Last Sunday we took a trip with some friends to Apollonia and Ardenica. It was a beautiful day - warm and sunny with a clear blue sky. At Ardenica we visited the Orthodox monastery. The church that stands at the centre of the monastery complex dates from the 18th century, though there has been a monastery on this site since the 13th Century.
This was one of the few major religious sites in Albania to survive the anti-religious onslaught of the communists. It was, instead, confiscated from the church and used as a tourist resort. The monastery was returned to the church after the end of the communist regime.
We visited Ardenica in the late afternoon with a beautiful warming light shining on the buildings. There are some more pictures of the monastery on Flickr. Photographs from Apollonia are still to come.
This was one of the few major religious sites in Albania to survive the anti-religious onslaught of the communists. It was, instead, confiscated from the church and used as a tourist resort. The monastery was returned to the church after the end of the communist regime.
We visited Ardenica in the late afternoon with a beautiful warming light shining on the buildings. There are some more pictures of the monastery on Flickr. Photographs from Apollonia are still to come.
Comments
Pictures of Lake Kastoria
Bryan
When you are next in Tirana let me know if you would like to meet up.
Bryan, thanks for the comments and the link. We stopped off in Kastoria briefly on our last visit to Thessaloniki, though it was a wet and grey day. It looks beautiful in the sunlight.
I was also interested in your animal welfare site. We are trying to set up a charity in Tirana to look after the strays here - mainly the dogs.
The municipality here has also killed the dogs in a very brutal way, though they are now more supportive of a more humane approach.
In September last year, you posted some pictures from the mask factory in Shkodra. I have heard about it only recently, and would love to read some more information since there is no source on the web to talk about it. Is it open for all visitors? Are the masks for sale?