Day 6: Llegora National Park, Albania

We had a short walk from the hotel Gjirokastro in to where the bus was parked but the views were spectacular.

Many buildings had a couple of solar panels on the roof which were used to heat the water. 

We were on the road by 8.30am  with a couple of hours drive to the World heritage Site of Butrint national Park. Butrint was an ancient port on the Mediterranean. 

 The area was developed from the C4th BCE when it became home to a sanctuary dedicated to Asclepius, god of medicine where worshippers then flocked to be healed. The city expanded during the Roman period but fell into decline after an earthquake and was abandoned towards the end of the Middle Ages. The site has archaeological remains from the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman cultures and civilisations.

A Venetian tower built in the 15th and 16th century.

The site of a large Roman Villa

The Great Basilica, the church of the bishop built in the 6th century AD.

This is the Lion Gate which takes its name from the relief depicting a lion devouring the head of a bull positioned above the entrance.

From there we went to the coastal town of Saranda where we had lunch overlooking the sea. Afterwards we had a refreshing swim in the Adriatic. The rest of the afternoon was spent driving to the Llogora National Park where we were spending the night.

From this part of the Albanian coastline you could see the Greek Island of Corfu.

The route then took us away from the coast and up into the mountains.

There were so many hairpin bends I was glad I wasn't driving.

The hotel was in the middle of the park. As well as the hotel rooms it had a number of lodges. 

The hotel had a very good swimming pool which I made use of as soon as we arrived as it wouldn't be open before we left in the morning. 

As we were leaving the next day we could see lots of deer wandering around the hotel.