Lake Koman

Lonely Planet reckons one of Albania’s undisputed highlights is the three hour ferry ride between the towns of Koman and Fierze.  We did it and it reminded us all of Lake Manopouri  in NZ with a little bit of Milford Sound thrown in.  

Many hikers take the ferry to Fierze and then go on to Valbona and do a stunning big day hike to  Theth.  Andrew of course would love to have done that but the road to Theth is a dirt road on which we were not allowed to take our rental car.  Plus we don’t really have the time to spare.  Not very far from Theth and Valbona are Montenegro and Kosovo respectively.

Mairi and Brian on the ferry.

We stayed two nights in the very small town of Koman where our hotel was under a bridge, painted pink.  Talking about sleeping under a bridge!!!!  We enjoyed our stay a great deal.  Here is a photo of sheep head’s soup which I was keen to try.  It was very nice and tasted like a very meaty soup.

Just before leaving Albania through the northern city of Shkodra, we visited the Rozafa Fortress sitting high above the city with lovely views of the city and the part of the lake that is in Albania. The fortress was founded by the Illyrians and rebuilt by the Venetians and then the Turks.  The fortress takes its name from a woman named Rozafa who was allegedly walled into the ramparts as an offering to the gods so that the construction would stand.