#2: [15-May-22]

#1: [26-Jun-04]

06-Oct-2023 -- We walked 3389 km from Zurich to Athens and visited this confluence on our way. This hike was part of our hike network. On our stage from Tirana to Greece, the confluence was only 500 m off from our hiking route such that I couldn’t resist to have a look.

On confluence day, we started hiking from the historical town Gjirokaster. After crossing a mountain pass of 800 m, we reached the village Fushë Vërri on our way down. The confluence is located in the southern part of the village in a backyard. The yard can be found easily, because it is marked by a dead teddy bear who probably attempted a visit unsuccessfully a couple years ago.

On the public road, we measured a distance of 15 m to the confluence. Further approach required access to private ground. An elderly lady in black (probably the widow mentioned by the previous visitors Richard and Jana) was at home. As we didn’t have a common language, she called her grandson – we estimate him 11 years of age – whom we explained our mission. The friendly people gave us permission to go inside, but we soon had to realize that the exact location was inside a barn, such that a zero reading was impossible unless we would climb on the rooftop. But if you look at the picture, the building might have collapsed in case of such an attempt. Normally I don’t bother too much of getting a zero reading, but in this case, it would have been a special case: a so-called hyperconfluence where the latitude and the longitude both are multiples of 10. There are only (8 x 2 + 1) x 36 + 2 = 614 hyper-confluences on earth and roughly 200 on land. Now I have been to 12 of them.

After the visit we went further down and reached the beach at the town of Sarandë. The funny thing: we almost accidentally met there my sister in law, who was on a round trip through Albania at the same time!

CP Visit Details:

• Distance from our hiking route: 500 m
• Distance from a road: 15 m
• Distance from a track: 15 m
• Time to reach the CP from the road: 15 min (this includes the communication necessary to enter the compound)
• Time at the CP: 10:29 AM
• Measured height: 193 m
• Minimal distance according to GPS: 6 m
• Position accuracy: 6 m
• Topography: mostly flat
• Vegetation: orange trees, olive trees, vines and other plants of gardenland.
• Weather: sunny, 28° C (felt temperature)
• Given Name: The Dead Teddy Bear Confluence