WEDNESDAY 20TH – SARANDE – ALBANIA

 

We took a Holland America tour today which went first to a fort from which we had an excellent view of the town.

As you would expect, Albania has had a turbulent past and is unfortunately paying the price for it. It is the poorest of the countries we have visited and that shows in the roads and partly constructed but abandoned buildings – shades of South America. Our guide gave us some insight into life under communist rule as it existed when she was growing up and, more recently, a corrupt democracy where many of the politicians are convicted criminals.

 

 

From there we travelled 22 kilometres over very ordinary roads to Blue Eye, a national park where cold crystal clear water emerges from the ground at an extraordinary rate and feeds very strongly running streams. Apparently, where the water emerges is in effect an underground cave system having a depth of greater than 60 metres They have tried to assess its depth but the pressure of the water is so great, they can't get down any deeper.

We finished the day with a stroll along the waterfront watching the beach goers enjoying the gravel beach and lovely clear water.

The waterfront is very pleasant but even it has its share of partly constructed buildings.

 

Tomorrow we wake up in the port of Katakolon from where we visit Olympia.