"Durres 2008" a Durres Travel Page by maykal

Underwhelmed by Tirana? How about a daytrip to the coast? Durres? Take the Tirana-Durres Express...it's quicker than walking, but only just!

I thought Tirana was quirky. Well, so too is Durres. An ancient city, not much survives from the Roman era, but it does mean that you stumble across relics from the past all over the place...amphitheatres and forums surrounded by dilapidated yet colourful century old houses inside mediaeval city walls, within spitting distance of a few Communist monuments, a backdrop of modern glass-fronted high-rise blocks.

Continuing the trend that Tirana had set, all the attractions were shut. The Roman Amphitheatre looked quite impressive from outside, although I'm told that exploring the tunnels underneath are well worth entering for...unfortunately the caretakers had decided to ignore their opening hours and go for a siesta somewhere. The Archaeological Museum was under lock and key too. Frustrating really. But I did spend a full day wandering the streets, marvelling at the sheer number of trampolines in the streets (is it a national trampolining training centre?), sunning myself on a deserted beach (well, it was very much out of season and not that warm), and generally enjoying the relaxed atmosphere.

Lots more photos to come, but let me unpack first!