Day 2 Pogradec, Albania

 After checking out of the hotel we went on a final walk around Tirana. Although we would be flying home from Tirana at the end of the tour we would not be returning to the city.

The first stop was the Et'hem Bey Mosque which was spared destruction during the communist era but was closed to worshippers. Building began in 1789 but wasn't finished until 1823 and is one of the oldest buildings left in the city. In 1992 it reopened for worship once again.

Inside, the mosque the walls are covered with frescos.

We walked to the large marbled square with lots of food stalls selling a variety of goods such as jars of honey, nuts, oils, soap etc. These were more for tourists than locals. Although the square looks empty in this photo there were plenty of people wandering about. I was surprised by the number of tourists especially large coach parties of Germans and Italians. Albania is not a common tourist destination from the UK.

I can't say this product sounded appealing.

Then it was into the National History Museum with items dating back to the Greeks and Romans as well as more modern history.  Although a lovely chap, our guide could talk for ever and I just drifted off as I couldn't concentrate for that length of time. Sadly photography was not allowed so I have few memories of the treasures that were in the collections. The huge mosaic on the Museum's façade is apparently called 'Albania' and shows Albanians from Illyrian times through to WW2. To me, it looks very Russian in style.

In one corner of the square was this double decker carousel.

                                                                                                                                       Luxury shops.

One of the thousands of bunkers built throughout the country.

The driver had already packed our cases into the bus so we were picked up in the middle of town and driven a couple of hours  to our next stop which was the  town of Elbasan, where we had lunch before having a look at the small town.

There are just a couple of walls remaining of the Ancient Elbasan Castle which enclose the cobbled streets of the town.

One wall is centred around the clock tower

This is the King Mosque one of the earliest shrines in Albania. It was built at the end in 1492.

Back on the bus to Pogradec, our stopping place for the night. The journey from Elbasan took us along winding mountain roads. We stopped briefly to enjoy the view of Pogradec and Lake Ohrid.

 Once checked in we went for a walk to the lake which was 5 mins from the hotel. Lake Ohrid is  the deepest lake (285m) in the Balkans and borders Macedonia and Albania. In 1980 UNESCO proclaimed it a Natural Heritage site.

In the evening we ate in a restaurant overlooking the lake. 

C and I shared a very large fish caught in the lake, known here as Koran but also known as Ohrid trout. You choose the fish you want which is then weighed and you are charged per kilo. This was the most expensive meal we had in Albania and cost £18 each for the fish, a large plate of grilled vegetables and a bottle of the local red wine. There was easily enough fish for 3-4 people. 

On the way back to the hotel we passed a dessert bar and just had to go in to view the pastries etc. I ended up with a mixed fruit milkshake which tasted infinitely better than it sounded. It seems like the tour is turning into the culinary highlights of Albania.