian stronghold until it was captured by the Romans in 167 BC.
The 19th century German author and explorer Johann Georg von Hahn suggested that the ancient and medieval city of Shkodër was located immediately south of the Rozafa hill, between the hill and the confluence of the rivers of Buna and Drini.
The fortifications, as they have been preserved to date, are mostly of Venetian origin.
Thanks to its memorable legend, which allegorically reveals the history of Albania and its people through a woman’s sacrifice for her child, Rozafa Castle is one of the most symbolic structures of Albania. There are few tales that better describe a small nation’s struggle than this one!
Deriving from the Middle Ages, according to the legend of Rozafat, the construction of the Castle was cursed by the gods, who would demolish each day’s work over night. In order to let castle walls stand, the gods demanded a sacrifice from the family residing within it. Through the manipulative tactics of the oldest brothers, the sacrifice to be made was innocent Rozafa, the youngest bride of the household. Before she was to be buried alive inside the castle walls, Rozafa demonstrated her magnanimity by requesting that half of her body remain exposed so that she could continue nourishing her baby. Inside the castle, you can see a beautiful sculpture of Rozafa’s figure carved inside her wall at the main entrance.
Rosafa, who was predestined to be walled inside the fortress, but was worried about her infant son. Though she accepted her fate of being walled in, she had a condition; that they must leave her right breast exposed so as to feed her newborn son, her right eye to see him, her right hand to caress him, and her right foot to rock his cradle
If you look in the background, you can see Shkoder Lake; below the clouds, and above the green.
Not my photo
Shkodra Lake, which is the largest lake in the Balkan Peninsula, along with Buna River; both Ramsar sites, share one of the richest ecosystems of fresh and brackish water between Albania and Montenegro.
The surrounding Karst mountains, the rocky shore, wetlands, small fishing villages remain a nature location. On the other hand, the lake is home to over 250 bird species. Half of them are migratory birds, while the other part builds their nests along the lake shore. Based on official data, the lake is a sanctuary for 1.5 to 2.5 million birds. A substantial number of threatened species depend on this ecosystem.
In the second courtyard are the ruins of the Church of St. Stephen, which is now a mosque. Originally the church was built in the romantic style commonly found between the 13th and 15th centuries, and was later transformed into the Sultan Mehmet Fatih Mosque during the reign of the Ottoman Empire, between the 16th and 19th centuries. During this time, the Catholic population abandoned the castle, as the space came to be used as a military base.
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About Us
Hello and Welcome to our Travel Blog Website, We enjoy writing about our experiences and taking photos of our adventuring along the way. Our names are: Daryl and Pen, but Daryl calls me “Bunny.” We met, quite randomly, whilst both… Read More