During our second day in Albania we travelled inland to explore the historic capital of Krujë, located at the foot of Mount Krujë. Here we visited the National Skanderbeg Museum and learned about the Albanian national hero for whom it is named. As leader of the League of Lezhë, Skanderbeg successfully defended the castle against three Ottoman sieges until his death in 1468. At a local restaurant we were treated to authentic Albanian food and a rousing performance of traditional Albanian music and folk dancing. Before returning to the ship we had free time to explore the unusual collection of shops in the medieval market, including locally made rugs and memorabilia from Albania’s communist period. Before dinner, expedition leader John Frick gave a presentation about the history of the Sea Cloud and we enjoyed a tour of several original cabins.
9/23/2024
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Sea Cloud
Hvar, Croatia
On the last day of our voyage, we spent the morning on the lovely island of Hvar, known for its fragrant fields of lavender and rosemary. Our walking tour started with the Franciscan monastery, featuring a centuries-old cypress tree and a 17th-century painting of the Last Supper attributed to Matteo Ponzoni. We continued on to tour one of the oldest community theaters in Europe (dating to 1612), the Hvar Arsenal (instrumental in building and repairing Venetian ships), and the town’s stone buildings which often feature the winged lion of St. Mark. This afternoon, after a lunch featuring the famous Sea Cloud pasta wheel, we enjoyed a lecture by cultural specialist Zrinka Šapro on the history of Croatia, focusing on the 20th century. Hearing about the rule of Josip Broz Tito and the wars of the 1990s from someone with personal experience was a particularly fitting conclusion to our tour of this region so rich in history. Our final evening aboard included a cocktail hour and the guest slide show on the lido deck, followed by the captain’s farewell dinner in Sea Cloud’s elegant dining room, after which we bid our travel companions and newfound friends a fond farewell.