We started Day 4 of our Albania tour in the footsteps of Julius Caesar, no less. Near to our overnight stop in Llogara National Park was Caesar’s Pass, so named as the aforementioned emperor came this way in 48BC on his way across the mountains to Vlora in pursuit of Pompey.
Having walked up through the woods to a viewpoint (pictured above), we returned by the same rocky path and started our bus journey south via the twisty mountain roads of the Llogara Pass and some of the coastal towns along the Albanian Riviera.
A stop was made at Himara, near where the Adriatic Sea becomes the Ionian Sea, and while some of the group had a swim others went for a stroll along the promenade.
Next stop, on what would turn out to be quite a long day, was the imposing Porto Palermo Castle, built (it is said) by Ali Pasha in the early 19th Century.
A further stop was made a few miles down the coast at Borsh, where we had the opportunity to enjoy an ice cream in a restaurant built down and across both sides of a waterfall. It was certainly an experience enjoying one’s dessert as water cascaded above, below and on either side of where we were seated.
The day was far from over, as although it was well after 4pm by the time we left the restaurant, we still had to visit the impressive Roman archaeological site at Butrint and then travel north and inland to our overnight stop in Gjirokaster. But that deserves a separate post. This was our coastal day.
The China Penguin 