(March 21, 2018) Ancient Village of Antigone

Yesterday, a group of us drove up the narrow, winding mountain road to the ancient archeological Village of Antigone.  It was a gorgeous, sunny day.

Tour guide, showing us around the ancient village

Spectacular views below

Looking down to Gjirokaster

Sheep!

We walked around the ruins of the village, which dates back to around 300 BC.   The views of the mountains and the modern city of Gjirokaster below were spectacular.

Ancient ruins

Enjoying a beautiful day...

More ruins

Mountain hut

Our tour guides

We also stopped by Bujar's brother's house in Antigone (the house where Bujar grew up), and enjoyed a taste of his delicious homemade raki (strong alcoholic drink).  As a generous gift, each member of the orchestra was given a 1.5 L bottle of raki (!) to take along with us on our continued adventures.

Bujar's brother, sharing some of his delicious, strong homemade raki!

Gezuar!  (Cheers!)

After checking out of our hotel, we stopped for lunch along the way, at the seaside resort of Durres.  We arrived in Durres after dark, and checked into a very nice hotel, "2 Kitarrat"-- with some very eccentric, funky decor-- a mix of rockabilly and traditional Albanian arts.  We had dinner next door at the hotel's restaurant, and enjoyed drinks with Music Progressive Quartet.

Our hotel in Durres

WCSO tour bus

Traditional Albanian costumes

Amphitheatre in Durres

Exploring the amphitheatre

Art on the walls

Decorated arch

Exploring the site

Today, after a long bus ride, we crossed the border into Montenegro, where there was some flooding along the river.  It was dark by the time we arrived and checked into our hotels (all on the same block), and enjoyed a buffet dinner at the hotel.  Ulcinj is a resort town with beautiful beaches, right on the ocean, though we are here in low season, and many places are closed.  Tomorrow we plan to tour the old town.

Friends at dinner

Dancing with the Maestro...

Flooding along the road to Ulcinj