Shkoder Travel Guide: Cycling to Lake Shkodra, Rozafa Castle & Final Days in Albania
Almost 2 weeks were over in Albania and I was going to my final destination of the trip. I was going to spend 2 nights in Shkoder and then go back to Tirana to head back to the UK. I left Theth around 9 and took the same van by which I came to here. A quick ride leaving the mountains back to the city. I had to change my hostel due to no reservations in the Hostels I had planned staying in. The social and most recommended hostel was the Wanderers Hostel but as I couldn’t get booking for those specific date, I changed it to Our Way Hostel which was a very chilled and relaxed hostel. A 10 minute walk from the bus stop in a residential area was this hostel. I paid 1660 Lek ( 14 Pounds / 1480 INR) for two nights which was pretty inexpensive.Shkoder (Shkodra) is one of the oldest towns in whole Europe regarded as the traditional capital of Northern Albania is famous for its arts, culture, religious diversity and unstable history. It dates back to the 4th Century BC. The cafe culture in Shkoder is a boom and you will find them everywhere with locals filled in. Shkoder itself has not much to see or do with a very few places which I was going to cover but around it you have the beautiful Komani Lake. If I would have gone to Valbone, I would have taken a ferry back through Komani Lake but god had some other plans for me which worked out for the best. Rjolli beach is another place just 30 minutes from the city which is very off beat. Shkoder is very close to the Montenegro border as well so you just take the bus and continue your trip in Montenegro as well.
I reached Shkoder around noon, checked in my hostel and soon left out for lunch. I went to this famous traditional Albanian Restaurant called Fisi suggested by the hostel volunteers. I again had Tave Kosi and Baklava. The food was amazing and the place was very budget friendly as well. Post lunch, I strolled around the city. I saw the Ebu Bekr Mosque, walked the Boulevard for a quick coffee, saw Mother Teresa’s Family home and then went to a very interesting place for photographers. The “Marubi National Museum of Photography” is a must visit for everyone. It was founded by Albania’s first photographer Pietro Marubbi. It has a vast collection of photographs showing Albania’s history and evolution over time, different types of cameras and equipments used and some of these things are dated back to the 1800s. It is an interesting museum for all my photography enthusiasts and history lovers as well. It costs 700 Lek (5 Pound/ 620 INR) or 200 Lek (1.5 Pound/ 180 INR) for students. After exploring the museum giving it a good time I went to a local bakery in the Boulevard where I went to when I took a stopover in Shkoder. The place is called “Pastiçeri Gelateri ” RINIA ” and had all kinds of desserts and ice creams. I tried 2 random things which looked to me and I had no idea what they were. It was local dessert and it tasted really good and heavy. One was like a choco lava cake and the other was like a custard. I didn’t feel like eating heavy dinner after this so I just bought some byrek for dinner and had it in my hostel and called it a day.My last day in Albania where I was going to explore Shkoder. with heavy breakfast in the hostel, I rented a bicycle from the hostel which costed 700 Lek (5 Pound/ 620 INR) for the day. My plan for the day was cycling all the way to the Shkodra Lake near the Montenegro border and stop at small lakeside beaches along the way. This was going to be most part of the day and then end my day at with a sunset from Rozafa Castle. A hot and bright day in Shkoder, not what I expected at all. From the Hostel, the spots I was going to were 15kms. I stopped at many places to click photographs. It was fun cycling for a while until the sun started burning me. I reached the Border area real quick, clicked some photos and wanted to go to the small beach where I could just take a swim as it was really hot. The Shkoder lake or Skadar Lake is shared by Montenegro and Albania with only 1/3 in Albania. It is the largest lake in the Balkans region and a very important biodiversity hotspot for birds and freshwater animals. In winters, it boasts of having many migratory birds such as the Dalmatian Pelicans and is declared as a Ramsar Site. If you are on the Montenegro side of the lake, you can get kayaks to explore the lake and also camp on the lakeside for cheap.
As the clock was approaching noon, I was in the cold waters of Shkoder lake but the outside temperatures were scorching. I decided to leave as I had a long way to cycle back and the heat was unbearable. There was a lunch spot suggested by the hostel volunteer near the small beach I was in. There is a small settlement along the lake called Shiroka where there is Te Zyda, a seafood restaurant which serves local catch from Shkoder Lake. It was perfect as I could have lakeside lunch, spend the afternoon in the shade with good food and view and wait for the heat to reduce. To be my bad luck, it was one of the hottest days in Shkoder recorded. The restaurant menu was in Albanian and no one in the restaurant spoke in english so I just pointed at 2 random seafood items and told them to bring it for me. One was some local fish delicacy from the lake and the other was crab meatballs. With some really good local seafood , chilled beer in a hot day, it was the perfect lunch.
The restaurant was very inexpensive and didn’t cost me a bomb. The heat started to reduce and I started to head back to the city. After a long cycle ride, I went to the hostel for a quick nap as I had time until sunset and had seen everything that I wanted to. I reached the castle for sunset but got to know that the last entry has been shut so had to watch the sunset sitting on the walls of the castle which wasn’t bad at all. Of course, it would have been great to see it from inside but there’s always a next time! The Rozafa Castle is the biggest attraction of Shkoder and it costs 400 Lek (3.3 Pound/ 350 INR) to get in. It is dated back to the 14th Century and has an interesting story behind it which will be best if you go there and hear it from a guide to feel it. The sunset wasn’t the best due to haze and clouds but the view was amazing. I gazed over the city of Shkoder and relived my 17 days in this country. I learnt a lot, I met so many new people, I had so much food and my love for travelling just grew more and more. It was an emotional moment as the trip came to an end and I will miss this amazing country. In future, I will definitely come back again.
With this the Albanian Series comes to an end! Faleminderit (Thank you in Albanian) and Mirupafshim (Goodbye in Albanian)!!
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