Day 3: From Vlora to Durrës, heading north, discover Albania's beaches and Roman history.

#albania #durres #apollinia #vlora #history #travel
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The second leg of our journey through Greece and the Balkans continues with a third episode in Albania. This is in fact our second full day in the country, a journey that will take us ever further north, discovering part of the Albanian coast between the towns of Vlora and #durrës , before we head for the town of #shkodër, not far from #montenegro . Plenty of history too, with a stop at the Roman site of Apollonia.
0:27 Introduction
0:50 Vlora and its coast
1:20 Off to Apollonia
1:55 Visit to the archaeological site of Apollonia
5:07 The road between Vlora and Durrës
6:00 Beach and swimming
7:31 Discover the town of Durrës
12:55 Further north
14:25 An evening in Shkodër
A short view of Vlora
After a very busy day, we spent a night in the seaside town of Vlora. Like many other towns on the Albanian coast, it boasts superb beaches. Although a little run-down, Vlora has its charm, but we only spent a few hours there.
First stop: The site of Apollonia
Discovery of the archaeological site of Apollonia d'Illyrie, a Corcyro-Corinthian colony founded in the last quarter of the 7th century BC, and then an important Roman city which is currently the largest archaeological site in Albania, with an intramural area of over 100 ha.
Romanized around 229 BC, it was here that the future Roman emperor Augustus studied when he learned of Caesar's assassination. It later became so important that Cicero called it a great and influential city of the empire. The remains of its Greek-style theater, odeon and bouleuterion recall the prestigious past of this city, whose decline began in the 3rd century.
Second stop: Beach and swimming
We stopped off at one of the many hotels in the south of Durrës to soak up the sun for a few hours. For 20 euros, you can rent a pitch in any of the hotels along the coast. And like us, you can enjoy the sun and the turquoise waters of the Adriatic Sea.
Third stop: the town of Durrës
Like Apollonia, Durrës is a very ancient city, known in antiquity as Dyrrhachium. Today, it is Albania's second-largest city, with some 250,000 inhabitants. It is also an important port for the country's economic vitality.
Durrës was originally founded by Greek settlers from Corinth and Corfu around 627 BC. Originally named Epidamnos, it was the Romans who gave it the name Dyrrhachium when they conquered it in 229 BC, hence the acronym Durrës. In addition to its museum and a number of more recent monuments, the heart of the town boasts vestiges of ancient times, including the famous Durrës amphitheatre, the pride of the town's inhabitants. Built in the 2nd century during the reign of Emperor Trajan, the building could accommodate up to 20,000 people.
Last stop: Shkodër
At the end of the day, we arrived in Shkoder, a city of 100,000 inhabitants and one of the main towns in the north of the country. We took the opportunity to explore this town, which still bears the scars of the communist regime. We'll be visiting it a little more in our next episode, our current mission being to find a good table. Which reminds us that you can eat very well and cheaply in any restaurant in Albania.
Useful links :
- Tourism Albania :
albania.al/
www.albaniantourist.com/
- Vlora:
www.kristatheexplorer.com/pos...
albaniatouristplaces.com/visi...
www.goatsontheroad.com/things...
- Apollonia:
www.intoalbania.com/attractio...
whc.unesco.org/en/tentativeli...
apolloniaarchaeologicalpark.a...
- Durrës
www.thewalkingparrot.com/post...
thetravelfolk.com/things-to-d...
tourisminalbania.com/durres-a...

[@TheGrayLifewithJimPearl]

Great, we hand not watched this yet and wanted something good to watch. Those beaches looked so inviting. How cool to be able to explore that amphitheater