Nice Surprise in Durres

The star attraction in Durres is the Roman amphitheatre built in the second century A.D.  It was discovered in the 1900's but the site wasn't excavated until the 1960's and apparently there wasn't much conservation until recent years.  It is surrounded by the city and there are modern housing built on parts of it which aggravates the condition.

We were lucky to come upon a rehearsal performance of Schubert's Trout Quintet by a chamber group. The musicians were expert in picking the perfect location for the performance - at the end of one of the tunnel entrances to the amphitheatre.  You can check out the acoustics on the clip here:   http://youtu.be/FpK0Fn0wKAM  What a nice surprise!

Entrance to the amphitheatre

The amphitheatre with modern housing on top

Mosaics inside what may be the chapel

This marked the end of our day in Albania - we were thankful we had a great guide in Dorian Disha, but we were glad to be welcomed back on board with hot face towels and cool orangeade on the dock - one of those small touches that made us appreciate the "small boat" experience.

Next port: Ravenna, Italy