Lagoon of Patok (Albania) | A Day with Caddy - Day 150

The view southwest from Rozafa Castle overlooks the Buna River flows into the Adriatic sea, and is an outflow of Lake Skadar.

Yesterday evening, Laura pinged me and offered to give me a ride up to Rozafa Castle this morning on her way out of town. So, after breakfast, I make my way to our rendezvous spot where her car, "Caddy," is parked. It is much cooler this morning following the heavy rains of yesterday. As I pass through one of the main intersections, I notice a few locals who decided to stop to converse this morning. There are no traffic lights in Shkodër, but they don't seem concerned.

After meeting up with Laura, we hed to her Volkswagen Caddy. "I want to be Instagram famous," she says. Accordingly, she had stickers made up with her Instagram address, "Caddy_and_Friends." Caddy is much smaller than I expected, but this is Europe, after all. Laura renovated the interior and converted Caddy into a full-blown self-sustained adventure van.

Parked next to Caddy is another rugged camper truck. This one has "Martin" written across the front. I laugh as this is much more in line with what my adventure van would be like! Rugged and can go anywhere as long as I had a small fortune to pay for gas.

After stopping and parking Caddy, I notice a beautiful Mosque below. It looks like it is under construction. However, after researching, I learned this is the Lead Mosque. It is one of Albania's most critical cultural Mosques and dates back to 1773 AD. Lead was used in the original construction but was removed in the early 1900s because lead was in short supply. The Mosque is under renovation, which started summer of 2021.

As I walk up the road to Rozafa Castle with Laura, the view across Lake Skadar comes into view. "I bet they will charge us to visit the historic site," says Laura. It can't be much, I'll pay. You drove me here. "No. It's stupid and a dumb castle. I will walk around the outside," she says. I find that Laura has a bit of a stubborn side. Once she decides something, there is no changing her mind. 

Rozafa Castle has origins dating back to the 9th century BC. The Castle fell multiple times to the Romans, Venetians, and Ottoman Empire. It is obvious why the castle was located here. It is one of the tallest mountains near Shkodër. I really like how the Albanian Flag contrasts with the surroundings.

The wall is well-preserved. This is a view overlooking the first courtyard.

Along the southwest wall are several doorways that lead to death. On the other side of this arch is an unprotected cliff edge that drops to 18 m (60 ft). After stepping out to overlook the drop, I laugh. I would never see this back in North America. It would have been fenced off to benefit public safety. The view overlooks the River Drin.

The second courtyard provides views of the inner fortification (left) and the religious building (on the right).

The religious building was once a Roman Catholic church built by the Venetians. However, later it was modified and converted into a Mosque when the Ottoman Empire conquered the Castle.

This is the main entrance to the Castle. The rocks of the main road are polished to a high luster due to the constant traffic through the years. I love how this photo turned out. It looks like something out of a scary movie. I recall a line from Polterguiest - Run to the light Carol-Ann.

I walk back down the hill and find Laura waiting in the car. "Want to go to Shiroka, next to Lake Skadar," she asks. Sure. if you don't mind me tagging along. We arrive in Shiroka about 20 minutes later. When I step out of Caddy, I notice several stray dogs lounging on the boardwalk. Many have ear tags. This means they have been vaccinated and sterilized. Most strays are harmless. Still, seeing so many dogs around without owners is odd.

Shikora is a small fishing village located southwest of Lake Skadar.

Local fishermen are getting ready to head out for the morning. On the boardwalk, a man is selling fresh small fish out of the back of a car. A lady buys two bags. Near as I can tell, she pays around 800 Lek (6.8 Euros). The fish look like small bait fish. The merchant is busy this morning and appears to only speak Albanian, so I leave him alone.

After walking through Shikora, Laura asks me if I want to join her on a drive south. "We can eat lunch at a restaurant where we must take a ferry. Afterward, I will drive you back to Lezhe, and you can take the bus," she says. As long as I can return to Shkodër, I am in for the adventure. "If that doesn't work, this always does," Laura says as she puts out a hitchhiker's thumb. Europeans are much more accustomed to hitchhiking than we are in North America. 

On the way down, we pass several fields where small plants grow. Albania exported 14,000 tonnes (15,432 tons) of medicinal herbs worth 50 M Euros in 2020. The growing industry exports 95% of all herbs to six countries, including the United States. The industry is growing as the abundance of these fields appears to be growing.

After an hour's ride in Caddy, we arrive at another small fishing village near the Lagoon of Patok. There is not much in this village except restaurants and a small hotel. One unique thing about this location is that many of the restaurants on the mainland have private huts for small groups.

As I wander around, I notice several locals fishing for small silverfish. The fishing is relatively slow, as very few fish are being caught. They use jigging poles with small crayfish and nets to capture the fish. The few I see are only about 23 cm (9 in). "Levrek (sea bass). They are delicious to eat," says a local when Laura asks what fish they are trying to catch. Laura and I chat with the mechanical engineer who is fishing for a while. It appears our presence might be affecting his ability to catch fish.

So, we make our way to the ferry boat, which takes us to the small island of Restaurant Ishulli. 

The ferry driver, who is also the restaurant owner, tells me this is the last night of the season for them. They are closing the restaurant tomorrow.

Halfway through the meal, I realized I had forgotten to take a picture. The meal includes, left to right, Haddock, Grilled Shrimp, Grilled Vegetables, Cornbread with tomatoes, Sea Bass, and French Fries. The meal is fantastic, and the fish is cooked perfectly!

When we return to Caddy, Laura says, "Take a picture of me with your camera so I can put it on Instagram!" I laugh as I pull out my camera. Seems like I have developed a reputation for taking excellent photos with my iPhone 13.

By the time Laura drops me off in Lezhe, it is well after 5 pm. I have no idea where to catch the bus. With Laura's help, I start asking around. "Shkodër, here." says a man from the grocery store. There is no bus from Lezhe to Shkodër. I need to intercept the Tirana to Shkodër bus by flagging it down. This better work, I say to myself. I made the mistake of shutting down my phone to save my battery, but when I restarted it, I was locked out because of my new SIM card. They PIN protected my SIM card, and I have no idea what the PIN is. I need to visit Vodaphone tomorrow and get that changed. But for now, my phone is purely a camera. 

After 30 minutes, the bus makes its way through the roundabout. I wave my arm, and the bus driver nods and points ahead. "Run! You gotta run!" says Laura. So I take off running as the bus passes me. About 40 m (120 ft) later, the bus pulls over. I board the bus and find the only open seat. A short while later, a man makes his way over to me, and I pay my 2 Lek (1.50 euro) and sit back in my seat. The ride takes about an hour. When it arrives, I am happy to get off the warm bus. 

People in Albania are amicable and helpful. The bus system is rather arcane and underdeveloped. However, the fares are very cheap, and I find the buses safe. Though it is rather difficult to identify the routes and the corresponding bus stops.