A day in Elbasan

Woken early again, by the sound of thunder rumbling overhead. Off to the bakery for burek breakfast and noticed the preponderance of graffiti in english. I'd  say 90 percent of all i saw.  An eclectic selection of statements...
Decided to sytematically walk every street in the old town, but still not much sign of historical buildings, apart from the Roman walls. One hotel is built into one corner and you can see excavations exposed beneath a concrete deck. Loved all the flowers growing out of the wall.
I liked looking at the sculptures running along the outside of the walls and there was a sign memorialising communist martyrs killed fighting the nazis in the war.
Found an orthodox church and met the priest and his wife. We managed to communicate in some strange mixture of french and italian. There were some nice but badly deteriorated frescoes. It dates from the 1480s.
Caught a mini bus out to the remains of some roman baths. A teenage girl on the bus was very concerned that i should catch s 'proper' bus. I think she thought it would be demeaning for me to travel on a little mini bus! Anyway, she helpfully told the driver when i wanted to get off and told me how much to pay, except she said five dollars. When i expressed my doubts and took out some leke to pay, she exclaimed "you have albanian money!" I think most visitors must just use euros.
There was not much left of the roman baths, but there was an information panel in English.
From here i headed towards the enormous post communist industrial wasteland. It is incredible to imagine all these industrial works suddenly grinding to a halt, and being systematically destroyed. At least i assume that is what happened for them to be so ruinous.
It was a day for seeing animals. Started with kittens in a basket on the footpath, i guess waiting for someone to adopt them. At the Roman baths i met a turtle that played hide and seek with me and along the river embankment i scared a quite large snake. It kept trying to slide up the concrete wall and slipping back down again. After that it was my turn to be scared when i disturbed a pack of wild dogs on the riverbank. Thankfully, they did a bit of desultory growling and then wandered off. And best till last, two lambs in a suburban street playing a game. They would run twenty metres down the street, turn and run back and repeat. They were really enjoying themselves! When they first ran, i thought it was to get away from me, but they were actually pretty tame, coming right up to me. They were very cute.
Also bumped into another Australian as i walked down lamb street. Quite unexpected.
I spent ages walking along the river trying to find the remains of the old roman bridge lying in the river but gave up. Ended up inside the power plant grounds and just when i thought i had managed to sneak out the security guy called out to me. I managed to mime walking next to river and being lost to his satisfaction and then dazzled him with my Albanian.
Walking back through suburbia i saw a teddy bear and garlic hanging from a new building. I had seen similar yesterday and in durres. A quick google told me what is going on. The teddy bear is for wadfing off the evil eye. As is the garlic. It's  an old tradition but the teddy thing apparently only started in the 90s. If you want to know more you can go here:
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33718522

Pictures are here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/cfqXYVdmTPoSVzmF7

Second day of walking. Hotel restorant vellezerit ajdini to peqin

Since i was awake and there was no one around at seven to offer me any breakfast, i hit the road at 7.30.
A more interesting walk than yesterday and easier. I climbed up the hills that run along the north side of the river valley and thrn followed an old cart track along the ridgeline for most of the day. Some nice views and lotd of wild flowers.
And my first scary fog encounter. Heard one start up as i approached a farm house slong the trsck and was relieved to see it was on a chsin, since it seemef pretty to keen to tear me apart, but then another one started barking and then it was charging at me from a laneway. It got close enough for me to see its very large teeth. I guess it got to within two metres before i brandished my walking poles, which i poked at it. At first it just dodged out of their way and continued snarling, so i let out an enormous roar and ran at it, screaming my lungs out. Now it turned tail. I guess it was more scared of my roar than i was of its snarling. Encountered two more loose dogs after that, so i pre emptively ran at them screaming. Did the trick. Just hope that's  it for dogs now.
After the first dog incident i met a farmer and his wife on a donkey, heading off for a bit of farming. They were very insistent on telling me where i should be going, but of course i had no idea what they were saying.
After a lot of exposed walking along the ridge, the way descended among some lovely old olive trees, and i finally saw some old stone houses. They were the only ones all day though.
But i did pass by a muslim cemetery that looked like it had been in use a very long time. Interestingly there was no order to the plce at all, with graves plonked down ranfomly across the hillside.
I kept descending until i came out in a field full of people harvesting. They seemed a little put out that i was in their field. Unfortunately, that was the route i was given, but looking at the maps i can see it would be possible to avoid by walking a bit further.
Anyway, now i was down in the valley and the interesting walking came to an end. It was now a long slog along a dirt road surrounded by fields. I missed a turn so kept walking to the highway and ended the walking gor today with a horrible stretch of bitumen into peqin.
I made having a beer my first priority again, while deciding what to do next. The last bit of walking had pissed me off and i had it in mind to get on s bus to the world heritage town of berat. However, i had trouble communicating where i wanted to go. In the mesntime, i had a change of heart snd decided i may as well stay in peqin tonight and walk on tomorrow. I found the ruins of the castle. I thought it was the roman fort placed as a staging post along the via egnatia but apparently it's  from the 15th century. It was fun to explore anyway.  Now i headed s km out of town to what google maps says is a hotel. My stop for the night. Not. No, we don't have rooms, no we are not a hotel. I was a little devastated. Where to stay? So i sat down in their very nice courtyard and had a late lunch, which was identical to the dinner last night, right down to the price. Decided i would skip next two legs since a place to sleep was looking problematic and the descriptions made the walking sound dull. It was going to be flat along railway tracks or bitumrn road for 15 km or so and then through industrial ruins for last 10 or so.
Walked back into town and tried again to ask about a bus. This time, to elbassan which is the next big roman stop on the via egnatia. I asked a guy at western union about the bus. He took me to the cafe, sat down with me and we had a tea/coffee while he waited to show me the mini bus i needed coming up the road and then saw me on. Very helpful and kind of him.
So now I'm  in Elbasan. More of which tomorrow.
It's  only been two days but so far, despite some reasonably nice scenery etc, the walk is disappointing. It lacks the scenery and architectural and historical sites i am used to in France, but supposedly the next stage sees a lot of walking on the actual Roman road so perhaps things will improve...
It is a mystery how a place with a history at least as old as France's can have so little to see. This road, the via egnatia was the main thoroughfare from Rome to Constsntinople, and yet there seems to be almost  nothing from roman, byzantine or ottoman times to show for it.

Photos:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/eZUginefPp53PEM39

Route info and map:
https://www.mapmyhike.com/workout/3514118587

First day walking. Golem to restorant-hotel vellezerit ajdini,, near luz i vogel

Up at six and all ready to hit the road at seven. First, a typical (?) Albanian breakfast. Three fried eggs and greek salad in the middle, plus a huge piece of burek and a coffee. Short wait for the local bus into the bus station and then a half hour wait for a bus to Golem.  Wanting to be sure i wsa waiting in the right place i picked the only 20 something, actually 19 it turned out, thinking they would be most likely to speak english, to check. Winner, as she was fluent. Had a good chat while waiting for the bus. I commented on the mosque i had seen and how religious Albanians are. I was surprised that she said most people were muslim, since i had read that they were mostly atheist today. She said she was a muslim, but unlike Egypt, i have seen no woman with a hijab here so far. She said she didn't  agree with hair coverings.She works at a hotel in Golem and studies hospitality and tourism. Second surprise of the day. I had imagined Golem was a little village, turns out it is a nascent Gold coast. High rise hotels for kms along the beach.  Mostly catering to Poles, my new friend informed me.I was last off the bus, handily going up from the main road and depositing me right where the walk is deemed to start. 
I was also surprised that the girl whose name i just cannot remember is widely travelled, since here dad is a postie and her mum a nurse. My idea of poverty stricken Albanians might not be quite right. She has been to turkey, italy, france and ... i forget where else.
It was a glorious day for walking. Clear blue skies and low 20s. Out of Golem and instantly into thd countryside. Lovely and green, hilly. Some nice views and relatively easy walking except for the muddy path after yesterday's storm. I enjoyed hearing a lot of birdsong. Esepcially a cuckoo at one point. And frogs. At every dam i passed, there was a cacophony of frog croaking. I haven't heard frogs like that for many years in Australia. Some very gnarly old olive trees in places and lots of quiet. No cars or people until right near the end of the day.
I am noticing that Albania is mysteriously empty of any old houses, or buildings of any sort, so far, except for the ruins i saw yesterday. It seems everyone lives in a house that is no more than sixty or seventy years old. I thought i was going to see some lovely old stone buildings along the way, but none today. I did get my first sight of a communist era bunker though. Apparently the country is full of them.
I had to make two pretty horrible muddy creek crossings, the second had me sinking half way up my shins in mud. And this led me through a faint aniaml track full of blackberry vine. My legs are covered in scratches. And supposedly this is the way to go. Not impresed with the route finding of the organisers of the via egnatia walk today.  They also had the length down as 18 kms and it ended up being 25! For some reason they stopped measuring quite a long way before the end point at the highway motel. Luckily there was a bar about three kms before the end to get a beer. A half litre can for a 100 leke. 1.30 AUD. In a bar. Better steer clear of bars...
I now started to notice more cars going past, and what i particularly noticed is that most of them are either mercs or bmws. Which reminded me that i had read paul theroux writing about the huge trade in stolen western European ,vehicles in Albania in the 90s. I guess a lot are still on the road.
Once in the first village of the day ,i saw my first big sign of the rubbish problem here. A ditch full of garbage. Not as bad as Egypt, but not a pretty sight. Apparently the place was pristine until the fall of the communist dictatorship in the late 80s or so.
And i think/hope i have learned two words now. Albanian is hard! Apparently it is unrelated to any other European language and is descended from ancient illyrian.  Luckily there are a lot of borrowings from latin as well though. A car is a makina. Anyway, falimandarit is thank you and mirapafshi is goodbye. So, Mirapafshi until tomorrow...

Photos can be found here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/8oSXvDFbJfoCU1vS9

Information on route can be found here:
https://www.mapmyhike.com/workout/3512036722

Waiting for the ferry in Bari

Find the pictures here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ctMDz62sSr3s8WoR9

I am glad i decided to begin my journey with a boat crossing, getting to the start of the via egnatia the same way the Romans did, over the Adriatic. Bari was avmuch more interesting place than I'd  anticipated.
My day began early, with a 5.30 breakfast. What a champion airbnb host!  And such a good breakfast as well. Serrano ham, several other cured meats, manchego cheese, freshly squeezed orange juice, toast, coffee. Amazing.
Bari provided a bit more kindness with someone giving me their train ticket as they could no longer use it. 5 euros saved. Emerged from the train station into a very warm south mediterranean. Bari is full of high end shops. Louis vuitton etc  etc, lined the lovely pedestrian mall leading to the sea.
Collecting my ferry ticket provided confusion and amusement. The person behind the counter asked for both my passports, which i thought odd. She processed one and started on the other and then looked up puzzled and said "are you two people?" My immediate thought was that she thought i was someone with multiple personalities! Then i realised she had thought the second passport belonged to my not walking partner. I had booked a berth for him but he was no longer coming. I was pleased it had put a smile on her face because up till then she had looked like she really hated her job.
Two in the afternoon and i was finally free to explore.  Bari has a very attractive medieval  area, tiny lanes, close packed houses and all sorts of interesting features. I stumbled across a wonderful local eatery that turned ot to be a tourist attraction. No menu, just a woman cooking pasta outside her house. Can't  say the food was amazing but the experience was. It was slightly surreal to be eating my lunch and suddenly be surrounded by a tour group snapping the cook at work. My advice  to the chef is go easier on the salt.
Despite the tour groups al over the place, i still felt as if i had walked into the world of cinema paradiso. Lots of loud italian voices, so different to the deep quiet of french villages. Lots of old ladies sitting in their doorways making pasta by hand. It was lovely seeing a grandmother working with her grandaughters (?). Although once again, they were one of the tourist attractions of the town.
Discovered that Bari is big on chillis, but i found the giant one in front of the Norman castle rather phallic...
Saw a little chapel and went in for a sit down in the shade and charged my phone. Thanks roman catholic church. Apparently it is the chapel of the holy power point.And now it was time to meet my not walking companion, who, not being able to accompany me, was here to do a driving holiday instead. I had a good time chatting and consuming beer, before tipsily stumbling to the ferry port. And here i sit, noticing that one of the passport control officers has been chatting on her phone the whole time I've  been here!

Whiling away time in Barcelona

https://photos.app.goo.gl/S6aV5woxKUE3HxyY9

To while away my Barcelona time today, i did some exploring in the gothic quarter, which also happens to be where the original Roman city was centred. There are quite substantial remains of the Roman town walls, put up in the late empire as it became beset with invasion. A sense of the urgency of the erection of the walls can be seen in the way that the builders made use of recycled stone. Sitting at the very base on the wall win one place is a tombstone or something, engraved with a latin inscription. As i explored the museum of the history of Barcelona i saw a lot more. I can imagine the frantic searching for stone to get the wall up, the destruction of so many elements of the civilisation the wall was meant to protect.

And so i to the museum, which is really an archeaological site. In the course of doing some xort of works, whole sections of the Roman city were uncovered and now lie beneath moe recent buildings, excavated and interspersed with artefacts found on site. There were signs of the streets, with draianage, mosaics in situ in houses, a garum (fish sauce) factory, a winery, a tannery, i think, and then laid over these, the late roman remains of the walls and early christian churches.

Some of the artefacts were delightful. A set of gaming dice, a stone board game base,  and it goes. I loved it.

Afterwards i visited the museum of catalonian history, which does an excellent job of providing an overview of cqtalonia ffom prehistory to today. There was a reproduction of stone art from a ppalaeaolithich cave, and mortar and pestle and so much else. I found the illustration of the origin of the catalan flag interesting. As a catalan noble lay dying in battle, the french king used his fingers to daub the dying catalans shield with his own blood! 

The reproductions of daily life at different times seemed authentic and the whole place left me feeling much more knowledgeable about  catalonia. An excellent museum.  It has certainly got me in the mood for a month of exploring...

Packing for a three walk walk

Someone might find it interesting to know what i packed to undertake a walk of three weeks duration. Intially, my pack came to 13 kgs, but with help and money, i got it down to ten kgs. The less i had to carry the more i would enjoy walking, was my theory.
I started with my boots. I had a new pair of excellent italian leather hiking boots but they wieghed almost a kg each, so i bought some ultra light boots that were 420 g each. Apparently, every kg off your feet is the same as 4 off your pack weight. Good start.
Inside my pack i have three changes of clothes, plus what i am wearing any particular day. Two pairs hiking shorts of about 180 gms, one pair of zip off pants, about 260, i think, a pair of hiking trousers, two button up, short sleeeved hiking shirts, very light weight, one long sleeve merino wool shirt and one short sleeved. Two pairs merino socks amd four pairs undies. One pair of silk pants to wear at night. On top of this, i also have an ultra lightweight down puffer jacket for warmth at night and an ultra lightweight rain jacket.
Because i might have to sleep outdoors, i have a light weight hiking hammock,  air mattress, vrey light weight bag and silk bag liner.
For lighting i bought an incredibly tiny, powerful head lamp that weighs 30gms. Bought a small swiss army knife, packed my spork, a 2 litre water bladder and a water filter that fits in line or on a standard water bottle.
Electronics: i have my blackview bv8000pro outdoor phone. Hopefully this will help me not get lost.i will use australian topo maps app to follow the gpx route, on an open outdoor map layer which looks best for hiking in albania and northern macedonia. I am hoping its long battery life and waterproofness will be useful. To keep this journal and for reading, i have a samsung 10in tablet and an olympus tough camera, plus associated charging stuff. Toiletries and first aid, the pack itself and walking sticks. And that is it. I could have saved another kg by buying a new, ultra light pack, but maybe next time...
I had considered taking a tiny gas burner plus kettle and cup to make tea along the way, but it seemed an excessive luxury considering i would never be far away from somewhere to buy a drink.

the via egnatia awaits

For a year now, I have been planning on walking the via egnatia from the city of Durres in Albania, to Thessalonika in Greece. a distance of over 450 kms.
the via egnatia was built by the ancient Romans as the main artery of communication between Italy and the Eastern provinces of Greece and the middle east, and later, the main land link between Rome and the new capital of Constantinople.
It was interest in ancient history that got me interested in the walk. I liked the idea of walking much of the journey along the remains of the original Roman road. I also thought that walking across two little visited countries, Albania and Northern Macedonia would offer some interesting opportunities for exploration.
When I first decided on walking this route, the longest walk by along way, that I have ever attempted, I thought I would have some walking companions. unfortunately, despite a lot of interest by a lot of different people, they all fell by the wayside until there was just me. Hopefully I won't get sick of my own company.
My initial interest was developed further by the existence of a foundation, based in the Netherlands, devoted to opening up the via egnatia as a walking route. it is thanks to them, that I have gps tracks of the route to follow. There are no physical way markings as I am used to in France. Many months of following the route on various hiking apps on my phone have me pretty familiar with where I am going now. I might even try doing a few variations on the original route.
the route can be viewed here:route map for via egnatia walk
Over the months since last May I have also been reading other people's accounts of the walk. Surprisingly to me, the most detailed was by a couple from the gold Coast, not far away from me in Australia. After reading lots of accounts, I decided that I would only walk to the Greek border, since the consensus seemed to be that this last leg of the walk was across fairly boring, flat farmland. Besides, the extra time will give me the chance to walk up Mt Olypos and walk around the monasteries of Meteora and hopefully get in  my first look at the Parthenon since 1987!
A big part of my preparations has been getting my pack weight down. Initially I was at 13 kgs, but thanks to a bit of advice from my son, and ultra-light weight hiking websites, as well as spending a few dollars on new equipment, I am down to 10 kgs. Most nights I am planning on staying in hotels or bnbs, but there are three nights that might require sleeping out and for this I have my hiking hammock and sleeping bag etc.
after a last minute fright to do with my flight, I am all packed and ready to go. Feel free to follow my journey along the via egnatia, or not. I hope to put up a post every night, unless I am without internet. Here is my itinerary for those wanting to know where I am going, when...
itinerary