Tuesday, April 30
We also visited the new Cathedral
– multi-domed, brightly lit, and well-adorned with icons; it dominates a public
square at one end of the pedestrian promenade we walked along last night.
Our last stop in Korca was the
National Museum of Medieval Art, where icons from the 13th century onward
are displayed and restored. The works of
the Onufri and the Zografi masters are displayed in several galleries, the most
striking of which is a two-story space hung from floor to ceiling with the
glowing images: it was a dazzling
display.
By noon, we were in Pogradec, on
the shores of the huge Lake Ohrid, which sits between Albania and Macedonia
(now officially known as North Macedonia after many years of conflict with
Greece over the use of the name Macedonia).
It was a windy day, and after a walk along the downtown beach and
waterfront park, we were glad to retreat for espressos in a café with
picture-window views of the scene. We
drove along the shore to another park on the lake that had once been the
preserve of the dictator and party leaders.
With the fall of the dictatorship, the original villa was looted and
damaged; it’s since been restored and expanded as a high-end restaurant. The properties along the lake are lined with
a series of regularly-spaced bunkers, a continuation of the dictator’s obsession
with security and defense we’ve seen everywhere in Albania. Here, in a border region frequented by the
country’s powers-that-were, that preoccupation is impossible to ignore.
Leaving Pogradec, we continued on
a lake shore road until beginning to climb into the mountains. The road followed a river and the original Egnatian
Road of the Romans and we stopped for
lunch at a traditional restaurant with a lovely view of the river’s rushing
waters. We’ve come to trust Enea’s menu
suggestions and he’s never led us astray.
We’ve had great meals this week – delicious, abundant, and cheap.
Our last visit was to the
fortress of Elbasan. Unlike the other
castles we’ve toured, this fortification was not on a hilltop; it originated as
a stop on the Egnatian Road and was not fortified until the 5th
century, as the Roman Empire declined.
After attacks by the Ostrogoths, Huns and Slavs, the original settlement
was abandoned. With the coming of the
Ottomans in the 15th century, much higher walls were built upon the remains
of the original walls, the fortress was used in the campaigns against
Skanderbeg. The Ottoman era saw the development
of commercial activity with the growth of manufacturing and a trading center. Today, there is still much activity inside
the castle walls; there are restaurants, inns, shops and active residences
within.
There is a new road between Elbasan
and Tirana, what used to be an hour’s drive is now about half that, thanks to a
mountain tunnel. Only the left lane of
the tunnel is in use, by decree of the current left-wing government; when the
party of the right is in control, the right lane is the go-to option. Enea
swears this is true!
Back in Tirana, we checked into our hotel and took a walk
around before going out for dinner with Enea and his wife, Tina. We went to a seafood restaurant in the bazaar
area of Tirana and shared a most amazing meal with them. The food was terrific (especially the out-of-this-world
grilled octopus!), the wine and conversation flowed and the laughs came easily
and often. We hatched a few plans/dreams
for the future: a Rick Steves collaboration with Enea to open up Albanian
tourism for Americans; a finder’s fee/agent’s cut for MER; and travel for Enea,
Tina and their sons to see the Grand Canyon.)
It would have been impossible to imagine all of this just a week ago; we’ve
learned so much and feel so fortunate to have found Enea to guide us through the
homeland that he loves. To have had the
chance to meet Tina and spend this relaxed evening together as new friends was
the icing on the cake for us!
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