Lake Shokdra lies on the border between Albania and Montenegro and it is proudly the largest lake in Southern Europe. It takes its name from the neighbouring city of Shkoder and it is what’s known as a ‘karst lake’; a lake that is formed by the collapse of subterranean caves that leave a fluctuating surface area of between 370km2 and 530km sq.
Around two-thirds of its surface area falls on the Montenegrin side of the border, whilst the remaining third is solidly in Albania. The lake is fed by the Bojana River which connects the lake with the Adriatic Sea, and the Drin that connects it with Lake Ohrid, and the Moraca that accounts for around 62% of its water.
On the south-west side of the lake lies some small islands including Beska which is home to two churches, and Grmozur, a former fortress and prison. The lake is also home to over 260 types of birds and fish such as carp, eel, and bleak, as well as seven endemic varieties.
Our day started with coffee and the traditional breakfast of cheese, cucumber, tomato, omelette, fresh bread, and fig conserve, served on the terrace of our hotel, overlooking the river. We then jumped on the Harley and headed off to meet our fellow biker friends.
We decided to spend the day by the lake, just next to the village of Zogaj near the border of Montenegro. Living by the saying “once in Rome, do as the Roman’s do”, we decided to buy some fish from the side of the road and barbecue it for our lunch as we sat by the shore.
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We found one man on the edge of the city, sitting under a parasol with a tank full of very alive, fat carp with silvery scales and gaping jaws. We picked our fish, had it cleaned, paid (2000 lek for 3kg) and rode off to our destination. I cannot express how much I love being on a bike- watching the scenery whiz by and quelling the urge to put my hands in the air and exclaim at the top of my lungs.
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The village of Zogaj is a sleepy little hamlet full of quaint little cottages and brightly coloured shore front bungalows.
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As we set up camp on the rocky shore, fat chickens with splendid plumage clucked around us and cats lurked, most probably smelling the fish we were about to cook.
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I prepared the carp with courgettes, red pepper, aubergine, salt, olive oil, and lemon juice, creating tin-foil parcels that would lock in all of the delicious juice and flavour. I put the fish on the barbeque (fashioned out of an aluminium tray, charcoal blocks and an oven grill) and decided to go for a dip in the lake.
I was expecting the water to be cold due to the size of the lake but I was pleasantly surprised to find the water warm and inviting. As still as a millpond, I swam out further and floated on my back and gazed at the azure sky, the village of Koplik and the mountains in the distance. Blue and turquoise dragonflies divebombed me as I swam, the occasional bird swept down to pluck a fish from the water, and reeds from the lakebed tickled me and attempted to entangle themselves with my limbs. This place is a peaceful paradise, just 20 minutes from the bustle of the city, and is what I call “the real Albania”.
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Elderly men and young children sat tending to nets and I couldn’t help but dream what it would be like to own a little lake house here and to spend my days in the lake, looking at the lake, and writing my book. Maybe one day.
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As the light began to fade, we packed up our things (including our rubbish) and even did a little mini beach cleanup, removing all the plastic from our bit of the bay.
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Then driving back to Shkodra, we stopped to take a few photos of an amazing abandoned building that sits on a peninsula jutting out into the lake.
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A female dog tended to her bouncy puppies on the marshland surrounding it and the dying sun created the most perfect light. The colour of the sky, the mountains like folds of soft green/brown flesh, and the blue peacefulness of the lake is something that will stay in my mind for years to come.
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Albania is a country that makes me feel small- wide open skies, vertiginous mountain ranges, and waters that go on forever- all of nature just seems bigger here and has the power to make you feel so insignificant in comparison to it. In this part of the world, you can feel the history reverberate around you, and this combined with its prevailing bohemia and the fairytale landscape means that Shkodra is now pretty far up my list of ‘My Favourite Places’.
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