Days in Albania

Exactly 14 days after the start of our journey at four o'clock in the morning, squeezed between our disassembled bicycles on the back seat of a Mercedes Vito, but happy to reach the starting point of our bike tour in such a direct and easy way, we are now sitting on a small farm in northern Albania. Here we are enjoying a few rest days before crossing over to Montenegro. We don't know exactly where yet, but we are sad to leave Albania again on Monday. We definitely want to come back, because although the country is not the largest, we have seen and experienced something new every day of our journey.

Our journey started from Igouminitsa in northern Greece, where the ferry from Venice took us. We rode a few kilometers through Greece and soon reached the Albanian border, easily recognizable by the black eagle on a burning red background. We had our first espresso in a small mountain village, one of countless villages in Albania, and learned the Albanian word for water - Uij. Our campsite was located in the city of Ksamil. Surrounding it is the Butrint National Park with ancient ruins, lush green vegetation, and a fantastic view of the Mediterranean. We reached our campsite after 56km and 470 meters of ascent, which was quite challenging for the first day. We stayed in Ksamil for two nights and experienced the supposedly Albanian Ballermann with very few tourists and beaches that were not yet finished. Perfect for taking care of some basic things for a stay in Albania.

On Thursday, we continued for 37km and 600 meters of ascent through the mountains to a former campsite in the middle of the mountains, but right by the sea. A few meters away, some horses were grazing by a small stream, and a young foal was hopping around in the bushes.

The next day, we continued along the coast, sometimes right by the sea, but often going from zero to a hundred, from zero to four hundred, from zero to two hundred meters in altitude, so we took many breaks. We enjoyed coffee on a terrace in Vuno, several hundred meters above the Mediterranean, or simply admired the view at the guardrail, gathering strength for the next uphill stretch. A 1050-meter ascent over the Llogara Pass awaited us at the end of our tour. At 4 p.m., we decided somewhat euphorically, after a power-boosting coffee, to tackle the remaining 14km of road... and we made it, just before it got dark, to a campsite on the other side of the mountain at an altitude of 950m. The view from the sea was heavenly until we drove into a cloud at 1000m, which, combined with the ever-present wind on this pass, made the barren landscape almost spooky.

With the perspective of riding 20km downhill the next day into the first major city, Vlora, we set off the next morning full of energy through the beautiful mountain landscape... took a wrong turn... and only became suspicious of the 650 meters of ascent we were doing on a mountain road, instead of enjoying the sea down at the beach. Despite all the frustration, it was definitely worth it for the view. We planned to quickly pass through Vlora, as Albanian cities with loaded bicycles can be quite stressful. However, when Lucas noticed shortly after leaving the city that his rear rack had become significantly bent, we had to turn back and find a workshop. With the rack hammered back into shape, we rode out to a small peninsula near the city and camped there at the eco-campsite of two Albanians who had created a little paradise in the woods with a self-built kitchen, showers, toilets... and little baby cats.

The following day, we embarked on a very long stage. From Vlora, with fewer ascents and a maximum altitude of just under 200m, we rode 91km through beautifully green landscapes to the Karavasta coastal lagoon. The area is obviously a wonderful place for agriculture, as everywhere around us people were working in the fields, whether on open land or in greenhouses. The campsite we reached in the evening was managed by a very friendly Albanian who mainly drives trucks in Germany, but unfortunately it didn't live up to its name, piccollo Paradiso. Due to the insane mosquito attacks, we fled into the tent as soon as it was set up. The next morning, we wanted to continue quickly. Lucas quickly changed my brake pads... and the mosquitoes and my bike made it so difficult for him that we were eventually maneuvered through the nearby town of Divjaka so that I could continue with more than one functioning brake. By some miracle, more on that later, we then drove 65km through the flat, mostly agricultural region towards Durrës. The last six kilometers took us past insane hotel fortresses and horrifying beach promenades. We set up our tent, at least for free, under a few pine trees, and if you only took a photo of the ten meters of sandy beach where we cooked and ate our dinner, you could believe you were enjoying the romantic Mediterranean.

The next day, we wanted to quickly cover the remaining 35km to Tirana, but Komoot threw a huge wrench into our plans. After crossing the highway on a pedestrian bridge, we rode into a romantic mountain road, passing through small villages, lakes, and mosques. However, the road quickly turned into unpaved paths, tractor tracks, hiking trails, and paths carved by melting snow, which in some parts were neither passable nor easy to walk or push through. Lucas regularly had to push both bikes a few meters at a time, as my strength completely failed on the uphill stretches. Despite all the effort, we enjoyed a very diverse green landscape with turtles, snakes, a dead scorpion, sheep, and a somewhat unpredictable sheepdog. After about four kilometers of struggling, which took us at least two hours, we finally had breakfast at a very rustic bakery and a typical Albanian convenience store. Gradually, we rode into the surrounding countryside and the outskirts of Tirana before turning off to our campsite, which presented us with another challenge for the second time that day. The path was so muddy that my bike couldn't turn either forwards or backwards. Fortunately, two men with a pickup truck came by and drove me and my bike the last few meters to the campsite. Since it was already 4 p.m. instead of the planned 12 p.m., we decided to stay at the campsite the next day and ride to Tirana to take our bikes to a workshop. In addition to cleaning our bikes, we were able to witness the horrors of German caravan driving live on the campsite, including expert parking assistance. The next day, we rode into Tirana, which was about 15km away from the center, took care of some errands, enjoyed the food, and explored the city a bit. But more on that later.

On Thursday, we lingered a bit and didn't start until 11 a.m. Nevertheless, we rode much faster than expected through flat Albania, enjoying the small, always beautiful villages around us, and enthusiastically covered the 109km to the ecosocial farm near Shkodra, where we are now spending a few rest days with people from various European countries and some animals. Perhaps in the coming days, I will share a few more anecdotes about our journey, if time and inclination allow.