Tirana

Berat was as far south as we will go in Albania (and therefore on the Balkan peninsula).  We headed north today.  Our first stop was in the coastal city of Durres, where we visited the excavated remains of a Roman amphitheater.  Beneath the amphitheater are the remains of a Byzantine chapel, highlighted by a beautiful mosaic.

We continued to Tirana, the capital of Albania, where we visited the "forbidden city" of Albania.  That was our guide's term for the part of the city inhabited by the dictator and his cronies during the communist era.  It is now filled with high rise apartments and sidewalk cafes and bars.  We were told that this area really comes to life at night because it is a favorite meeting place for young people.  We had lunch followed by a driving tour of the city before checking in at our hotel.  Due to the heat of the day, and the practice of closing shops for the afternoon, we are having some R&R at the hotel and will be taking a walking tour when the temperature drops and the shops open.

This is the Harem outside of our hotel in Berat.  It was built in the 18th century by the Ottoman Pasha in the city.  He had 4 wives and over 50 ladies in his Harem.

Along the way we keep getting stuck behind donkey carts carrying large loads of cornstalks and riders!  Albanians have only been allowed to own vehicles for the past 20 years.  There is still a dearth of these in many villages.

This amphitheater was built by the Romans in the 2cnd century.  The Greeks were never in this coastal town on the Adriatic (we are in Durres here) preferring to be further south.  For the Romans, Byzantines  Phoenicians, and Albanians this is the main seaport.  The amphitheater held 16,000.  During the 4th century when Roman became Christian the theater was closed and used for a quarry to build other structures.

During the 9th century part of the amphitheater was used as a church.  Here are some of the mosaics that were put on the tunnel walls when it was used as a church.

In Durres you can find structures from different eras next to one another.  Here is a small Venetian fortress from the 15th century.

Here is the Roman era "Emperor's Gate" from 491.

While if you walk another 30 feet you are at the Phoenician Tower from the 12th century.

In Tirana the communist dictator lived in this house in the "forbidden" part of the city.

Albania does not allow McDonalds to operate here - but these guys seem to have stolen their symbol, name, and business model!

We passed by the University.  In Albania k-12 is free as is the University and trade schools!