I was up early again (6am) & left my hotel & walked along the main high street as far as the restaurant 'Familjar', where all the buses appear to hang out. I was soon told that the bus for Korça would be leaving at 7am, & so I had plenty of time to have a coffee at one of the nearby cafes. I soon realised the bus was actually a coach rather than a 'furgon' (minibus). We left just after 7am, the fare was 800 lek, which I thought was really expensive. I assumed this was because I was paying for the luxury of a coach.
We set off out of town along the road heading south (the one I had walked along yesterday). The views were amazing as we followed the Vjosa River & climbed over the mountains. Unfortunately a child whom was sat next to me (with his family) was sick on the coach & so we had to stop so the driver could clean up the mess! We had a ten minute stop at Leskoviku & Erseka & a few other shorter stops in between to pickup & drop off passengers. I finally arrived in Korça at 11:45am.
As soon as I jumped off the bus at the bus station I was greeted by young kids asking for money which wasn't a great start. It didn't take me too long to find 'Hani I Elbasanit' (mentioned in my guidebook as a great place to stay), but unfortunately when I arrived I was soon told it was now closed. It was a shame as it looked a really funky place to have stayed!
I crossed the main road & headed for The Grand. As they were wanting 2500 lek (with breakfast) I thought I would see if I could find a little cheaper. I tried next door at Kocibelli & they were only wanting 2000 lek. As I couldn't really be bothered to hunt around anymore I decided to book in. My room was huge with three beds & the shower was incredibly powerful (as mentioned in my guidebook!)
I later left my hotel & headed towards the Cathedral. (I noticed just around the corner from were I was staying were a couple of other hotels that looked as if they would be cheaper.) I walked through the town & eventually ended up on the Fan Noli Rd heading south when I spotted the Birra Korça Brewery which looked a great place & would be worthy of a photograph. There was a large outdoor eating area with waiters (all wearing orange Korça Beer tee shirts) carrying large trays laden with pints of beer coming out of the brewery. I had a look inside (it had amazing character) & ordered 3 x Pork Shish Qebaps (pork marinated & grilled) & fries with a pint of Korça beer. One of the waiters later came to my table with the food & asked for 460 lek (60 lek was for the beer), I was more than happy for him to keep the 500 lek note. I made a comment about his tee-shirt as I thought it would make a really cool souvenir! He informed me that he would ask his boss & suggested a price of perhaps 6 Euros? He later returned with a medium size one, unfortunately he did not have change for a 10 Euro note, so I gave him a 1000 lek note & said ‘Get me another beer & we can call it quits!’ The deal was done!
I then made my way over to the market area & although everybody had packed up & gone home for the day (it was about 4pm), it was still a fascinating place to walk around with all the very old (& some dilapidated) buildings. There was plenty of evidence that the area was being regenerated (sympathetically), which was nice to see. I was amazed to see a brand new indoor shopping centre in the heart of the old market!
After my treat I headed back to my hotel for a lie down. I plan to pop out again & find a bar with a big TV as England are playing there last qualifying match against Ukraine!
I only went as far as the next door bar to watch the football, as they had a big projector screen outside. There was a large crowd watching & most seemed to want England to win, although I think it was because a lot had a bet on!
One thing that is noticeably nice in the evening in Korça is the temperature; it is quite a bit cooler which is nice. Something to do with 850m above sea level I think!
We set off out of town along the road heading south (the one I had walked along yesterday). The views were amazing as we followed the Vjosa River & climbed over the mountains. Unfortunately a child whom was sat next to me (with his family) was sick on the coach & so we had to stop so the driver could clean up the mess! We had a ten minute stop at Leskoviku & Erseka & a few other shorter stops in between to pickup & drop off passengers. I finally arrived in Korça at 11:45am.
As soon as I jumped off the bus at the bus station I was greeted by young kids asking for money which wasn't a great start. It didn't take me too long to find 'Hani I Elbasanit' (mentioned in my guidebook as a great place to stay), but unfortunately when I arrived I was soon told it was now closed. It was a shame as it looked a really funky place to have stayed!
I crossed the main road & headed for The Grand. As they were wanting 2500 lek (with breakfast) I thought I would see if I could find a little cheaper. I tried next door at Kocibelli & they were only wanting 2000 lek. As I couldn't really be bothered to hunt around anymore I decided to book in. My room was huge with three beds & the shower was incredibly powerful (as mentioned in my guidebook!)
I later left my hotel & headed towards the Cathedral. (I noticed just around the corner from were I was staying were a couple of other hotels that looked as if they would be cheaper.) I walked through the town & eventually ended up on the Fan Noli Rd heading south when I spotted the Birra Korça Brewery which looked a great place & would be worthy of a photograph. There was a large outdoor eating area with waiters (all wearing orange Korça Beer tee shirts) carrying large trays laden with pints of beer coming out of the brewery. I had a look inside (it had amazing character) & ordered 3 x Pork Shish Qebaps (pork marinated & grilled) & fries with a pint of Korça beer. One of the waiters later came to my table with the food & asked for 460 lek (60 lek was for the beer), I was more than happy for him to keep the 500 lek note. I made a comment about his tee-shirt as I thought it would make a really cool souvenir! He informed me that he would ask his boss & suggested a price of perhaps 6 Euros? He later returned with a medium size one, unfortunately he did not have change for a 10 Euro note, so I gave him a 1000 lek note & said ‘Get me another beer & we can call it quits!’ The deal was done!
Korça's Orthodox Cathedral
The Birra Korça Brewery
The Birra Korça Brewery
After my lunch I headed back towards the Cathedral & wandered around the very old (Ottoman) buildings behind it. It was a really nice place to walk around for an hour or so.
Ottoman homes behind the Orthodox Cathedral in Korça
Ottoman homes behind the Orthodox Cathedral in Korça
Ottoman homes behind the Orthodox Cathedral in Korça
Ottoman homes in the market area of Korça
Ottoman homes in the market area of Korça
I later decided to walk north along the Republika Boulevard (plenty of café bars along the way) as far as the Skenderbeu Stadium. I really wanted a coffee & some cake & soon spotted a pastry shop called 'Dajana' (opposite the stadium) which had an amazing array of cakes & ice-cream to choose from. I took a seat outside & ordered cake, ice-cream & coffee (300 lek). It was all absolutely delicious!
A bargain at 300 lek!
After my treat I headed back to my hotel for a lie down. I plan to pop out again & find a bar with a big TV as England are playing there last qualifying match against Ukraine!
I only went as far as the next door bar to watch the football, as they had a big projector screen outside. There was a large crowd watching & most seemed to want England to win, although I think it was because a lot had a bet on!
One thing that is noticeably nice in the evening in Korça is the temperature; it is quite a bit cooler which is nice. Something to do with 850m above sea level I think!
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