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The fifth day of my epic trip through Albania and Kosovo began in the city of Kukës, Albania. Come join me as I explore Kukës attractions and try Albania’s most popular food, flija!
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My day began in the beautiful, underrated city of Kukës, about 30 minutes from the Albania/Kosovo border. It’s located about 2.5 hours from Valbona and 3 hours from the capital city, Tirana.
My boy Erjan from Travel Media EU and I were going to kick off our day by visiting the tunnels that were built to keep Albanians safe during the Communism era. They weren’t discovered until 1992, after the Communist regime fell.
The tunnels are pitch dark and can be dangerous, so we wore hard hats for safety. There are no lights in the tunnels, so you need to bring flashlights with you. About 6,000 people can fit inside them at a time. There are rooms inside with unfinished electrical sockets and even toilets. They were constructed but never used.
From there, we took stairs 30 meters further down. The former Albanian leader built similar tunnels in every city! Some of the stairs are slippery, so you have to be careful. Water has entered parts of the lower tunnels.
At the bottom, there’s lots of piling and construction materials, as well as loose wires. There are also unfinished areas and lots of dirt and rocks. No one has explored this area! It’s a little scary but very cool. The hard hat was a savior, as I kept hitting my head on the low ceilings!
Every building from the Communist time has entrances leading down to the tunnels. We came across one of them as we explored. As we got deeper into the tunnels, it got colder and colder.
We put plastic bags over our shoes because the rest of the tunnels are flooded. It’s super wet and muddy.
Once we reached the end of the tunnel, we turned around. The exit was very muddy and impossible to get through, so we looked for another exit. Then, we had to climb up for five minutes to get back outside!
We emerged on a boulevard in the center of Kukës near Memorial Tower. Kukës helped the people of Kosovo by accommodating over 450,000 Kosovar people seeking refuge from the war in 1999.
Then, we headed to Hotel Bar Restaurant America, a beautiful restaurant with rooftop terrace, where you get stunning views of the city, the lake, and the mountains. The views are epic!
We had some raki with the owner. It was smooth and a lot easier to drink than the ones I had the previous night! They say it’s the best raki in the north!
Then, we drove to an unassuming building 5 minutes outside the city to try flija, the most traditional dish in Kukës. It’s a type of layered, savory pie. They have cows, chickens, and roosters there and it smells like a farm.
In the back was a woman preparing the flija by mixing 15 eggs, butter, milk, and water. While she cooked, we tried some lala, which is like a sour, chunky yogurt.
The flija was crunchy and crispy. It was like a combination of an omelet and a pancake. Our friend Edison has a business where he delivers the flija anywhere in Albania!
Next, we headed to Kantina Dogjani, a cantina winery two minutes away. They make wine, raki, and Albania’s first dry gin. They make many different types of wines and rakis!
I watched the distilling process and then we tried some blackberry raki. It’s 40% alcohol by volume but is super smooth. The gin was smooth and generally isn’t my favorite. Then, we had some light, fruity wine made from indigenous grapes.
And that’s it for Kukës!
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About Me:
My name is David Hoffmann. For the last 12 years, I have been traveling around the world in search of unique culture, food, and history! Since starting David’s Been Here in 2008, I have traveled to over 1,100 destinations in 79 countries, which I welcome you to check out on my RU-vid channel, travel blog, and social media sites.
I focus a great deal on food and historical sites, as you probably have seen! I love to experience the different flavors that each destination has to offer, from casual street food to gourmet restaurant dining. I’m also passionate about learning about the local history and culture.
P.S. Thank you for watching my videos and subscribing!
14 июл 2024
