During Spring Break week we took a short (4-day) roadtrip -- from Skopje to Prizren (Kosovo) to Shkoder (Albania) to Budva (Montenegro) to Dubovnik (Croatia). 5 countries in 4 days. We hired a driver (thanks, Goran!) so we could sit back and enjoy the scenery.
Here are some pictures from our visit to Rozafa Castle. According to our Bradt Albania Travel Guide: "Shkodra's castle stands above the confluence of its three rivers. the Drini, the Kiri, and the Buna, and thus controls all but the northern approach to the city. It is an excellent place for a castle and has been fortified since Illyrian times, when the Ardiaean queen Teuta launched her attacks on the Romans from it. Traces of the Illyrian walls, constructed of large stones with mortar, can still be seen at the entrance to the castle. Most of what remains is Venetian and Ottoman. The outer walls follow the line of the hill; within, successive lines of fortification create three distinct areas...the views from the citadel are wonderful, across Lake Shkodra to Montenegro, out to the Adriatic, and down towards Lezha."
"Rozafa Castle was twice besieged by Ottoman armies; when it finally surrendered in January 1479, it was only after a lengthy blockade supervised ... by Sultan Mehmed II in person, had brought Venice to the realization that it had no choice by to make peace. Rozafa was the last fortress in Albania to fall to the Ottomans. Two and a half thousand Shkodrans chose to leave under the terms of the surrender and were granted pensions by Venice. The new rulers continued to use the castle as a military and administrative center; it was the vizier's residence, and, from 1840, was the capital of the whole northern Albanian province (vilayet). It was last used for military purposes in 1913, when it operated as an Ottoman command center during yet another siege, this time by Montenegrins."
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| we enjoyed exploring the ruins of the castle...and the spectacular views of the rivers, the lake, and the city below |
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| the approach to the Rozafa Castle from the highway |
On the drive from Prizren, Kosovo to Shkodra, Albania - such spectacular scenery! I will never get tired of the snow-capped mountains
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| stopped off at a rest stop for macchiatos (of course!) and some play time (there were several nice rest stops and playgrounds along our route) |
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