Friday 24th May 2024 – Lin (or Lini), Albania

Today we decided to walk over the peninsula to Lin and, soon after we set off, we came across a tortoise wandering across the dirt road. The rest of the walk was a nature experience – wild flowers everywhere, butterflies flitted by and bees buzzed passed. Lots of lizards scattered as we approached but no sign of snakes. We climbed slowly to the top of the hill above Lin passing many locals out looking after their land, mostly spraying their vines or fruit trees.
There is a Paleo Christian church at the top of the hill with a good mosaic on display but the site was closed. There was a contact number to phone for access but we weren’t that keen! We walked down through the outskirts of the village to reach the older part on the lake shore. It was interesting to see the architecture of the traditional houses. In common with much of Albania, there was a church and a mosque with Muslims and Christians living in harmony.
We decided to have a meal in Lin and walked towards the main road and the more modern part of the village where there were a couple of restaurants. We chose Restaurant Leza and sat at a table on a wooden platform set above the lake on posts, feeling like those occupants of the Dispilio Lake Village. Under and around the platform swam tens of thousands of fish – I have never seen so many fish in one place. The view out onto the lake and of Lin and the peninsular was lovely. As we sat eating our delicious fish (it had to be fish!) we chatted to the family on the table next to us. We were very surprised to hear their English accents. The husband was Albanian and the wife was English and they were on holiday with their two young children to visit his relatives and his old haunts. He was born and brought up in Korce (our next destination) and he often stopped in Lin with his father when they were driving through in his father’s lorry.
Wishing the family a good holiday, we left the restaurant and retraced our steps to the campsite.
Photos: Looking down on Lin from the site of the Paleo Christian church – North Macedonia is just beyond the peninsula in the centre of the picture; Cars are definitely a status symbol in Albania, even if you have a very modest house; Restaurant Leza.