Krujë, Albania. The town sits high on the mountainside. George W. Bush visited Fushe-Krujë, the town at the bottom of the mountain in June, 2007. The cafe he stopped in is named after him. He may not have been much liked in the U.S., but the Albanians love him!
Cobblestone street and reconstructed bazaar. All tourist shops, some with interesting goods. The rough woolen rugs are made in several of the shops and remind us very much of American Indian rugs. Throughout the country we see women hand-spinning wool into yarn as they walk along herding their sheep.
New castle within the old (reconstructed) castle that houses Skanderbeg museum.We took a real outing on our P-Day, which is supposed to be every Saturday! It was a beautiful Spring day and we went to Krujë, a picturesque mountainside town famous for being the hometown of Gjergj Kastrioti (Skanderbeg), the national hero. The castle, now partly restored, was where Skanderbeg defended against the invading ottomans during four different sieges in the 15th Century. It fell to the Ottomans after his death. There is a castle-like museum built within the walls of the old castle. Among other things, it houses replicas of the helmet and swords that are reputed to have been his and are now in a museum in Vienna. The goat head helmet is very interesting and you see it on many signs throughout the country.
2 comments:
Thanks for the pictures--it gives me a much better mental picture of Albania. I'm glad Spring is sprung in Albania. It is getting warmer and more beautiful here in Virginia. The Magnolias are coming out and the Dogwoods won't be far behind them.
Ginger
Liz and Marty,
I really enjoyed the pictures and descriptions of your first get-away. I even read the links to Wikipedia and found them very enlightening. I hope this next trip is just as much fun. We love to hear about your doings whether work or play!
Helen
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