Vlorë (Albania) | Damn Olives - Day 158

 

This triangular Fortress at Porto Palermo was commissioned by Ali Pasha in the 19th Century. The former garrison and prison is incredibly well-preserved. It is located on an island just off the coast. and Recently the isthmus was filled in to connect the island to the mainland.

"It's unbelievable! They found my luggage!" says Jerome after checking his email this morning. He flew into Bulgary from Québéc around 50 days ago and arrived without baggage. Jerome is also a diabetic, and his backpack had half his supplies for his diabetes (e.g., syringes, insulin, readers, etc.) After 5 days, he decided it was in his best interest to replace some of the things he lost. Has been on the road since. That's great news! I'm really happy for you. Where did they find it?, I ask. "They found in Frankfurt, Germany. Now it's on its way back to Québéc. I read that 98% of bags misplaced by airlines are found and returned to their owners," he says. 

I share with him the conversation I had with Adam in Swansea about when we really want something, it always seems to be just out of reach. Like two magnets with the same polarity, your affinity for the things keeps it away from you. The more you want it, the harder it is to obtain. However, when you let go and stop wanting it, its attraction for you works. Finally, it finds its way to you. So, I tell Jerome, you didn't preoccupy yourself with your lost bag. Now it has found its way to you. "Yeah, it's amazing! My diabetic supplies alone were worth close to 800 Canadian," he says.  

Today, I want to stop at several sites along the Albanian Riviera rather than visit a town. The first site, Ali Pasha's Triangular Fortress, is about an hour north of Sarandë. On the way up, I pick a beautiful large ripe olive and sink my teeth into it. Shit! And I start spitting out the bitterness. Jerome laughs, "Still trying on, huh?" I am gonna find it, but these must be for oil and not good to eat, I say. When I reach the Fortress, Jerome and I are the only two and have the place to ourselves. The entry fee is 400 Lek (3.40 euros). 

A side note here, I have been using euros as the benchmark for two reasons, 1) the USD and Euro were about equal 1:1 exchange rates, and 2) Albania uses both the Euro (unofficial) and Albanian Lek (official) for currency. However, when I checked the exchange rates this morning on XE.com, I noticed that the USD has slid a long way over the last week. The USD is now worth about 0.96 Euros. Moreover, the exchange rate for the LEK is also sliding, down from 117 Lek to 114 Lek. "The elections in the United States were last week, and I read they have not decided the House yet," says Jerome. I had completely forgotten about the election, as I have made it a point to detach from news while traveling. So the declining USD is not a huge deal. However, things are costing me more than they did a week ago. 

I will make some quick points related to exchange rates to highlight the impacts of uncertainty and demonstrate how linked the world is. Two things are causing the USD to slide this week after nearly 9 months of increase. First, it is the US mid-term elections in Congress. This year's election is close and has taken more than a week to resolve itself. This is unusual. After the mess of the 2020 election, it appears that the world is reacting to more uncertainty from the United States. Also, a shift in power in the House is expected, which usually means US politics become gridlocked. Second, D Trump officially announced he's running for President again in 2024. Uncertainty is often reflected in the strength of a country's currency. The less things are certain, the weaker the currency. Many Americans support Trump in the United States. However, based on my conversations while traveling, he has few European supporters. Trump is perceived as a figure that destabilized the world and the global economy with the policies he implemented during his term. Impacts were not well received in Europe. I find it very interesting to be abroad and experience this economic shift and the uncertainty firsthand. I am now curious to see how long the slide continues and if the USD recovers. I have been blessed to travel in Europe while the USD was so strong. A few weeks ago, the USD was worth 1.04 Euros, the most robust performance in more than 10 years.

The Fortress is extraordinarily well-preserved and completely intact. The first room I walk into is the center of the triangle, where a circle of arches supports the structure and roof. Legend says that Ali Pasha hired French engineers to design and oversee the construction of the Fortress. When construction was finished, Ali Pasha had them executed.

On top of the structure are small turrets, one on each point, with protected portholes for safety. In the center, where the Albanian Flag is another round structure. Its purpose is not clear. The building on the right covers the staircase. 

When I climb back in the car, I open Google and search if wild olives can be eaten from a tree. I don't need to try any more olives, I tell Jerome. Wild olives have an intense bitterness. They must be soaked in salt brine for  3 to 12 months before they become edible. The brine removes bitterness. "Rats! I enjoyed watching you sample olives. Me, on the other hand, I only needed to try one," he says.

A few kilometers north of the Triangular Fortress is a submarine bunker. The bunker was built by the Russians during the previous Communist Regime. This location was leased out to the Russians by the Albanians until the early 1960s when Hoxha forced the Russians out of Albania, as he trusted no one.

The walk down is slightly more than 0.7 km (0.5 mi). However, as I head down the trail, I notice a sign that reads, "Stop! Military Area." "That has to be old," says Jerome. I am unsure, but here comes a car, let's ask. The Albanian man, who appears to be in his 60s and driving an older Mercedes Benz sedan, tells us that the area is closed and the sign is still current.

It is unfortunate, as the bunker looks very intriguing from afar.

"There's another submarine bunker on the west side. I wonder if we can access that one," says Jerome. He drives a few more kilometers and parks the car near another trail. This time it is a little over 1 km (0.6 mi) to the bunker on his phone. The view of the coastline is impressive today on this overcast day. The forecast is calling for rain, but we haven't had any since the middle of the night.

"I think it is straight down the hill from here. We need to leave the trail," says Jerome. So, I make my way down to the coastline with Jerome behind me. I find the massive bunker. Unfortunately, there is no way down from here, and we need to backtrack to the trail leading us down to the entrance.

Inside the bunker is an enormous concrete and metal door. The metal has a beautiful rusty patina, and the concrete shows signs of wear. Each half of the door is supported by 5 massive hinges that are also very rusty. I wonder if these two bunkers are linked? I ask Jerome. "It looks like they are directly across from each other. I bet they are," says Jerome. 

I am fascinated by the facility's construction and wonder how long it must have taken to build. Although this is not made of natural materials, like many of the ancient sites we have seen, I am equally enamored with the structure. I am fascinated by the shape, and the amount of concrete used to build this bunker. How did they do it?

After returning to the car, we head further north to Himarë (himarah). Jerome has been in contact with a small group, two young French girls and a young Swiss man, that he met while in Valbona. The three of them are traveling together, hitchhiking their way through Albania. "They have spent four nights in Hiramë," Jerome says. What have they been doing there? There isn't much to do, I say.

Himarë is a popular beach destination along the Albanian Riviera. The city has an old town and ruins, and that's it. "Let's check it out since we are passing through it," says Jerome. Near the ruins, Jerome sees Julie, one of the French girls. "Where are Maude and Alex?" "They needed time alone, and I am a good friend, so I stayed behind. Come with us. We are heading up to the old city," replies Julie.    

"Good thing we haven't climbed any hills today," says Jerome laughing. The old city is at the top of a cliff, and as I reach the overlook, I notice the sun piercing through the clouds. The light reflecting off the Adriatic is exceptionally bright.

The most intriguing ruin is the old church. On the east side is a round tower with a cross.

The church tower also has remnants of painted symbols near the top. Paint doesn't usually last very long, so I love seeing it on the column.

This photo sums up my impression of the old town and ruins today. Mingled within the ruins are newer houses. However, it appears the ancient buildings are not valued here. Many are full of trash and debris. Like this dilapidated light pole, which needs to be cleaned and fixed, but instead is ignored. People appear to be comfortable letting things fall into disrepair in this old town. Jerome frequently says, "It's sad to see this." I remind him it is part of their culture. I like seeing all sides of a country's culture, and this is one of the things Albanians do that is different. I try not to judge a foreign culture using the filters of North American culture but rather try to understand if my perceptions are accurate.

On the way down, I pass these two older men harvesting olives. They use small rakes to shake the olives free from the branches. Sometimes, they cut the branches to keep the trees from growing too large. As I take this picture, I notice that the trees are loaded with bright green olives, some of the densest trees I have seen.

A third Albanian, who seems to be the boss, walks by. "Do you eat the olives, or are they for oil?" asks Jerome. "You have to wait a long time to eat olives. These are oil," he says, confirming what I read earlier today. It takes time to prepare wild olives to eat. Even though I know I can't eat the olives, I still want to. They look so good!  

We resume our trek north along the Albanian Riviera and stop in Vlorë (vlorah) for the night. 

We arrive in Vlorë as the sun sets and decide to grab dinner before heading to our hotel on the outskirts of town. Jerome and I have alternated in making lodging accommodations. Tonight, he found a place for 13 euros for the two of us. I think we could have spent a few more euros on a better location but we'll see how it turns out.

The sunset is quite beautiful tonight. Maybe, we'll need to come back here in the morning, I say to Jerome. He agrees, and we continue walking down the boardwalk, searching for a restaurant.

For dinner, I ordered seafood risotto. The rice dish includes crab, mussels, shrimp, and calamari. It is fantastic! Fortunately, I don't have to eat any uncured olives for dinner.