Konispol Travel Guide

 JLBG Says:  Both photos of the Vivari channel were shot 1 km north to Butrint, on the road to Ksamil and Saranda.The first photo shows the open sea and the swamps that surround the channel. The mouth of the channel is on the far right. In the background, the island of Corfu with Mount... 

 JLBG Says:  This photo was taken from the Venetian castle on top of the Butrint site.In the middle left, the dirt road from where we arrived. Konispol is in the far background, on the hills. Vrina village stands in the middle background, on a very low hill, helf hidden by small trees.... 

 JLBG Says:  Until you have not seen one of the small concrete, mushroom shaped bunkers from the 50s that dot the country, you do not feel that you are really in Albania! However, they are not considered anymore as military targets that should not be photographed. They have now been... 

 JLBG Says:  Just after the Venetian tower, we discovered a truck that was slowly crossing the Vivari channel on a homemade ferry: a dozen of logs arranged on four tanks. Are we going to cross the channel on this organic ferry? I feel we will do it but that also will belong to my new... 

 JLBG Says:  Shortly after Vrina (Vrinë), the road reaches an amazing small triangular fortress. As it would not fit on a Konispol page, I will present it on my Butrint page The team of archeologists from the Butrint foundation that dig in the Butrint site digs also in the plain of Vrina... 

 JLBG Says:  Mursi, is 4.66 km west from Ciflik and 9.31 km west to Vrine (see my map) Alternates names are Murs, Mursia, Mursie, Mursija, Murth, Murthi, Murzi.As well as Konispol and Ciflik, Mursi stands outside of the road but while these two villages were built on the slopes of hills,... 

 JLBG Says:  Just after Ciflik a bridge crosses the Pavllo river. Pavllo river is more a torrent than a river and we made a stop to have a closer look. To our delight, we spotted a dozen of good size trouts swimming in a pool, under a small waterfall. We were not equipped for fishing and... 

 JLBG Says:  Ciflik is 5.74 km west to Konispol, as the crow flies. Most of the village is outside of the road, as was Konispol. However, I noticed this new, apparently Orthodox church that was not yet finished, standing just by the road. In several other places in the country did we see... 

 JLBG Says:  We have seen several s flocks of sheep grazing on the hills. This one was especially large and might have between 500 and 1000 animals. If you enlarge the photos, you will see the sheeps as very little white dots. I have made an enlargement on the second photo. 

 JLBG Says:  This photo was taken from the same place, at the foot of the Eagle mountain and shows a typical sheep-fold from that region. I have often seen this kind of sheep-fold on the other side of the border, in Greek Epirus and this is not a surprise as Albanian speaking Chams live... 

 JLBG Says:  Konispol is given as 4.22 km from Sagiada, as the crow flies but by the road, it is much farther away, about 15 km.After the border, the road runs in the plain and does not pass in Konispol, a village of 3,500 with houses widely scattered along the slopes of a series of... 

 JLBG Says:  Flocks of sheep are not unusual on the road and between Konispol and the Buthrint ferry, we had three of them.The first photo shows a small flock wit one shepherd and a dog.Photo 2 and 3 show another flock with again a single shepherd but he has a donkey (or is it a mule ?)... 

 JLBG Says:  In May 2009, only the frame of the new Albanian custom was built (first photo). On the right, the new wide road (not yet coated) can be seen. The new building for the custom will soon replace the prefabricated units.Amazingly, the old walled ditch (photo 2) where all... 

 JLBG Says:  In 2007, the road from the Albanian custom office near Konispol to Butrint (15-20 km) was a dirt road but the surface was reasonably good. When we drove it, there had been a rainy period before our arrival and there were plenty of muddy puddles (not really pot holes). At the...