Our trip to Albania

After a relaxing few days on the beach in Ulcinj, Montenegro we started our trip to the coastal city of Durres, Albania. We discovered when trying to find transportation from Montenegro (in the European Union) to Albania (non- EU) that a connection is not easy. There are no trains at all that run from one country to the other. The bus route from Ulcinj takes 3 bus changes and 9 hours, plus border crossing time. So, we opted for the most direct route of a taxi. Unfortunately it is NOT cheap and cost us 120 Euros one way. Bummer! In end we both agreed it was worth the convenience and time for the taxi.

The drive was a little under 3 hours. At the border crossing we didn’t even have to show our passports or exit the taxi. The driver just honked the horn, waved and drove straight thru. Arriving in Durres at our beach condo, we were surprised how few people we there. The beach restaurants and bars are set up for mass crowds but it is the end of season and occupancy was low. Which was great for us.  We had much of the beach area to ourselves.

We spent 8 nights in Durres. There is not much to see within the city so we played a lot of cards, did research for upcoming parts of our trip and enjoyed the beach. We also cooked meals each day which was a nice change for us.

 

Here is a fun story to share about and experience                                                         we had was at “The Beach Bar.” We spent one afternoon there playing cards and enjoy a beer on a hot day. They have music playing a fun atmosphere. So, we sat down and ordered a beer. The bartender asked “what type of beer, local?” We said “yes.”  So what does he bring us… Heineken. We asked again for a local beer. He responded, “this is local beer.” I couldn’t help myself in saying “no it’s from Amsterdam.” He said “no it’s Albanian beer.”  So we had a good laugh about enjoying an “Albanian beer” on the beach.

On our daily walks to the market and bakery, we often had to walk around many stray dogs around the street. There are so many of them. Some are tagged by the city and some are not. On our way to the ferry terminal Robert was followed by one for a long distance because the dog liked the smell of his bag. We finally got him to back away. Then near the port we stopped for dinner. At the restaurant there was another dog but one with a tag. I’m a sucker… I know but didn’t finish all my food and asked if I could share some with the dog. The waiter said “Of course. Her name is Lola.” So,  I shared my pizza with Lola and made a new friend.

Here are some photos from our week in Albania:

As I mentioned above the transportation to and from Albania is quite difficult. So in order to leave Eastern Europe we had to take a ferry from  Durres, Albania to Bari,  Italy. It was an overnight ferry that left Durres at 11:00pm. Wow… ever wonder what it would be like to be a crew member on a water vessel? Well, we found out. We rented cabin (if you can call it that). It was a closet with bunk beds and a 2 foot nightstand next to the lower bed. That was it. No facilities, not even enough room for both of us to stand inside the cabin at the same time. The ceiling was low so beds were too close together to sit up on them.  There was just enough room to sleep. An the community bathrooms had non-potable water and half working facilities. It was a very interesting travel experience that we won’t soon forget. Needless to say we made it to the other side of the Adriatic sea. It was a vast difference from our ferry trip from Helsinki to Tallinn.

We are now in Italy for a few days on our way back the USA for a quick stop in Orlando for restocking and taking care of some necessary business. We will be back on the road on Friday Sept.  15.

 

Our thoughts and prayers are with all of our family and friends in Florida who will be dealing with the destruction and aftermath of Hurricane Irma. We will be in Orlando over this time as well. May God keep all of us safe!

Upon our return to Europe we will be in Rome, Italy and then taking a flight to Johannesburg to start our African Adventure!