IONIAN ADVENTURE
‘I’m very excited about swimming from one countr y to another.’ Around 70 intrepid swimmers are waiting at the Port of Corfu with a one-way hydrofoil ticket to Albania; all with the sole purpose of swimming back.
By John Weller
Images: Nikos Mamalos, Konstantinos Kasratasitsas & Lola Culsán
Participants include a host of international swimmers including: Greeks; Albanians; British; Dutch; Ukrainians; Germans, Australians, Russians and Macedonians. The Ionian sea glints like silver coins tossed into a fountain as the sun rises over Albania while the group nervously chatters as they step aboard the hydrofoil. The swim is not particularly long - 3km - but is a fascinating crossing; not just from one country to another, but between two very different cultures and histories. It’s difficult not to contemplate this swim without remembering the many Albanians who risked their lives attempting the crossing during the isolationist regime (1948-91) of Enver Hoxhe. The most direct route was the most dangerous, with armed patrol boats shooting at potential escapees.