Monday, June 29, 2015

Albania Day 4 : Cape Rodonit



Day 4 was a day of rest and a chance for us to see ome of the country and learn more of its history.


We hiked out to Cape Rodonit, waking along a ridge with the Adriatic Sea on either side of us.  The trail brought us to the remains of a castle believed to hide Albania's national hero, George Castrioti Scanderbeg, before escaping to Italy.  At the same location there is a chapel called St. Anthony's church.


The hike brought us through the remains of a communist- era military base. We were able to explore some of the bunkers which were connected in a maze of underground tunnels.  There were also some larger bunkers that evidently housed some type of artillery. Operating instructions were still on the wall!




Inside the chapel, the walls had been covered with frescoes.  However, in the cultural revolution of 1967, looters destroyed most of them.  It is thought that those of them that were left were done so in part because of the Scanderbeg crest found on the wall behind the altar.

After the hike we enjoyed lunch at a beautiful restaurant right by the sea.




































Our driver and friend Armandi

















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