And the winner is…
Yesterday I said, in my daily post, that I didn’t have any idea about where to go today for an excursion. After dinner I checked on my guides and on other sources and in the end I opted for the archeological site of Apollonia. I’ve hopefully right understood that even if smaller and less rich than the most famous Butrint, it should be interesting.
The site is not so far from the town of Fier, a place that shouldn’t have anything to offer but I’m curious to see. How to get to Apollonia from Fier is yet unclear to me but for what it regards Fier I assume that there would be frequent connections to and from Berat from the bus station so, after the breakfast in the Bed and Breakfast I go to the main bus station thanks to the urban shuttle bus. Once there I see a mini van ready to leave to Fier. Is this the kind of mini bus that, sometime in horrible conditions, are called marshrutki in the former Soviet Union. Here, as far as I know they should be called “furgon” but I had the impression that drivers do not like that name anymore. This one is not bad and it leaves on time. Trip to Fier should last a little more than one hour. The road is quite bad in the second half of the trip and it is not even particularly remarkable for what it regard the view from the window except for a crazy building in shape of a ship. I guess it is a restaurant but I’m not completely sure.Fier, an energetic bizarre town.
Fier seems a very busy town. It makes perfectly sense that its name from the Italian word “fiera” that means trade fair in English. Bus has its final stop quite in the centre of the town for what I see. I have to say that I like the energy of this place.
And it is not bad. In less than one kilometre that I walk in the direction of Apollonia, looking for some bus, I see several interesting stuff maybe not beautiful but interesting and funny. Like, for example, the huge globe that can be found in the centre of a roundabout. Not far from it there is a small park with dozens of old men playing chess, cards, backgammon but especially dominoes. In this park there is also a bizarre fountain with dolphins and seals. In the back there is a mosque with quite strange minarets. 
And the architectural oddities are not over. I can see the roof of a huge white building vaguely reminding of the white house. Is not on my way but I promise to my self that I will go to check what it is once I will be back from Apollonia. Yes, I should not forget my main destination. Problem is how to reach it. Of course I could take a taxi but is not what I want. I checked on the map that the archeological site is close to a village called Pojan but that also the bigger village of Dermenas is at a reasonable distance so I look for buses going to one of these two places or, of course, to Apollonia.I’m quite lucky because going on I find what it is probably the local bus terminal and among the ones waiting there is one to Pojan. Bingo! It should be very close to the site. This post continues to next page
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