>>1301757Checked it out.
The special thing about the monastery in Deçani is that they have their own KFOR soldiers to protect it from Albanian chimpouts. The monastery wasn't destroyed, it is still intact and inhabited by monks. Once a year they are escorted by the soldiers to go shopping in Montenegro or Serbia. It's like they're under siege. While Bogorodica Ljeviška is certainly worth a visit (I will), it is little but an uninhabited ruin.
>>1301778That's so funny you mention it! Last year I had the unfortunate luck of riding that road. It is an official state road for fucks sake, so I didn't even anticipate what was about to come. It was so bad that I didn't make it to Gjirokaster from Berat, so I had to camp there. I was chased by a lot of dogs and even had my first flat tire. I slept in a ruin near a village and was besieged by strays who barked all night. In retrospect it was fun though, and the villagers were nice. Here's a picture of the road.
This year I will definitely ride along the Osum canyon, as shown on my itinerary. But thank you, nevertheless!
