The summer holidays have started where #Albania begins
2020-07-01 12:47:13
TiranaPost
Maybe we had seen Theth and Valbona, a small visit or even an instagram post that advertised for trips to the latter. While from the Kelmendi area, I only remembered that expression from Vermoshi to Konispol, and for this weekend we went to Vermosh, the northernmost corner of Albania.
I would suggest that you start the weekend at Rana e Hedhun in Shengjin, it is the road to Vermosh, and above all you need a beach day before you go to the mountains, and how long does Albania from south to north allow both? ! Settle in one of the hotels at Rana e Hedhun, if you have small children stay in Shengjin because the sea is shallower and above all it looks the same as Lalzi. But unlike Lalzi, the sand is heavier and when it blows nicely on summer days, it just refreshes you and doesn't end up swallowing it unintentionally. For those young people who are accustomed to the deep sea in the south, stay at Rana e Hedhun, which has the deepest sea, and has the narrowest bays that allow privacy. We found a very nice hotel with wooden villas by the sea, where the first view you saw was the sea and the very interesting swings that this hotel had decided to make available to vacationers. The Bregen Hotel was located near Rana e Hedhun. And then for a glass at dinner, you are very close to Shengjin, and you can spend a few calories by going up and down the promenade, surrounded by Kosovo Albanians. Of course, as a person who is not good with dialects, I started a game to understand who were from Kosovo and who were from Lezha, let's say that I was not often wrong, however I always enjoyed listening to different mother tongue dialects. Don't forget to try an artisanal ice cream on the Shengjin sidewalk, you will easily see there is a "craft ice cream" sign on the stand.
Then head to Kelmendi in the morning, stop at the new pedestrian walkway of Tamara, where all the lodges and shops are built of stone, traditional of the Great Highlands. Remember to go down the river with a ladder, and enjoy the cold ice water where a brave man might even bathe. After Tamara, there is a street that we christened with a snake name, because the level of the curves was worth comparing with the calculations, but the view before you start to go down, stop looking at the glazed balconies, because it really leaves you mindless.
We stayed at the Pepushaj Guesthouse in Lepusha, where a very kind family hosted us in the wooden booths he had built especially for friends. That from the north, you really feel like you've made a friend, and even when you end up paying, it looks like you're making a gift for your stay, not as an ordinary customer. Our guesthouse was very nice, built entirely of wood, in the style of a hostel, although we took the whole house for ourselves. Of course the awakening was the most beautiful part, when you hear the sound of the stream passing in front of the wooden hut and the chirping of the birds, surrounded by greenery on all sides. Definitely, I would suggest the adventurous spirits who like to walk there to take advantage of it by ordering horses from a week ago, as well as asking any of the area's residents or hostage owners to walk them through the mountains and lawns. . By not walking around, even for a short turn you will lose the most beautiful part of the wild nature and greenery of Lepusha. And if you, like my work, wonder what the word rabbit means, ask the locals to show you the perennial herbaceous plant, with large leaves, with white to yellow flowers that has given the name of this beautiful area. of Albania unexplored.
My mind remained on Vermosh, at the Gerçara Canyon, located in the Vermosh valley, and there were clear paths where you could walk and visit it slowly. Above the canyon, on a wooden bridge, you can enjoy the grandeur of the canyon, with the sound of the river flowing with fury. The white stone by the river, with the freshness of the river, was fixed the place to stop for a picnic, under the shade of the trees and enjoying the scent of wild sage. Really fascinating this view, I had happily slept under the stars, to enjoy the lack of lights and the clarity of the stars and moon by the river in Vermosh.
When you go don't forget to stop in Lepusha, where a grandmother from the area cleaned porcini mushrooms and made blueberry jam without a lot of sugar, she certainly told us how her dried mushrooms were sold in Italian markets, although their aroma did not need advertising. The soup we made with the lady's porcini was really incomparable, it must be said that the blueberry jam on a raspberry ice cream went endlessly. And if you're a cheese fan, that Vermosh cheese was too close to go and buy at the dairy that supplied all the area's inns. On the way to Tirana, you can stop at Rapsodia and buy fig figs with walnuts, a real love, especially accompanied by salt-free napa cheese. It couldn't be otherwise, I couldn't leave without mentioning the good food I enjoyed in this area. Although, next time we will gladly take a portable carrier with us and sit for a picnic in the countless lawns of the area, under the shade of a tree accompanied by the chirping of birds and the song of the ginkgo.
Kelmendi, Vermoshi and Lepusha, natural beauty not to be missed.
* Posted in Tiranapost for the summer blog #Albania
