Balkan Trip from Germany to Albania - Arrival in Albania - Shengjin

Well, here we are again! Once again, it was time to say goodbye to our most beautiful accommodation so far – with a tear in our eye and the scent of fresh morning coffee in our nose. But hold on, before we dive into the Albanian adventure, there is one more animal-related note about yesterday's day in Montenegro.

The Montenegrin Wildlife and a Special Mini Cruise

Imagine this: You're sitting comfortably in the garden, sipping your coffee, and suddenly – surprise! – we receive a visit from the local fauna. A turtle leisurely strolls by, followed by a snake. We Central Europeans, who know such encounters only from television, were, of course, completely beside ourselves with excitement! If the locals had seen us, they probably would have thought we were crazy – but hey, when do you get to have such close contact with nature?

Upon closer inspection, I must say I really liked Montenegro. Especially the coastal road to Albania is a dream! We passed so many picturesque coastal villages that seemed to shout 'Stay a little longer!' Too bad, the accommodation in Albania was already booked. But as the saying goes: 'The journey is the destination' – and this journey was filled with highlights!

Arriving at the Bay of Kotor, we treated ourselves to a short ferry ride. Five euros, 15 minutes and boom – we saved the entire circumvention of the bay! And let's be honest: sponsoring Bianca's little 'cruise' for five euros was quite an investment that paid off, wasn’t it? (Wink, wink!)

The roads along the coast were well maintained, but as soon as we went inland, the driving pleasure was over. Construction sites everywhere! They're busy working on it at the moment, which is generally a good thing, but unfortunately it also causes a lot of traffic jams.

Budva, Traffic Jams and the Wonderful World of Border Controls

Upon arriving in Budva, it quickly became clear to us: This is a classic tourist hotspot. Everything is geared towards tourism. Not bad, but not quite our thing either. But Budva didn’t want to let us go that easily: On the way out of town, we had an accident that held us up in traffic for a solid one and a half hours. After that, it went on with crazy speeds of 70-80 km/h. Suddenly it clicked for me why the GPS calculated over four hours of driving time without traffic for the nearly 200 km. At least: The scenery partly made up for the long drive.

After what felt like an eternity, we finally reached the border between Montenegro and Albania. The control immediately reminded me of my youth when we drove with my parents through Yugoslavia and Bulgaria to Turkey. Taciturn border guards, hand signals, murmured chatter – just like here! I thought to myself, maybe that’s a requirement for this job.

Albania: A Rough Welcome and Hope for Improvement

No sooner had we crossed the border than we figured we would stretch our legs and treat ourselves to coffee at a gas station. I wanted to take the opportunity to use the restroom. And there came the first 'friendly' encounter with Albanian hospitality: A young man, presumably from the café, snapped at me right away: 'Using the toilet is 50 cents!' I was quite surprised by this reception since I was a guest and wanted to order coffee. Great!

Right before Shkodra, we faced the next traffic jam – this time due to bridge renovations. Another hour delay. But that was our plan: Don’t let it stress us! What did stress us a bit were the beggars with children, who specifically approached cars with foreign license plates. We realize that we don't know the background, but we do not want to support the intentional use of children for begging.

After so many small negative events in the first hours in Albania, I thought: 'Oh dear, if it starts like this...' Then it continued normally for a few kilometers, until just before our destination Shengjin.

A Place to Sleep and the Search for a Smile

Our accommodation in Shengjin: Well, it’s there for sleeping. But really only for sleeping. Clean, beds, shower, toilet, balcony – all true, but nothing more. The only bright spot today was our host, the owner of the hotel. He welcomed us kindly, even though he spoke no German and hardly any English. He showed us our room, tried to explain everything, and offered us two bottles of cold water – a true blessing after the long drive!

Since we hadn’t eaten anything all day, we headed to the promenade. In a beach café, beautifully decorated, but unfortunately with far too loud music, we were served quickly and correctly, but sadly without a single smile. After that, we went to a restaurant that was actually open (the season hasn't really started yet). Again here: quick service, correct billing, but again no smiling faces. And when I treated Bianca to an ice cream, the same thing happened: served, paid, no smile. I almost wished they would have ripped me off a bit, but at least smiled politely (just kidding!).

What I also painfully missed here was the taste of the Balkans in the food and coffee, which I had enjoyed every day on our tour – both in Croatia and Bosnia (we didn’t eat in Montenegro).

With a somewhat queasy and dissatisfied feeling, I’m going to bed tonight and sincerely hope that tomorrow in Albania will bring better things. We are closing our eyes and hoping that today was just a snapshot. Until tomorrow then!

What do you think, was it just bad luck on the first day in Albania, or should we brace ourselves for more 'surprises'?

Turkish

Here we are again! Once more, it was time to say goodbye to our most beautiful accommodation so far – with a tear in our eye and the scent of fresh morning coffee in our nose. But wait, before we plunge into our Albanian adventure, there is one more animal-related note about the day we spent in Montenegro yesterday.

Montenegrin Wildlife and a Very Special Mini Cruise

Imagine: You're relaxing in the garden, sipping your coffee, and suddenly – surprise! – we have a visit from the local fauna. A turtle strolls by slowly, followed by a snake. We Central Europeans, who know such encounters only from television, were, of course, completely excited! Had the locals seen us, they would probably have declared us crazy – but hey, when do you get close contact with nature?

On a second look, I must say I really liked Montenegro. Especially the coastal road to Albania is like a dream! We passed so many picturesque coastal villages that seemed to scream 'Stay a little longer!' Oh, what a pity, our accommodation in Albania had already been booked. But as they say, 'The journey is the destination' – and this journey was filled with highlights!

Upon reaching the Bay of Kotor, we treated ourselves to a little ferry ride. Five euros, 15 minutes, and there we saved the entire circumvention of the bay! And let’s be honest: Sponsoring Bianca’s little 'cruise' for five euros was certainly a worthy investment, right? (Wink!)

The roads along the coast were perfectly maintained, but as soon as we headed inland, the driving pleasure was over. Construction sites everywhere! They are currently working hard on it, which is generally good, but unfortunately it also leads to plenty of traffic jams.

Budva, Traffic Jams, and the Wonderful World of Border Controls

Upon arriving in Budva, we quickly understood: This is a classic tourist trap. Everything is aimed at tourism. Not bad, but not really our thing either. However, Budva did not want to let us go so easily: On the way out of the city, we got stuck in traffic for a solid one and a half hours due to an accident. After that, we continued at ridiculous speeds of 70-80 km/h. Suddenly I realized why the GPS calculated over four hours of pure driving time without traffic for the nearly 200 km. At least the landscape partly compensated for the long drive.

After what felt like an eternity, we finally reached the border between Montenegro and Albania. The control immediately reminded me of my childhood when we drove with our parents through Yugoslavia and Bulgaria to Turkey. Silent border guards, hand signals, murmured chatter – just like here! I thought to myself, maybe this is a hiring condition for this job.

Albania: A Rude Welcome and Hope for Improvement

As soon as we crossed the border, we thought we’d stretch our legs and treat ourselves to a coffee at a gas station. I wanted to seize the opportunity to use the toilet. And then came the first 'friendly' encounter with Albanian hospitality: A young man, presumably from the café, immediately snapped at me: 'Using the toilet is 50 cents!' I was quite surprised by this reception, especially since I was a guest and wanted to order coffee. Fantastic!

Just before Shkodra, we encountered another traffic jam – this time due to a bridge renovation. Another hour lost. But that was our plan: Do not let it stress us! What stressed us somewhat were the beggars with children who deliberately approached cars with foreign license plates. We know that we don’t know the background, but we do not want to support the targeted use of children for begging.

After so many small negative events in the first hours in Albania, I was already thinking: 'Goodness, if it starts like this...' Then things continued normally for a few kilometers until just before our destination, Shengjin.

A Place to Sleep and the Search for a Smile

Our accommodation in Shengjin: Well, it is just for sleeping. But really only for sleeping. Clean, beds, shower, toilet, balcony – all of this is true, but nothing more. The only bright spot today was our host, the hotel owner. He welcomed us kindly, even though he spoke no German and hardly any English. He showed us our room, tried to explain everything and offered us two bottles of cold water – a real blessing after the long drive!

Since we hadn't eaten anything all day, we headed to the promenade. At a beach café, very beautifully decorated, but unfortunately with way too loud music, we were served quickly and correctly, but unfortunately without a single smile. Afterwards, we ventured to a restaurant that was actually open (the season hasn’t really started yet). Here too: quick service, correct billing, but again no smiling faces. And when I treated Bianca to an ice cream, it was the same: served, payed, no smile. I almost wished they had ripped me off a bit, but smiled kindly instead (just kidding!).

What I also missed dearly here was the taste of the Balkans in the food and coffee that I had enjoyed every day on our tour – both in Croatia and Bosnia (we didn’t eat in Montenegro).

With a somewhat nauseous and dissatisfied feeling, I go to bed tonight, sincerely hoping that tomorrow in Albania will bring better things. We are closing our eyes and hope that today was just a momentary snapshot. Until tomorrow then!

What do you think, was this just bad luck on the first day in Albania, or should we prepare for more 'surprises'?