A few weeks ago, a friend from Shkodra told me;
“Shkodra is the best place in Albania because it has all the best bits of the country, in one place; beaches, countryside, rivers, mountains, lakes, history, culture, and more”.
He was right!
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As I mentioned in my blog post yesterday, Shkodra has this incredible atmosphere- a sort of laid-back cool with a big dose of bohemia-from the people playing music in the streets, to the colourful buildings and quirky bars and restaurants; it is somewhere quite unlike other parts of the country. Then, after I wrote the blog post, I got to experience a whole new side of it, and to be honest, my estimations of this northern city have gone up even more.
We started the day in our lovely hotel- a timber-framed, chalet-esque building perched on the edge of the Buna river (a great hotel- lovely surroundings, great staff and very well priced- you can find details about Hotel Vataksi here). A traditional breakfast was served on the terrace, surrounded by lovely greenery, friendly English-speaking staff, and a sleepy stray kitten on my lap.
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Our mode of transport for the day was a massive, noisy, chuntering Harley Davidson and I couldn’t wait to explore the surrounding area on the back of it.
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We set off, climbing the steep and winding road to the Castle of Rozafa that sits perched on a hill overlooking the whole area. The castle is beautiful and vast, stretching through several big yards and being home to a restaurant and a small museum, but I didn’t go there for the gift shop.
The view from the top is one of the most spectacular I have seen- from its bastions you can see the vast plains below laid out like a patchwork quilt, peppered with terracotta roofs and the imposing structures of the city in the distance. The three rivers that meet in this place, cut their way through the greenery as if someone sliced the grassy fabric with a knife, allowing the shining silvery-turquoise liquid to spill out and across the lowlands.
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This view is a full 360 degrees of beauty framed by purple and white mountains that appear to fence in the whole of the low lying basin. This is fairytale country- rolling hills, dramatic mountain ranges, and sprawling castles that reverberate with history and legend. You can easily imagine the things that this countryside has seen; sieges, battles, victories, and the march of armies from many corners of the globe, yet Albania still prevails. This place and this view is something truly spectacular and to me, it looked like every bit of Albania that I love, all rolled into one.
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Shkodra is such a wonderful place- mountains, lakes, rivers, sea, and a beautiful and vibrant city #shkoder #shkodra #shkodër #iloveshkoder #visitshkodra #travelinspiration #instatravel #travelinspo #albanianlife #instadaily #travelblogger #lifestyleblogger #journalist #writer #entrepreneur #lovinglife #happyvibes #beautifulalbania #photooftheday #pictureoftheday #expatlife #publicfigure #blogger #shqiperia #shqiptare #shqiperi #wanderlust #vadotravel
We mounted the bike and headed back down the hill with the hot air in my face and the incessant vibrations of the bike tickling the soles of my feet. This is what freedom tastes like. As I watched the beautiful scenery pass by like a blur, it was easy to forget myself, my troubles, and my pending emails and to sit back and enjoy the beauty of the world around me.
We then headed into the city, weaving in and out of the traffic and catching the attention of those sat outside cafes, with the deep rumbling of the Harley as we passed. Pink, orange, purple, green, red, and blue buildings blurred into one as we drove past, and the unmistakable sound of the call to prayer was the only sound that rose above the grumble of the engine.
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We made our way to the Venice Art Mask Factory located not far from the centre of the city, but that makes Venitian masks that are exported all over the world.
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We walked inside to the apparently empty factory and were confronted with two rooms that were filled floor to ceiling with handmade and hand painted Venitian masks. Beautiful jewelled colours, feathers, gold leaf, and Swarovski crystals twinkled in the light and contrasted with masks depicting gruesome figures from mythology, film, and the darkest recesses of the human imagination. I could have spent a day in there, inspecting each mask in detail and wonder, but we were on a timescale so I made a purchase and left. If you visit Shkodra, this place is definitely worth a visit, but there is something slightly creepy about all those empty eye sockets watching you as you walk around- this is not a place I would like to be stuck in after dark and on my own.
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Next, we met up with some friends we spent time with in Himara- an Albanian and a Kosovan living in London, they returned to Shkodra to spend the summer acquiring a tan, something that is not possible in my country of origin. Feeling peckish, we headed to Illyria restaurant that is located on the side of a hill just outside of Shkodra. The restaurant has spectacular views of where two rivers meet, as well as the countryside and mountains in the distance.
Here we dined on a heady mix of fat, buttery carp baked in tomato sauce and gelatinous grilled eel that was seasoned with salt. The food was delicious and traditional for the area and was washed down with a wonderful bottle of fruity white wine called Arberi Shesh I Bardhe.
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We finished our day with a sunset drive around the lake and I cannot describe to you how beautiful the lake is in that light. This is a place where the mountains stretch right down to the waters edge and the light of the dying sun tries to leave its mark on the impending darkness resulting in an incredible watercolour of almost neon colours swirling through the sky.
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A small fishing boat bobbed just off the shore, and one lone cat sat on the shoal gazing out into the water. I stopped and observed her for quite some time, just sitting there contently, paws tucked under her body in that way that cats do (they almost look like a loaf of bread when they do this), and I wondered what she was thinking. I almost envied her lack of responsibilities, troubles, and worries- she was just sat there on the warm stones, taking in the incredible view of the millpond water and the mountains of Montenegro in the distance. It made me feel incredibly peaceful.
There is something about this place- the pace of life is slower yet it still has that city-vibe that can be sought out by those that desire it. The atmosphere here is just different, this is a place where art, literature, music, and culture has thrived for millennia, and it is not hard to see why this is and has always been the case.
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Shkodra, I think I love you!
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