The Greek Island of Corfu dominated our morning view as Sea Cloud made her approach to the southern Albanian port of Sarande. Today we would see a very different side of Albania, with a focus on its early Illyrian and Greco-Roman significance. A look at a map reveals that Albania is the closest point to the boot of Italy, and it was much easier for Romans and later Byzantine Christians and Ottoman traders from Constantinople to cross here over the Adriatic than to struggle up the rugged and mountainous Balkan Peninsula to Venice.
Our morning destination was the archaeological site of Butrint, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site and an Albanian National Park. The entire history of the Eastern Mediterranean can be told at this site, from the pre-Hellenic Illyrians to the classical Greeks and Romans, the Byzantines to the Venetians, and the Ottoman Turks. Our excellent guides Loretta and Shpresa, two long-time local school teachers, deciphered the site for us by distinguishing between the many types, shapes, and sizes of building stone used in construction of the various city walls and buildings.
We then drove through Sarande and up to the Ottoman Turk Castle of Lekursi, built by Suleyman the Magnificent and later ruled by the infamous Ali Pasa of Tepelena. What views we enjoyed of Corfu and the Corfu Strait, Lake Butrint and the surrounding agricultural plains, the Dinar Mountains and Sarande below! Once again we were impressed with the Albanian hospitality, and it was with great encouragement that we bid farewell to Loretta and Shpresa and all of Albania from the pier at Sarande.
This afternoon we set sail with a gentle southwesterly breeze, only to have the wind completely shift and back the sails to a complete halt an hour later. Backing the sails creates quite a mess, as the ship is then pushed backwards and there are a lot of lines hauled, sails lifted, yards braced, officers yelling, and sailors hurrying about to get it all sorted out again. Just as everything seemed back in order, the wind completely died and we were left becalmed for the remainder of the afternoon. We finished the day with a presentation on the remarkable history of Sea Cloud, and an open house reception in the ten original staterooms.
