TenTATive iTinerArY FOr AlASKA cruiSe - Senior Tours Canada

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TenTATive iTinerArY FOr AlBAniA & mAceDOniA
departure. We depart for Tirana, Albania,
with a change of planes in Rome.
tirana. We arrive in Tirana and transfer to
our hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure until
our Welcome Dinner.
tirana. Our city tour begins at Skanderbeg
Square, named for the National Hero whose
dramatic equestrian statue holds centre
stage. Nearby is the impressive Clock Tower
and the unique Et‘hem Beu Mosque, with its
beautiful frescoes of trees, waterfalls and
bridges - rare in Islamic art. We will visit the
National Historic Museum and the National
Arts Gallery, then stop at the Tabak Bridge - a
famous stone footbridge dating from the 18th
century. We finish at Mother Theresa Square
(she was a native of Albania).
KruJa / durres. We drive to Kruja, a
historic city dramatically perched on a
mountain slope, where we visit the Museum
of the National Hero, Gjergi Skanderbeg, and
the fascinating Ethnographic Museum for an
overview of life in Albania. Then we visit the
ancient Bazaar of Kruja; set in mountains with
colourful red roofs and delightful tunneled
cobble streets. After a typical Albanian lunch
we continue to the coast and Durres, where
we visit the main Library, Puppet Theatre and
Ahmet Zogu’s Villa of Durres.
ardenica / apoLLoni / Berat. On our
way to 2000-year-old Berat we will visit the
ancient sites of Ardenica and Apollonia. The
Eastern Orthodox Monastery in Ardenica,
built in 1282, was home to a library of 32,000
historically significant texts that were all
burned in 1932. The main frescoes remain
depicting detailed bibilical scenes. Apollonia
was a thriving Greek city where students of
the philosopher Aristotle flocked. A 3rd
century earthquake destroyed the city.
Remnants of its former grandeur have been
excavated by archeologists. We continue to
Berat.
Berat / Korce. The UNESCO World
Heritage Site of Berat is known as the “Town
of a Thousand Windows”. Our first stop is the
Citadel for a panoramic view of the city and
old Christian quarter across the river. We will
visit ancient Dimal, the St. Triad Church and
the Gorica Quarter and Bridge. After
exploring the city we drive to Korce for a
2-night stay.
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VosKopJe / Korce. Today we visit the
mountain village of Voskopoje. Known for its
twenty six 17th century churches it became
an important religious hub. Later we return to
Korce for some time to stroll the city.
pogradec. We proceed to Pogradec, a
lovely resort town located on picturesque
Ohrid Lake. We will visit the Art Gallery, The
Museum Orthodox Church and Mosque
before taking time to stroll on the lively
lakeside promenade.
ohrid. We cross into Macedonia and visit
the old city of Ohrid, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site which once had 365 churches -
one for each day of the year. We will visit The
Church of St. Sophia, with architecture and
art from the Middle Ages. We will enjoy a
wonderful view of the city from Tzar Samuil's
Fortress - a historic monument built in the
middle-ages. We also visit the early Christian
Basilica on Plaosnik, the Amphitheater, and
the beautiful 10th century Monastery of St.
Naum.
sKopJe. We proceed to the capital of
Macedonia, Skopje, where we see the
Monastery of St. Panteleimon with its
marvellous frescoes, and of course Skopje’s
“Old City”. We also see the famous Stone
Bridge, visit the City Fortress of Kale and the
Mustapha Pasha Mosque, perhaps the most
beautiful Islamic building in Macedonia.
sKopJe. At leisure to further explore Skopje.
struga / pogradec. Struga is known as
the city of poetry. We will stroll the streets of
the Old Bazaar and visit Halveti Tekje, a
wonderful example of Ottoman Architecture.
We stop at the Nikola Nezlobinski Nature
Museum and then return to Pogradec.
pogradec. At leisure in Pogradec to enjoy
this pleasant lakeside resort town.
eLBasan - tirana. We head for Tirana
with a stop in Elbasan to visit the castle in the
centre of the city, which had great military
importance in the Ottoman period. The
fortress is part of Via Egnatia, the ancient
road between Rome and Constantinople
(Istanbul). We arrive in Tirana for an
afternoon at leisure to enjoy the city. Tonight
is our farewell dinner.
hoMe. We fly home via Rome.
75.