Farewell to Albania

Day #62

Wednesday, July 1st.

From Fishtë to Podgorica

Country: Albania / Montenegro

In the morning, I wake up to footsteps and the sound of an engine next to my tent.

My presence seems to be accepted, as it continues and there are no complaints.

Probably just a brief visit, and the place is cleaner than before.

It's just after 5, and I briefly consider sleeping a little longer.

But somehow I'm awake too, and so the day starts early.

After the usual breakfast of oatmeal and - watch out - bananas, I'm ready to go.

Alongside olive trees, which are grown in abundance here, I also pass many bunkers from the time of Hoxha.

It's always astonishing how a single person can so profoundly shape a country.

Interestingly, some of them are being repurposed or used as hay sheds.

The people in Albania are very creative.

The first stop is Shkoder, an old city, and after a tour through the alleys, I take a break in a café.

Filling up on caffeine.

I have a nice conversation with the young waiter, whose dream it is to move to Bavaria one day so he can go to the stadium every two weeks.

He has actually spent more time in Munich than I have. But that's quite easy to do in just one day.

I briefly push my bike up to the castle. The view over the city and the surrounding countryside is great, but I don't feel like parking my bike to explore.

So I push back down to save the brakes.

Or rather, I press myself into the ground and let myself be pulled down by the weight.

Speaking of which, from yesterday's brake test, I have a burn blister on my finger.

I extend my break and have a second breakfast at the foot of the castle, with a view of the river.

The activity is interesting. Horses and goats pass by, while on the water, there are SUPs and jet skis.

I become curious when I see a strange animal. Until I realize it's a diver. Oh, wait, two of them.

Bravely trusting the water.

We continue on flat land, unremarkably along busy country roads towards the border.

It's so boring that my head feels dull.

Singing loudly and talking to myself helps.

What strikes me today, in the little distraction, is that specifically three car brands from home are disproportionately represented.

I make a brief stop at a restaurant near the border.

I'm hungry and still have too much cash on hand.

So much for my initial money problems.

And then I'm at the next border. I just ride past the line of waiting trucks and cars.

An advantage of being a cyclist.

At the same time, I encounter two bikepackers.

The special thing is that they are two women, which, according to my observations so far, is the exception.

It's clear that there are generally more cyclists out here than I expected to see.

Montenegro then truly lives up to its name, heading up the incline.

On the last kilometers to Podgorica, I ride along a country road, with no shoulder.

In my travel guide, the behavior of drivers is described as 'not very cooperative.'

My description starts with A and ends with social.

All in all, it unfortunately creates an extremely negative atmosphere, further triggered by idle gestures and honking that elicit an instinct to flee.

This is reinforced in the capital.

There's a detour to the 'Niagara Falls' of Montenegro.

A very impressive waterfall, or rather several, and it's a magnet for people, with many swimming.

Unfortunately, the water can only be accessed via stairs, and due to the time, I first focus on finding accommodation.

Finding the address poses another challenge, as there are no street names or house numbers.

But eventually, I manage that too.

A few clothes are washed and hung up on the balcony together with the tarpaulin, which is still wet and heavy from yesterday's stop.

I take my bike to the city center to get an impression.

But it remains that everything feels unwelcoming and negative to me, so after dinner, I head straight back to my accommodation.

Moreover, it's already late, and I urgently need to get to bed.

Song of the day:

Fatoni - Dumm