Durrës Retrospective, 1988

Oh, the summer night,
Has a smile of light,
And she sits on a sapphire throne.  ~ Bryan Procter

As we bid goodbye to yet another summer of wonder and wanderlust, we’d like to take you on a journey of nostalgia of Durrës’ past.  Not that we’re overlooking Durrës 2017, photos of which attest to its inarguable beauty, but because the closing of the year’s hottest season naturally makes one nostalgic; The business that awaits makes us look back longingly, lingering on moments of spectacular sunsets, sunrises, good food and good company.  We linger…and try to hold on tightly to each morsel of beauty. And while doing so, retreat even farther in time.  Our minds rest there a while. And as such, before we have to fully wake up as the sun sets on August, we land and meander on Durrës’ past.

Durrës, 1988

Durrës Beach, 1988

We didn’t have much in the way of hotels and resorts save for the five main government-run ones in the above photo. But we had pristine stretches of green fields, flowery beds and hills;  Vineyards and rose vines in every home’s entrance; Honeysuckle that spilled over nearly every gate, lending their sweet scent to be mixed with that of the surrounding evergreens and the sea. Pine, pine needles and cones lined the streets and doted the sand.

And we had the widest and longest stretch of white-sand coastline. Ooooh how we would run toward the sea in a fury to escape the grasp of the hot dry sand.  We had modest ice-cream shops and summer camps.  An annual animal circus would camp out in the above area for day and night campers’ entertainment.  And a Coney-island-like playground complete with a ferris wheel, merry-go-round and motorized play-train provided some thrills away from the sea.

Our food was natural (organic), if modest.  Our entertainment was our sand, sea and diving tricks. Soccer, volleyball and swimming were our preferred sports, though none of us ever considered swimming as anything other than just our way of life.  ~