It has been a while since my last Albanian adventure so earlier this week, as I sat on my laptop feeling a bit glum, I decided to book a mid-week break to Himare.
I found a delightful bed and breakfast (Alex Bed and Breakfast) that seems to offer a wonderful combination of quaint surroundings, sea views, and mountain views. With whitewashed walls and painted blue shutters, it looks like the perfect place to relax and enjoy a well deserved holiday.
On our agenda so far is a day of sea kayaking, exploring the caves and secret beaches around Jal. After getting extreme wanderlust through seeing friends Facebook and Instagram posts I decided to contact the highly recommended Albania Adventure to get them to take us out for the day.
So what else is on my wishlist for our week? This is what my research suggests.
Having already visited the area briefly earlier in the year, I am excited to come back for longer this time. We got as far as the Porto Palermo area last time and I was frustrated that we had to leave as I knew there was so much more to discover.
Himara is a small city that is located in the South of Albania. It has a population of around 28,000 which includes the nearby villages of Palase, Dhermi, Ilias, Vuno, Pilur, Kudhes, Qeparo, Borsh, Piqeras, Sasaj, Lukove, Coraj and many more.
Forming a part of the Albanian Riviera, it is home to some of the country, and Europes best beaches. Miles and miles of white sands complimented by crystal, turquoise water that is perfect for swimming, diving, and of course, sea kayaking (can you tell I am excited?!)
The name, ‘Himara’ is believed to originate from the word ‘chimaera’ (also spelt Chimera) which was a mythical beast slain by Bellerophon.
Himara’s old town sits within ancient castle walls and this area has been continuously inhabited for over 3000 years. There is a great selection of ancient artefacts from all of the different periods and cultures that have existed there during that time. Certain parts of the oldest and lowest levels of the walls contain carefully squared off megaliths that date back to 2000BC and are known as Cyclopean walls. The now empty and deserted bishop’s mansion was built on the ruins of what was a temple dedicated to the god Phoebus Apollo. You can still see an inscription there in ancient Greek that proclaims that the god, in fact, founded the city of Himara. The castle and its surroundings are most definitely on my list of things to do.
Jal beach piqued my interest as well. Whilst I know that it will be full of umbrellas and sun loungers, sometimes I want to lay back, sup on a cocktail and soak up the holiday atmosphere with people around. I look forward to heading down to the pebbly beach and taking in the beautiful views across the small gulf.
So apart from lazing on a beach and exploring the Himara castle, what else should we do?
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