We arrived after 24 hours of traveling (without sleep for me!) and after checking in to our lodging at B&B Tancredi we set off to explore part of this lovely town which perches on cliffs above the Mediterranean and with Mount Etna hovering nearby.
Photos only – info later!
A long weekend full of good times spent at a lovely airbnb in Vieux-Limoilou district of Quebec City. Just a short five-hour drive and we are immersed in a quasi european environment.
We’ve been many times, but this time we focused on eating really good food in good restaurants – and they did not fail us!
First of all on the evening we arrived at BEClub Bistro where we had Lake Walleye, Bison ribs, pasta and delicious desserts.
Views from The Plains of Abraham on a very brisk morning.
The next day we took a tour of the Quebec Parliament, which was very interesting and housed in a beautiful late 19th century building.
We loved their very red restrooms!
We ate a delicious and very leisurely lunch in the Restaurant Le Parlementaire.
To walk off the lunch we headed to Old Quebec to visit the Christmas market. Lo and behold we saw that the toboggan run was open! After short deliberations, Sue, myself, Judy and Rick decided to give it a try. We were told the toboggans were for four people and so Rick hauled ours up the slope to the top of the run. Well – maybe four small people!!! I was on the back and thought I was going to slide off or throttle Sue as we sped at possibly 70kmh (43.5mph) for probably all of two minutes to the bottom! Sue and I are both too long-legged to fit with two others on one toboggan!!! Next time just two per toboggan!
To calm our nerves we had a glass of gluhwein in the Christmas market and amused ourselves taking silly photos!
Back at the airbnb
Sights around Old Quebec with Chateau Frontenac almost always visible.
Our final dinner was at Rioux & Pettigrew and turned out to be an amazing experience. We had the option of choosing from the small select menu or having the pris fixe menu ($79CDN) with the caveat that we ALL had to go with it and that we would NOT know what was going to be served. The waitress asked about any allergies or major dislikes. What an unbelievably lovely and absolutely delicious four courses we had!
Quick facts:
2.8 million population.
Secular state
Median age 34
60% moslem, 20% Catholic, 20% orthodox
1991 fall of communist government.
Agricultural economy
Very mountainous terrain.
Brain drain of doctors and nurses, but new law states all medical students must remain in Albania for 5 years before leaving country.
Average salary $600 p/month, but there are many who have become extremely wealthy
Only pay income tax over $500
No private cars until 1990
The countryside is very mountainous and rural life probably hasn’t changed much over many decades. Fruit trees – apples, pears, citrus, plums and persimmons grow in abundance. Olive trees have been planted throughout the country and now produce high grade olive oil and olives for export. Albania experiences 300 sunny days per year.
Tirana is a very modern city with wide boulevards and construction of skyscrapers all around. Investment by the World Bank, European Redevelopment Fund, and other foreign investors has led to this boom.
HISTORY – timeline: Illyria can be referred to as ancient Albania as its center was located in modern-day Albania. In addition, many historians argue that modern Albanians are descendants of the ancient Illyrians. While they were centered in Albania, the Illyrian tribes were spread throughout the Balkan Peninsula.
The Illyrian people, along with the Greeks and the Thracians, were one of three Indo-European peoples to appear in the Balkans. The ancient Illyrians were an Iron Age society (1200 and 550 BCE). The Illyrians were not so much one people as a collection of tribes. The name “Illyria,” given to these tribes by the Greeks.
Ottoman rule for 500 years until Independence in 1912
1920 Tirana chosen as capital
King Zog ruled from 1928-1939
1939 – Italy occupied Albania and Germany occupied from Sep’43 to Nov’44 during which time the Albanian partisan forces fought both occupiers.
1944 communists came to power
1991 communism collapsed
Communist terror: the communist regime in Albania was one of the worst. The government took control of the economy and revoked all civil liberties. In 1967, the Communist Party banned all religious activity in the country, rendering all religion lawless.
Communist tyranny left Albania among the world’s poorest countries. It is still considered the poorest country in Europe. Despite this, a significant portion of the country’s wealth went towards defense spending, a product of the government’s militarism.
The bunkers in Albania were part of a broad system built between 1960 and 1986 to defend Albania from NATO forces and the Warsaw Pact. This system consisted of over 750,000 bunkers was built during the reign of Enver Hoxha, a paranoid leader, longtime dictator and most isolating Stalinist, from the end of World War II until his death in 1985. In 1991 many of the bunkers were demolished and the steel reinforcement used for new construction.
All apartments are privately owned – whereas during communist times everything was state owned. After 1991 all apartments were available for purchase with credit given for rent paid in past. Ilea, our local guide, bought his apartment for $300!
Mayor of Tirana (Edi Rama) painted Soviet era buildings with bright colors – arrows depict way out of Tirana. He is now three times elected Prime Minister of Albania and chairman of the Socialist Party of Albania.
The Church of Saint Sophia in Ohrid is one of the most important monuments of North Macedonia, housing architecture and art from the Middle Ages.
The Cathedral of St. Sophia in Ohrid, perhaps originally built in the 10th century by Boris II, seems to have been rebuilt as a domed basilica and redecorated in the 11th century by the archbishop Leo of Ohrid it was taken over during the Ottoman rule, many of the frescoes were damaged or white-washed.
Only five churches in Europe named for St Sophia – Holy wisdom.
A drive alongside the lake towards the Albanian border brought us to the beautiful setting of the church and monastery of St. Naum (9th century). He was among the founders of the Pliska Literary School. Afterwards Naum worked at the Ohrid Literary School. He was among the first saints declared by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church after its foundation in the 9th century. He dedicated the church to the Archangel.
Also at this beautiful spot is a river with springs bubbling that provide the crystal clear water for Lake Ohrid.
East of Lake Ohrid is a limestone mountain range and on the other side a lake that is 150 meters higher in elevation to Ohrid. The water filters through the limestone and springs up in the river flowing into Lake Ohrid.
We took a row boat ride on these beautiful, clear waters. No swimming or engines are permitted on the river.
