From Vlore to Saranda, 26 March 2013

From Tirana to Vlore, 25 March 2013

The Ardenica Monastery is an Eastern Orthodox monastery, ten kilometers north of Fier, Albania. The Ardenica Monastery is built by Byzantine Emperor, Andronikos II Palaiologos in 1282. The monastery is famous as the place where, in 1451, was celebrated the marriage of Skanderbeg, the national hero of Albania, with Andronika Arianiti. Apollonia - the very impressive big roman town, has never really been excavated. Apollonia was an ancient Greek city in Illyria, located on the right bank of the Aous river (modern-day Vjosë). Its ruins are situated in the Fier region, near the village of Pojani, in modern-day Albania. Apollonia was founded in 588 BCE by Greek colonists from Corfu and Corinth, on a site initially occupied by Illyrian tribes. Apollonia flourished in the Roman period and was home to a renowned school of philosophy, but began to decline in the 3rd century AD when its harbour started silting up as a result of an earthquake. It is logical to build a church in the area, where the old town can act as a quarry. Heavy winds meant that it was difficult to stand upright. New restaurants have been built in the very centre of the old town, a good example of the combination of individual Albanian entrepreneurship combined with lack of protection of the common assets. Most of the statues were stolen during the collapse of the Albanian state following the famous pyramid scheme collapse in 1997. In the mid-1990s, Albania was transitioning into a liberalized market economy after years Communist leader Enver Hoxha; the rudimentary financial system became dominated by pyramid schemes, and government officials tacitly endorsed a series of pyramid investment funds. Many Albanians, approximately two-thirds of the population, invested in them. In 1997, Albanians, who had lost $1.2 billion, took their protest to the streets where uncontainable rioting and attacks on government infrastructure led to the toppling of the government and the temporary existence of a stateless society. The old Muradie Mosque in Vlore. Vlore is the second largest port city of Albania, after Durrës, with a population of 79,948. In Vlore the Albanian Declaration of Independence was proclaimed on November 28, 1912. Vlore is founded as an ancient Greek colony in the 6th century BC by the name of Aulon and continuously inhabited for about 26 centuries. Under Hoxha Vlore was an important recruiting centre for the Sigurimi, the secret police. In 1997, Vlore was the center of popular riots after the collapse of several fraudulent investment (pyramid) schemes that led to the downfall of the Sali Berisha administration, and almost turned into a civil war.

Durres, Albania, Sunday, 27th of January 2013

Morten, a colleague from Grontmij, and I went on a daytrip to the seaport town of Durres. Very heavy rains had caused severe landslides in the outskirts of Durres. Reuse of garden chairs. From here the shepherds can enjoy the sea view when they take a break. A typical Durres fishing vessel

Mount Dajti. Tirana, Sunday, 17 February 2013

Kurt and I went Saturday to Mount Dajti, a mountain and a protected area just outside Tirana with the Dajti Ekspres Cable Car (Teleferik) - an Austrian-built express cable car. We walked from the end station of the Teleferik the 25 km back to Tirana. View from Mount Dajti in the direction of Tirana Tirana from Mount Dajti One of the famous one-man bunkers of Enver Hoxha the Communist leader of Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985 Mount Dajti is a mountain to the east of Tirana. Its highest peak is at 1,613 m. In winter, the mountain is often covered with snow, and it is a popular retreat to the local population of Tirana that rarely sees snow falls. Its slopes have forests of pines, oak and beech Coffee pit stop for the two senior consultants A boy and his donkey When we came down from the mountain there were olive trees

Work Shop on Sewerage Sludge in Tirana, 12 February 2012

Introduction to the workshop by Fatmir Mediu, Minister of Environment, Forests and Water Administration The WS had attracted the local TV stations and a lot of participants – most of them (inclusive the world press) left after the coffee break

Tystrup Soe, Denmark, 8 January 2013