Europe #11: More on Durres
January 31
Seaside! Durres is the main port for Albania, so you’d expect lots happening on the seafront. But it’s not the most popular beach destination – there are better ones further south towards Greece. I’ve only been to the local beach area where there is no sand. I may get down to the sandy beach further along the coast sometime. For now, these photos show what’s on offer.
February 7
Not a lot to report – we’re having a cold snap at the moment – down to zero at night and up to 6 daytime. So I still haven’t touched my bike. It’ll be a bit warmer by next week and I must get more exercise as I’m putting on weight.
There are lots of stray dogs. It seems that people just chuck unwanted puppies out onto the streets, where they learn to fend for themselves. They are normally quite docile, but can get a bit rowdy at times. They don’t seem to care about the temperatures at night – sitting on cold stone slabs. So here are some photos of local dogs.
Durres has an ancient amphitheater that they are quite proud of, so I went to have a look. I must say that it wasn’t that impressive, but this is not Rome. There was a group of people making a Youtube video, so I had a good chat with them. They came from all over – London, USA, Malaysia. As you can tell, it was cold.
February 10 – Byzantine market square
The market square was the traditional centre of ancient Durres (then Dyrrah). It was a contemporary public building to emperor Justinian and Anastasios in the early 6th century A.D. There’s a well in the middle, but I don’t know if it still works. This site is about 100 yards from where I’m living now.
