Choose Pogradec, because you will also be taking a journey back in time

By Iva Tiço/ My first memory of Pogradec dates back to the end of fifth grade, at a Young Pioneers' camp. That holiday left me with mixed feelings: the long bus journey from Fier to what felt like the end of the world (which is why I cried so much, day after day – it was so far away that I thought I would never see my parents again), and the tender emotion stirred by a town that was so different, with another kind of freshness and gentleness, full of flowers along every street and alley, especially petunias, whose scent spread over the whole town and is still vivid in my memory (together with the dreadful smell of the camp kitchen, which, unfortunately, has also stayed with me).

So many years later, the scent of petunias in this town has not changed, nor has the enchantment of the lake. And along with them, many other things have stayed just the same, despite the new buildings, the altered streets, and the camp whose exact location my memory can no longer pin down. Over all these years, whenever I have passed through or stayed in Pogradec, it has always felt like a journey back in time. And this has little to do with childhood nostalgia. For better or worse, unlike the rest of Albania, less has been tampered with there, and so much has been preserved. Or perhaps it is because, despite the new construction, there have not been the mistakes and outrages seen in Durrës, Sarandë and elsewhere. But perhaps it is also down to the people of these parts: it is no coincidence that the spirit of the people of Korçë and Pogradec has kept these two towns the most unspoilt in all of chaotic Albania. So we should thank them, among other things, for keeping our nostalgia alive. And, if we can, repay them by travelling a little more often to their part of the world. There are so many reasons to go. Below I list just a few that make it worthwhile for me:

• For the lake, of course. It truly is the most beautiful. It can touch even the least poetic soul in the world, soften the most cynical, melt the most romantic, and become breath and life itself for all who love a healthy climate. Waking up in a room with a view of the lake is one of the most wonderful things you can experience. Then you can admire the lake on the days when it is blue, when it turns green, when it is dappled with sunlight, when it rests calmly, when it grows angry and turns grey, even on the days when it takes on a violet hue, when it mirrors the clouds, and when underwater meadows of waterweed rise to its surface. There you might think that Lasgush Poradeci did not achieve anything so great after all: the lake did it all by itself.

• Because the beach is clean. Yes, it really is. You can go to the beach right in town and swim in the lake among swans and herons, and swimming here is highly recommended. The sewage problem has now been solved and, apart from careless people who carry on as they do everywhere, throwing whatever they can into the lake here too, everything else is perfectly fine. Sunbeds are very cheap – 300 lekë for the best ones, with a wooden frame and a mattress on top – and so are the pedalos you can hire for a spin on the lake; everything else around is cheaper than at any other beach. There are even plenty of public areas. You can plant your own umbrella, unfold your chairs or spread your towels on the sand and settle in without paying a thing. Just as we used to.
• It is a paradise for older people. Especially for the climate. But also for the peace and quiet. And above all for the park. Those who don't want to go to the beach can spend the day in a chair or spread a blanket on the grass along the whole green strip beside the lake. If you treat your parents to a holiday like this, they will surely bless you on their return for adding years to their lives.

• Because it is still affordable. At least cheaper than many other parts of Albania. There is accommodation and food for every budget. And since this is one of the cleanest and best-kept areas in Albania, you can eat well and hygienically everywhere, from street food to the most expensive restaurants.
• Because the food is truly excellent. Besides koran (Ohrid trout) and belushka, the pride of the lake's cuisine, restaurants serving sophisticated international cuisine have also begun to open. Even so, the most sought-after dishes are of course the local ones, which have also evolved to become more modern or more appealing. Alongside the classic koran tavë (baked casserole), there is now one with breadcrumbs and walnuts; roast duck is served in spectacular fashion, flambéed, with the waiter first asking whether you would like to film it; and for lakror (savoury pie) there are always takeaway boxes so you can take it back to Tirana. The baklava is exactly as it used to be: snow-white, with many paper-thin layers of pastry and the taste of butter – though modern times have added accompaniments such as ice cream or fruit. And the most popular “invention”: baklava with red wine. Simply fantastic.

• Because you won't buy a single bottle of still water. The town's tap water is not only clean and cold, it is always served nicely, in a jug or a glass bottle. They even bring you a second jug after a while, once the water on the table has begun to warm up. And the best part is that you don't have to ask for it: it always arrives of its own accord, brought by waiters who are both courteous and discreet, in a way any tourist town would envy (could we send the people of Vlorë there for training?!)
• It is the most “pet-friendly” town I have ever seen. Anyone who has pets and worries about where to leave them when they go on holiday will understand exactly what I mean. I have never come across a town in Albania where my dog has been as pampered as in Pogradec – so much so that I became convinced he is the most handsome and best dog on earth (not that I ever had any doubt about that ;) ).
• Because it offers strolls and dancing instead of wild partying. Those who want nightlife with fashionable clubs and foam parties, as in the south of Albania, would do well to stay away from Pogradec. Because there is nothing of the sort there, and it is just as well that there won't be in future either, for as long as we need some places that are different. But that doesn't mean we should leave our nice clothes at home and go on holiday in whatever comes to hand. Because the women of Pogradec are unforgiving on this point: every afternoon they go out for their stroll properly dressed and groomed. Not only the young ones – older ladies, too, take great care over their appearance. The stroll takes place along the lakeside, on the pavements and on the street, which in the afternoon becomes pedestrianised under the same rules as in the old days, while at the former Workers' Camp and at the 1 Maji Park there is “live” music and a dance floor every night, where locals and holidaymakers have dinner and “dance”. Women dancing with women is not only allowed but taken very seriously: the tango is danced in pairs and it doesn't matter who you dance it with; what matters is that you enjoy it with all your heart. And in these parts they really do know how to do everything with all their heart. Just as it used to be. Because the town truly takes you back in time – but, happily, it takes you back to the best of those times.