I can honestly say that Albania was never a place I saw on the list of places I had to go, but when the opportunity arose, I jumped at it. My new job on board is in the Shore Excursions department and it's now my job to go out and experience the tours that we offer in order for me to be a better saleswoman ;) It's a rough life!
After disembarking the Noordam in the morning, we took a 2 minute (literally) shuttle ride to the terminal of the port and then walked another 2 minutes to board an old Russian hydrofoil boat. It was exactly what I had anticipated simply because I had seen these in Russia about a month prior. It looks very similar to a large airplane on the inside with comfortable seats, except everybody carries their luggage at their feet and loads up the entrances with the larger suitcases (safety codes aren't a high priority over here!) Thirty minutes and 5 lives in Candy Crush later, and we arrive on Albanian soil to meet our guide.
My first observation of Albania was simple - it was hot! But, it’s that time of the year and here in the Mediterranean it’s about the same temperature as it is in Florida. All 29 of us climbed into the bus dying for air conditioner. Driving through Albania was an eye-opening experience and it is one more country where I'm reminded to count my blessings. The beaches lining the roads were absolutely stunning with water so richly blue, I wanted nothing more than to go for a dip - it looked so refreshing and relaxing. But then looking to the other side of the street, the tiny dilapidated houses with laundry dangling outside representing the large families living within its four walls, was a stark contrast. We’d see buildings that looked brand new, but housed nobody and other buildings that looked like great houses to live in or places to start a business, but had been knocked over from one side. The guide told us that these houses/buildings are perfectly fine, but the government would knock them over if they were built without the proper permits. It begs the question as to how they were allowed to complete the house and THEN the government stepped in.
Thirty minutes later, we arrived at Buntrint National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site and basically an amalgamation of monuments representing over two thousand years of history, from the Hellenistic temple buildings of the 4th century BC, to the Ottoman defenses created in the early 19th century. The group spent about an hour and half walking around the site exploring the Roman Baths, the city walls and gates, the Great Basilica, the theater You’ll see in a couple of the photos that the sites are slowly sinking under water. It makes me sad to think that before too long, it will all be underwater and other folks might not get to see the ruins.
Anyways, I’ve attached pictures of the many photographs I took on the Butrint property - I’ll post more on Facebook for all to see as well.
Ninety minutes and four bottles of water later, we were back on the bus and off to lunch at a restaurant with an absolutely incredible lunch with a view to match! We had fresh Albanian tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, olives (I left plenty for others to enjoy :)), tzatziki, veal, potatoes and meatballs. It was so fresh and delicious. Definitely not somewhere I saw myself travelling to, but somewhere I won't soon forget!
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