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The hike from Krrabë
Seriously, assuming you have heard of it before, what goes through your mind when you hear people talk about the “Cyclops’ Eye”?!
“The things we Albanians come up with!” That was my reaction when I was told the weekend’s hike would be to the “Eye”. But once I visited, it really was an impressive place, and I think the name fitted perfectly.
It was precisely because of what I saw that I began writing about it in my “travel journal”.
The weekend trip with “Discover Albania” Club began in the morning, as usual, with the meeting point opposite the “Jordan Misja” Arts High School on Elbasani Street in Tirana. There were quite a lot of people. That was encouraging.
The hike would begin on reaching the village of Krrabë, around 27 kilometres from central Tirana. The drive took around 45 minutes. The distance to the “Cyclops’ Eye”?!
A little over 4 kilometres.
We stopped near the village mosque. And set off.
To be honest, the village of Krrabë was nothing special. Apart from the plum trees and two or three mulberry trees, the route through it was not worth remembering. There was also rubbish here and there, and dirty spots.
So I will pass quickly over that part.
The real hike, the part that was worthwhile and put you fully in touch with nature, began once we had effectively left Krrabë behind. When the terrain became steeper, we were in the village of Skuterrë. Along the way you had to climb to an altitude of around 550 metres, and the panorama was fantastic.
The legend and landscape of the Eye
Along the way we saw a shelter where shepherds could wait out the rain. It stood on a high hilltop with an impressive view. At this point we learned the legend, and that local residents themselves called the “Eye” “Hudhra e Zezë” (“Black Garlic”), though no one knew why it bore that name.
As for the legend, it was said that an enormous beast, a cyclops, once troubled the village. The villagers suffered greatly from the damage it caused, and one day decided to pursue it down the valley along the Erzen. They confronted it and killed it.
The struggle left scratch marks on the rocks. Where the beast fell, it made a large hollow among the stones, which filled with water.
It struck me as a lovely tale, and the place was not clearly visible on the way because of the steep terrain. It took a little time, and after we passed a section descending towards the Murdhar Gorge, we heard the river rushing in the background and, elsewhere, saw the canyon’s grey bathed in blue. The descent from there was fantastic.
The water had smoothly cut through the limestone, creating small pools in different shades of blue and green. Cracks could be seen at the edges too, reminding you of the legend. In the middle was the deep hollow, so deep that the shades of colour in it convinced you it went down a long way.
Deep enough, why not, to hold a real cyclops.
We stayed there quite a while, enjoying the sound of the river, eye to eye with the “Cyclops’ Eye”. The return was easier, because my spirit was full of nature.
This was my second hike with the club, and from it I learned that:
-You had to be careful on climbs, because if heights were a problem for you, things could quickly become quite difficult.
-Besides shoes (as I learned on the first hike), you also had to bring a change of clothes, because the harder walking made you sweat.