A semi rest day, storing up some reserves for the climb into the mountainous interior that begins tomorrow. Also a fantastic, memorable day - but in the spirit of a rest day I’m going to be brief about it. We’re took a loop ride to Butrint National Park, about ten miles south of town along the coast, not far from the Greek border.
Butrint is a fascinating place, the site of an important ancient city established about 800 BC At the narrowest point of Corfu Strait - it lies only about two miles from Corfu. Sitting in a highly strategic location influencing navigation up and down the coast as well as being the base of a land route eastward to Constantinople, it was controlled at various times by the ancient Greeks, Rome, Venice, Corfu and the Ottomans.
The ruins of the city sit in the center of a flat, broad wetland surrounded by lakes, channels and canals. The ruins were established as a protected UNESCO site in 1992, soon after the fall of the Communist regime; and the entire area is now a national park to protect its important biodiversity. It is a fascinating place to visit, with extensive, evocative ruins to explore - I was surprised by it, finding it to be one of the most rewarding archeological site we’ve visited.
The ride itself was relatively easy (once we schlepped our bikes down from the roof of the hotel and repaired the first flat tire of the trip). We took the nearly flat coast road south to reach the site. There is quite a bit of traffic, but the road is broad and in excellent shape, and it follows a very scenic route that along the narrow isthmus between Lake Butrint and a narrow ridge separating it from the Strait of Corfu.
On the return, we took a very quiet road following the inland side of the lake, mostly within the boundary of the National Park. There is virtually no traffic on this road, largely because it’s not that accessible. You reach it by crossing a narrow channel on an incredibly rickety, tiny cable ferry that looks as it must have for many years and has capacity for only two or three cars per journey. Seeing the ferry alone would have been worth the drive out. The road gradually rises to a small saddle, offering beautiful views across the lake, the rich agricultural valley, and across to Corfu. It’s really a beautiful ride, and overall quite easy in comparison to almost everywhere else we’ve ridden on this tour.
We got back to our hotel fairly early, about three, and went down to the beach for a final swim - we won’t be near the water again after we leave Saranda in the morning. For dinner we of course went back down to the promenade, enjoying what is probably the best dining experience of the tour. An exceptional day.
Breakfast on the roof of the hotel. On the right side, separated only by a row of planters, is the breakfast area for the neighboring hotel.
The geologic features everywhere on this tour have been dramatic. Today, we were impressed by these nearly vertical exfoliating strata along the roadside.
Looking west down the narrow waterway from the ancient city to the coast. In the distance is Mount Pantecrator, the highest peak on the island of Corfu.
After our ought two hour tour of the site, we had lunch at hotel restaurant there. While we were there, another tour group led by Cycle Albania arrived - the second we’ve seen here this week. The man second from the front on the left came up to chat, because he’d heard we’re Oregonians, as he is also. Later, Rachael gradually realized that he was the head of the state agency she worked at almost 20 years ago.
The primitive cable ferry across the channel. It runs continuously if there’s traffic; but in the absence of any acting cars, we sat and waited for about five or ten minutes before crossing.
This is a new mosque, and apparently still under construction. I couldn’t find any information on it, but it looks like it is a memorial of some sort. It includes a large wall of names of the deceased, their ages, and their location (home? Where they died?). A mystery. I’ll keep researching to see if I can learn more.
Probably the best meal of the tour, certainly the most elegant. At the top, a spicy Macedonian casserole. At the bottom, sea bass decoratively wrapped in a Lacey flour paste shell.
The son of our server. They’re both Athenians who moved here about four years ago. The son says it gets old here, and you get tired of the same old faces every winter. He earns 600 euros/month working 12 hour days, 7 days a week. He wants to move to Canada or USA for a few years, get rich, and return home.
