The students and teachers of the Bouga schools described their impressions from the three-day visit to northern Epirus, Albania, to the local media today.

From October 12 - 14, 2018, a group Of students and teachers From the Middle School and General Lyceum of bouga schools Visited Northern epirus, Albania.

The purpose was twofold.: On the one hand, to tour the territories where identification, retrieval, identification and burial of the bones of Greek soldiers who were killed on the Albanian front during the Greco-Italian War of 1940-41, and on the other hand to pay a small tribute as a school to the missing, mainly Greek soldiers who still remain either scattered and unburied or buried but unidentified in the region of Northern Epirus, in present-day Albania.

At the same time, they wanted to get to know Greek Orthodox students who attend the nine-year Greek-Albanian school in Gjirokastra "Breath of Love" and the Lyceum that has been operating for two years, both truly "spiritual projects" of the Archbishop of Albania, His Excellency Anastasios.

This trip stimulated the national memory of the older ones and contributed to the formation of a healthy national consciousness of the younger ones, and at the same time, it strengthened ties with the diaspora, recognizing the multifaceted work of Greek Orthodox education provided in Greek-speaking schools in Albania.

The main stops of the tour of Prof. Bougas were, as stated in the School's announcement:

a. The Military War Museum 1940 – 41.

A small museum that, thanks to the comprehensive and informative tour by the soldier guide from the Armored Battalion and the audiovisual representation of the heroic battles that took place in Kalpaki, made us realize the decisive contribution of the VIII Infantry Division and its Commander, Major General Charalambos Koutsimitros, in repelling the Italian invaders during the first days of the war.

b. The village of Vouliarates in the province of Dropoli on the Kakavia - Argyrokastro roadThere we visited the military cemetery (inaugurated in 1999), in the courtyard of the small church of Agia Skepi, where we observed the first graves with identified Greek fallen of '40-41, including the names of Messinian soldiers.

c. The Kleisoura Valley. Starting from Argirokastro and crossing a lush green landscape along the Aoos River, we arrived at the new military cemetery, also the work of Archbishop Anastasios, where in the courtyard of the monastery of St. Nicholas stands a huge cross and below and all around are empty graves (with crosses), in which the bones of the heroes kept in metal ossuaries are intended to be placed. A happy coincidence for our school was the fact that our visit took place the day after the official burial of the first 573 identified dead. There, therefore, we laid a wreath and sang the National Anthem.

In addition to the objectives of this pilgrimage trip, we visited:

– The Gjirokaster Fortress, the emblem of the city of Gjirokaster. A castle that has resisted the ravages of time from the time of Pyrrhus to the present day, to remind the visitor that it was primarily a symbol of the martyrdom of a people, a cemetery of the "living" during the Hoxha regime, in which those who fought for the liberation of their country were martyred.

– The seaside city of Saranda, just opposite the northern part of Corfu. It is a touristically developed city that has increased its permanent population from 23,000 to 45,000 in the last 20 years, while also providing the infrastructure to welcome and accommodate thousands of tourists. There we strolled along the pedestrianized coastal zone, went to restaurants and cafes, and had moments of relaxation.

Our last stop is National Park and the Archaeological Site of Buthros, very close to the Mavromati border station. We are referring to an ancient Greek city of Albania unknown to Greeks, an adorable coexistence of natural paradise and archaeological findings from prehistoric times to modern times (e.g. ancient Greek temple of Asclepius, Roman theater, Byzantine temple).

We justified why people have always wanted to live in this place: a natural harbor, a natural fortified location, a rich lagoon, a crossroads of sea routes and at the same time a unique World Heritage Site.

From the previous rough description, it becomes clear how a three-day trip with targeted destinations - stops and appropriate preparation, cognitive and emotional, can lay another cornerstone in the general education of students and teachers.