15. Sarandë (Albania)

02.08.21-09.08.21

And off we go again through the beautiful Albanian hinterland to the south to Sarandë.

The city of Sarandë with its city beach is (like the whole south) pretty crowded, it's high season, locals and tourists are stacked. We suspected that and live a little outside the city, which we appreciate every day!

But there are also beautiful spots here and we take a trip to Syri i Kaltër, to the blue eye - and we are overwhelmed by the colors!

Since you only see paradise travel reports from the beaches around Ksamil, we also expect a relaxed day in paradise here - what looks incredible in the photos unfortunately was not the reality. On the other hand, other crowded beaches were a joke, here you couldn't even find a tiny free spot (and even if you did, you couldn't sit and relax there). It looked incredibly beautiful - especially from a distance - but still...

The places in the south are heavily focused on tourism, which doesn't necessarily make it more beautiful. For example, the "beautiful" tables with a view in bars and restaurants are reserved for at least 4 people - they prefer to send 2 people away, or to the unpopular places behind the house! We briefly considered grabbing two random children, but then it's over with peace - and there would probably be trouble too :)

After 2500 kilometers, the time had finally come and our brave car (the serpentine roads were no joke this time, and the crazy overtaking maneuvers and potholes out of nowhere had to be dealt with) deserved a Lavazhi!

Now it's time to continue our journey towards Greece and we have to say goodbye - thank you Albania for this special and exciting time, it's not a goodbye forever!

Finally:

Conclusion Albania Ronny: 'Wow guys, Albanistan is pretty wild. Driving without rules, no more Colora rules here (very pleasant, 3 weeks without a mask) and everything else runs a bit differently here. And then this hospitality. Albanians treat every guest like a family member, even though they have much less income than people from richer countries (on average 300 euros per month). How little one knows about Albania and how much it has to offer. I would love to come back and explore the country further! All Albanians share a hatred for corrupt politicians and the common opinion is, '90% of Albanian people are good, politicians are pigs here.' I would sign that!'

Conclusion Albania Katha: 'I was really looking forward to Albania, as I had only heard and read good things so far - and yet my expectations were far exceeded! We have made such great acquaintances that are beyond compare in terms of warmth and that I will never forget! Fortunately, with our detour to North Macedonia, we also drove many kilometers through the countryside and could experience the impressive nature! One thing to note is that I have never been overtaken so many times in any other country as in Albania!'