10-Nights Ancient Crossroads: Albania, Greece + Macedonia

Tirana

Tirana (pronounced: Tih-rana) is the capital and the largest city (1991 est. pop. 300,000) of Albania. It is the administrative, cultural, economic, and industrial center of the Republic of Albania.

Gjirokaster

Like Berat, Gjirokaster is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was also spared from communist-style building projects. The city's second name—the City of Stairs—refers to Gjirokaster's mountainous terrain and the stairs you have to climb to visit its impressive, fortress-style buildings.

The main attractions are the magnificent, snowcapped mountains that surround the city, which is 90 mi/145 km southeast of Tirana. Be sure to visit the 11th-century citadel, which has a stunning view of the countryside, as well as the interesting National Museum of Weapons that displays Albanian-made arms from ancient through modern times. The citadel was also a prison—you can read the records of the inmates.

Gjirokaster is the birthplace of dictator Enver Hoxha and author Ismail Kadare.

Kalambaka

Kalambaka is a small modern town with near Meteora. The most interesting feature of the town is the dramatic backdrop of the steep Meteora rocks that frame the northern part of the skyline. The town is clean and quiet, with one main street that runs through it like a backbone, and several squares adorned with lavish fountains that become pivot points for families and boisterous children late in the evening. Most restaurants and cafes are located along the main street and in the few side streets in the center of town.

Skopje

The capital and modern city of Skopje has everything that any other capital city can offer—fabulous churches, mosques, excellent museums, galleries, shopping, concerts, theater, opera, ballet and even casinos—but all on a smaller scale. And one of its greatest highlights is the biggest and oldest Turkish bazaar in Europe, originally rivaling the one in old Baghdad.

Skopje sits on the banks of the Vardar River, and much of its modernity is the result of an earthquake that leveled large sections of the city in 1963—the clock in the railway station has been preserved, forever stopped at 5:17 am, the moment when the quake struck. Fortunately for visitors, much of the old town survived. Cross the 11 arches of the Stone Bridge, built by the Turks in the 1400s, and you will find cultural and historical monuments that span centuries. Especially notable are the 15th-century Daud Pasha Turkish Baths, the largest in the region. But don't plan on getting your feet wet—today, the City Art Gallery occupies the premises. For a nice overview of the city, climb to the Kale Fortress, a ruined castle. Then visit the nearby Church of Sveti Spas (note the beautiful iconostasis). In the Mosque of Mustafa Pasha, look for the cracked dome caused by an earthquake.

A day trip can also be made to man-made Lake Matka, where you'll find a fantastic 22-mi/35-km canyon with a cliff-side footpath and numerous old churches surrounding the lake. There is also swimming, hiking, canoeing, climbing, cave exploring and great seafood restaurants there. Ohrid or Stobi, a colorful ancient town on the road to Greece, are also good day trips from Skopje. 120 mi/195 km northeast of Ohrid.

Ohrid

Ohrid is an immortal town, a magical hill whose primordial pulsation links ancient and modern times forever. Ohrid has been a living town for 2,400 years. It is the legitimate descendant of the shining Lychida, a town whose achievements were woven into the tapestry of a powerful ancient civilization. The town of Ohrid is indeed the cultural history of the Republic of Macedonia in miniature. As an Episcopal center in ancient times and through the widely renowned Ohrid archbishopric, the town has represented the entire ecclesiastical history of Macedonia. It bears the name "The Balkan Jerusalem". Through the activity of St. Clement of Ohrid, the first pan - Slavonic university in Europe was situated here. Ohrid was the most important official capital of the first Slav Macedonian state, and the center of Macedonia's nineteenth century revival. Today Ohrid is the cultural, spiritual and tourist center of Macedonia. As the crowning glory of its values, Ohrid and Lake Ohrid have been named a world cultural and natural heritage listed city under the protection of UNESCO since 1980.