Beach holiday destinations in Europe are evolving with increasing demand and consequently prices moving the prevailing favoured spot ever eastward. French, then Italian Riviera became Dalmatian coast and now it is here in Albania. Consequently this coast has seen an explosion in tourist infrastructure, hotels, restaurants and tours abound. There are some problems though. The closest airport is in Tirana, four hours drive away. While the move away from the cash economy is proceeding, not everywhere takes credit cards. Finally the peak tourist season ends early October and there is a resultant dearth of tourist services still open.
We take the 5 hour bus to Saranda, the epicentre of the Albanian Riviera. Even with the closure of many hotels, restaurants and businesses there is still enough going on here to make our stay a success. We have a cheap, beautiful apartment with views across the Ionian sea to Corfu. It is a pleasant 20 minute walk into town but the tiny beach has coarse sand and the water is uninvitingly cold.
With the closure of the mainstream car rentals for the winter snagging a car becomes an ordeal. Eventually we are underway and our first stop is Butrint National Park. The heart of the park is the excavation of the ancient port city of Butrint. In the 4th century BC the settlement was surrounded by defensive walls but the city eventually became a cultural centre. In 228 BC the Romans took control and built a theatre, temples and villas according to their style. In the 5th century AD Butrint became an Episcopal residence and a baptistry and basilica were built then. Completing the layers of history is a 16th century Venetian influence. We spend a peaceful couple of hours strolling through the forested ruins.
The afternoon has us at the Blue Eye, a popular tourist atttraction is a water spring. The clear blue water of the river can be seen t a depth of at least 50 metres although the true depth has never even actually determined.
