Balkan Trip from Germany to Albania - A Day in Shengjin - Albania

A New Day, New Luck in Albania

A new day, a new luck! That’s what we thought, after an unfortunately quite noisy night - the sound insulation of our room made us experience the celebrations of other guests until the early morning. We decided to put yesterday behind us and give Albania another chance.

A Windy Start and Friendly Faces

As we stepped onto our balcony in the morning, it quickly became clear: today would be windy, with still summery temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius. But the first pleasant surprise didn’t take long to arrive. In the breakfast restaurant from the previous day, we were met by a new waitress. She didn’t speak English or German, but she was incredibly nice! With gestures, sign language, and the Google Translate app, we ordered our breakfast. Again, it wasn’t anything local but an omelet with some cheese, cucumber, and tomatoes, yet it was delicious and today, we definitely didn’t lack friendliness.

Pool Day instead of Sardine Beach

Given the strong wind and the fact that the loungers on the beach were lined up like sardines, we decided to enjoy a relaxed pool day at the hotel. No sooner had we changed our clothes than our landlord came up to us. Speaking half English, he inquired about our well-being and immediately offered us two espressos at his expense. I jokingly wondered if he might have read my travel blog from yesterday and that’s why he was being so friendly.

The day at the pool was continuously positive and relaxing. When the wife of our landlord approached us and chatted with us for quite a while – again in broken English and with gestures – I was finally ready to forget about yesterday.

Evening Pizza Surprise

In the evening, we made our way into town to grab a bite to eat. Unfortunately, most restaurants seemed to be closed on Mondays, so we had no choice but to go to the café from the previous day where the service had been rather unfriendly. But lo and behold: the same waitress, suddenly super nice and with a smile on her face! Gradually, I began to doubt whether it might have been my fault. But no, my wife shared my assessment of both yesterday and today.

Sadly, there was nothing local to eat here either, unless pizza counts as Albanian. But Albanians really do know how to make great pizzas! Our pizzas were top-notch.

Conclusion and Outlook

Knowing that Albanians can also be friendly and prepare excellent pizzas, I’m heading to bed now. Tomorrow morning we’ll be going back home, but we still have a few things planned along the way. Stay tuned!

Oh, one more thing: In every place, we always paid the same prices as the locals and never felt cheated even once. Just a note for all who know this from vacations in Turkey or Egypt.

Türkce

A New Day, New Happiness in Albania

A new day, a new happiness! Unfortunately, after a very noisy night - the thin walls in our room meant we could hear other guests' celebrations until morning – we decided to forget yesterday and give Albania another chance.

A Windy Start and Friendly People

As soon as we stepped onto our balcony in the morning, it became clear that today would be windy and the temperature would still be summery at 35 degrees Celsius. But the first nice surprise arrived quickly. A new waiter from the day before was waiting for us in the breakfast restaurant. He didn’t know English or German, but he was incredibly friendly! We ordered our breakfast using gestures and the Google Translate app. Although it wasn’t something characteristic of Albania, it was an omelet with cheese, cucumber, and tomatoes, but it was delicious, and we certainly did not lack friendliness today.

Pool Day Instead of Sardine Beach

Given the strong wind and the fact that the sun loungers on the beach were lined up like a can of sardines, we decided to have a relaxing day by the hotel pool. As soon as we had changed, our landlord came to greet us. Asking how we were in half English, he immediately offered us two espressos on him. I jokingly wondered if he might have read my travel blog from yesterday and that’s why he was so cheerful.

The day by the pool was consistently positive and relaxing. When our landlord's wife came over and chatted with us for a while - again in half English and with gestures - I was finally ready to forget yesterday.

Evening Pizza Surprise

In the evening, we went into town to eat something. Unfortunately, most restaurants seemed to be closed on Mondays, so we had no choice but to go back to the café from the previous day where the service had been rather unfriendly. But lo and behold: the same waiter, suddenly very friendly and with a smile! I began to doubt whether it was perhaps my fault. But no, my wife shared my assessment of both yesterday and today.

Unfortunately, there was also nothing local to eat here, unless pizza counts as Albanian. But Albanians are really good at making pizzas! Our pizzas were outstanding.

Conclusion and Outlook

Knowing that Albanians can also be friendly and make excellent pizzas, I'm heading to bed now. Tomorrow morning we go back home, but we still have a few things to do along the way. Stay tuned!

Ah, and one more thing: We always paid the same prices as the locals in every restaurant and never felt cheated even once. Just a note for anyone familiar with vacations in Turkey or Egypt.