Albania 4 – Travels with V

There is really only one possible road into the north Albanian highlands, and it runs from Shkoder northeast up to the mountain village of Theth. There are probably other roads too, but this one is new so the standard is unusually high. Most of the way it’s zig-zagging up steep mountain sides with sharp turns. Meeting a bus or lorry here is not easy but with some advanced choreography and a lot of patience it’s possible to pass.

The mountain panoramas are stunningly beautiful, the perspectives so enormous that you almost don’t believe your eyes. Or your brain. The sharp and shiny summits glow like silver in the sunshine, here and there lie patches of snow and ice that the high summer sun hasn’t melted yet. The slopes further down are intensely green. It was invaders long ago that gave these hills their nickname – “the Accursed Mountains”, because they looked so evil and impossible to conquer.

Traffic is intense on the road to Theth, most tourists aiming to hike in the mountains choose this route. The most famous hiking trail here is the 17 kilometers long passage between Theth and the mountain village Valbona. It will take an experienced hiker some 7-8 hours to walk at high altitudes. Though we met a young Danish couple who had lost the trail somewhere and they had to cover 25 kilometers to reach their goal. They looked very tired.

STOP-OVER I BERGEN — PIT STOP IN THE MOUNTAINS

BERGSBYN THETH — THE MOUNTAIN VILLAGE OF THETH

FJÄLLBÄCKEN LUMI I THETH — THIS MELTWATER CREEK CALLED LUMI RUNS THROUGH THETH

TYPISK FRUKOST I ALBANIEN. DET FRITERANDE BRÖDET HETER "PETLLA". — TYPICAL ALBANIAN BREAKFAST. THE DEEP-FRIED BRED IS CALLED "PETLLA"

VÅRT UNDERBARA VÄRDFOLK I THETH, VIOLETA OCH ARBEN. — OUR CHARMING HOSTS VIOLETA AND ARBEN

To be honest there is actually another route up into the mountains, and it’s also popular with hikers on their way to the Valbona-Theth trail. But it’s not a road, it’s a waterway called Lake Koman. But it isn’t a lake it’s a dammed up river that meanders between steep hillsides. The two-hour journey is really beautiful, but the ferry can be a bit overcrowded.

FÄRJELÄGET I KOMAN. HIT KOMMER MAN BARA PER BÅT ELLER VIA EN LÅNG TUNNEL. — THE FERRY TERMINAL IN KOMAN, ONLY REACHABLE VIA A LONG TUNNEL.

We won’t walk the long trail from Theth to Valbona, we choose instead to hike to the Grunas waterfall, by no means an easy path. Much of it is more like climbing than walking. But we get there and are rewarded with a splendid sight of this 25 meters long glittering curtain of water, falling into a clear pool where brave hikers take a quick dip. We eat a light lunch, bread, cheese and tomatoes and choose another path back to the village. With an additional trip to the minimarket we have walked almost 10 kilometers so we’re happy with that.

NATUREN VID VATTENFALLET — STEEP SLOPES BY THE WATERFALL

GRUNAS WATERFALL

In Theth we meet with Sokol, dressed in a beautiful red vest with gold brocade. He’s guarding and guiding at the escape tower, built on a high place in the village. Towers like this one, with tiny windows were once common in the mountains Originally they were built for defence, but later they had another function as a refuge for murderers. This was regulated in an ancient set of laws called “Kanun”.

The Kanun stipulates that if a man kills another man (probably not an uncommon situation, mountain people are often hot-blooded), a close male relative of the murdered man must in his turn kill the murderer or another close male relative in his family. This is called “washing away blood with blood” and is what drives so called bloodfeuds. Murder follows murder and these feuds can go on for many generations. The men in the families have to hide, sometimes for many years.

But the Kanun has an alternative. If the killer runs to an escape tower he is safe there for two weeks while tha families can negotiate a peace. If that fails the killer has to leave the tower and be an outlaw.

The dictator Enver Hoxha banned the Kanun and bloodfeuds, and executed those who took part. This ended the tradition effectively, but after his death the killings started again. Now often driven by land disputes when land confiscated by the socialist regime is returned to its former owners.

V interviews Elona Prroj whose husband was killed in a bloodfeud. Her husband’s uncle had killed a man in a bar fight. Elona’s husband was a priest, and the Kanun forbids killing of clergy and also of women. But nowadays that’s not respected, Elona says, even women and children have been killed in the bloodfeuds.

Sokol, the escape tower guard, clearly respects the rules in the Kanun. He says:

“Other countries have included parts of the Kanun into their own laws. Kanun says: If someone enters your house without knocking first, You may kill him. And that’s the law in the USA too”.

Sokol is also a master of the art of making music with a leaf. He he just grabs one from a nearby tree and starts on a merry tune:

In the village we see a flock of mules roaming free. We don’t know what they’re used for or if they have a home stable somewhere. But unfortunately they have acquired a taste for garbage thrown in public bins than almost never seem to be emptied and definitely never cleaned.

Now it’s time to visit some of Albanias other major cities, and along the way discover remnants of old cultures that once shaped the land.

Top 5 in the mountains:

Stay: Almost every house in Theth is a guesthouse, most of them quite small. We stayed in Marashi Guesthouse and the super nice hosts Violeta and Arben. Everything was fine except for a water pipe that screamed like an alarm when someone in the building tapped hot water. So when the next door couple filled their bathtub in the middle of the night it wasn’t fun.
Eat: There are no real restaurants in Theth other than inside the hotels. One exception is the bar by the mini market, serving pizzas and other fast food.
Do: Walk, hike, explore, that’s what you come here for. Clear mountain air, crystal mountain creeks and breathtaking panoramas. There are several hikes to choose, ask in the tourist office, they have the necessary info.
See: The escape tower in Theth. Grunas waterfall. The Blue Eye is another clear water pool a few kilometers drive from the south entrance to Theth.
Bath: Muntain creeks and pools are icy cold. Only for the brave.

Travels with V

Albania

The Accursed Mountains

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