Rain

It started raining out of nowhere. In just a couple of minutes it looked like Venice.

Thunders out of my window

Oak Nut

[caption id="attachment_2281" align="alignnone" width="660"] Oak Nut[/caption]

My son had found it while in Sarande and had kept it in his pocket. He took it out when we sat for lunch.

I wish vacations would never end...

Sunset in Patos

[caption id="attachment_2278" align="alignnone" width="660"] Sunset in Patos[/caption]

Patos is a small city close to Fier. The latter is the next city after Vlora on the way to Tirana. My mother is actually from Patos and my father is from Fier. Patos had its greatest days during communism. The regime built close to Patos the biggest oil refinery (there is the biggest oil field in Albania) and they brought engineers and intellectuals from all over the country to work and live there. With the fall of communism, things started to change, people would leave the city to move to Fier or Tirane or even emigrate to Greece or Italy. While the refinery is still there, it is outdated and not working on full capacity. We should also take into consideration that during communism unemployment rate was zero therefore every industry was overcrowded with people and technology was not that efficient. Most of the biggest factories in Albania were built during the 50's-70's by the Russians and after them by the Chinese. After the Chinese we were on our own and things started getting worse. There was no possibility to keep up with new tech and machinery so more people were brought in to do the hard work... Now it is depressing to watch the same city deep in unemployment and poverty. When I was young I remember there was a circus, a cinema, a culture palace and many other buildings for social gathering. Now most of them do not exist at all, those were demolished to make way for bars and coffee shops, the only profitable business in our country.

I guess I could talk for hours and hours about Patos or Fier, if you have any questions feel free to ask :)

Bay of Vlore

[caption id="attachment_2275" align="alignnone" width="660"] Bay of Vlore[/caption]

After Dukat, the descent continues to Dukat i Ri (New Dukat), built after World War II and then to Orikum city. In front of us lies the bay of Vlore and down left is the Pasha Liman Naval Base which cannot be seen in this photo. There are some old submarines built with the help of the Russians. It was actually the only Soviet base in the Mediterranean in the 50's.Following the collapse of the Communist regime, the base was rebuilt by Turkey and under a bilateral agreement the Turkish Navy has the right to use it.

The first mountain on the left is the Karaburun peninusla. The farther mountain is Sazan Island, the largest island of Albania, albeit uninhabited. A joint naval force between Italy and Albania stay there, mostly to prevent contraband or immigration (now there is no immigration via boats, since Albania joined Schengen Area).

Dukat Village

[caption id="attachment_2272" align="alignnone" width="660"] Dukat Village[/caption]

After Dhermi the distance between the road and the seaside widens, there are a couple more small villages and then begins the difficult ascent of Llogara Pass. It takes some 45 minutes to reach the top and the road is beautiful. There are some side pockets where you can stop to take photos and enjoy the scenery. Llogara is a protected national park. Along the road are several restaurants, hotels, and a small wooden cabin complex. Prices are quite reasonable and everything is delicious. The main specialty is lamb or young goat. After each meal, we often order yogurt (they produce it there) or apples baked in honey, walnuts and cinnamon.

After Llogara Pass the road descends toward Pashaliman Bay, via Orikum city. The village shown in the photo is Dukat, a very famous one. When Julius Caesar tried to fight Pompeus, he asked help from people there. It has a strategic position and it hasn't been always a village. Funfact: The word Ducat is associated with a gold or silver coin. According to a historian, the name of the village comes from this very coin. What we know for sure is that the people of this village have been famous through time for their wealth...

Dhermi Village

The village of Dhermi, on the side of a mountain overlooking the Ionian sea. The beach at the feet of the mountain is one of the best in Albania. Beware of the prices though, very expensive for Albanian standards. The last years it hasn't been that clean as well. Garbage all around and trash bins full, if you managed to find any. Let's hope it will be better next year. The government is spending a lot to improve Albania's image and tourism income.