We had crossed Greece in only 3 days and had spent the night on the last beach before the border to Albania. Now it was time to explore a new country!
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| Parking for the night |
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| Reaching the border |
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| Soon we were through the control and had entered Albania |
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| Beside of a Mercedes, this is another common means of transport in Albania. |
Our first sight just after the border was the ancient town of Butrint, which was probably inhabited since prehistoric times and became an ancient Greek and later Roman city. It was abandoned during the Middle Ages after a major earthquake flooded most of the city. It is located on a hill overlooking the Vivari Channel, which connects the lake behind Butrint with the sea and creates ideal conditions for mollusks farming. The city is considered one of the most important archaeological sites in Albania.
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| Reaching the peninsula of Butrint |
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| Roman ruins underwater |
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| Text at a stone of the theatre |
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| Theatre of Butrint |
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| Spring with marble panel |
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| We were fascinated by the grooves the rope to pull up the bucket has left |
In the 6th century, Butrint became the seat of a bishop and new constructions included the baptistery, one of the largest early Christian buildings of its type, and a basilica.
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| Baptistery, which has a very beautiful mosaic pavement. |
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| But most of the time the floor is covered with gravel as protection 🙁 |
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| Remains of the basilica |
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| City wall along the sea |
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| Lions Gate |
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| Ali Pasha Castle on top of the hill |
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| Vivari channel, connecting the lake with the sea |
From Butrint we drove inland to the Blue Eye – Syri i Kaltër – a karst spring on the western slope of the Mali i Gjerë mountains. With 6 m³/s it is the most abounding spring in the country.
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| Road leading to the tourist attraction |
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| This is it! |
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| Here the water emerges from the cave underneath |
The clear blue water of the spring rises up from unknown depth. Divers have descended to fifty metres, but the actual depth of the karst hole is still unclear. The temperature is 12.75°C all year, with a maximum deviation of only 0.15°C. Against the background of the light limestone, the water has a deep blue colour, therefore the name Blue Eye.
I read that in summer 2004 the source had temporarily dried up, which sounds incredible when you see the water bursting out of the ground.
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| Parking for the night next to the river |
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| Flower of the Day |
