Montenegro and Albania (Express post)
Once we picked up the car in Dubrovnik (a tiny VW Up) we set off along the Croatian coastline toward Montenegro.
We crossed into Montenegro shortly after, not knowing that we were leaving the European Union until we were at the border. We then took the long way around the Bay of Kotor to ensure we didn’t miss any views.
The Montenegrin town of Kotor across the Bay of Kotor
The road eventually wrapped back around to the coast and took us to Budva, a favourite Mediterranean resort destination for Russian tourists. After Budva, we continued along the coast and enjoyed one last sunset across the ocean before turning inland toward the mountains.
Sunset off the Montenegro coast
We also had to stop at a service station here to replace one of the headlights in the rental car (thanks Sixt Dubrovnik). But I think this was the nicest service station we’ve ever seen, with an incredible view of mountains rising out of the sea, and a friendly attendant.
Sunset from the service station in Montenegro
After enjoying the sunset, we turned inland, where we entered Albania, and re-entered the European Union. We finished the drive into the city of Shkoder, almost drove up a busy one way street in front of a cop, and found our hotel where we were able to get secure parking.
The next day we were planning to drive up into the mountains to go hiking, but a storm was bringing 100ml of rain, and we opted for a rest day instead. We walked around Shkoder a bit in the afternoon after the rain let up a little, but there wasn’t much to do here.
After two uneventful nights in Shkoder, we set off for Berat, with a stop at a hiking place near the capital city Tirana on the way. We expected this to be a well developed area being so close to the capital, but we had to drive 10 kms of dirt roads with massive potholes in our little VW Up to make it there. When we made it to the hike, the “blue” lake was a lot more grey, and the “hike” involved some dodgy stairs up a cliff face.
Gamti Mountain View
A steep hike and a grey lake, but at least we were more prepared than the two girls hiking up in dresses and heels
Gamti Mountain Stairs
The stairs bolted onto the cliff face did not inspire a lot of confidence, but we made it out alive
After the hike, our car survived the return off-roading and led us straight into Tirana traffic. Albania had already shown us how bad the drivers are - people stopping and double parking all over the place, then pulling back out into traffic with no warning. So, driving through traffic on the main road around the capital city was an experience in itself. Stop and go traffic in the manual, roundabouts and intersections with no rules, and lanes that didn’t really exist. Somehow we made it out of the city and down to Berat just in time for sunset.
Pink skies over the unique stone buildings of Berat
We had a really nice meal at this little local restaurant where they were playing old Albanian movies on a TV, the family that owned it was having a birthday party, and their dog was wandering around looking for attention from the travellers eating dinner. It made the place feel like we had been invited into their home for a delicious home cooked meal.
The unique stone houses in Berat and some Christmas decorations
The next morning, we wandered into the main square of Berat to see the town, before heading off again. We took the scenic route to Sarandë, heading up a mountain to try to find a waterfall that flows through a natural rock bridge. The drive up to the waterfall was a winding mountain road covered in rocks that had fallen off the cliffs above. Despite this, it was actually a very good road, and it didn’t take us too long to get there. At the top, we struggled to find the trailhead, and the hike turned out to be a bit steeper and further than we thought. We abandoned the hike and settled for enjoying some great views of this deep canyon from the mountain plateau before heading back down to the coast.
We made it down to the coastal town of Sarandë right at sunset, and our room facing the ocean from up on the hill was the perfect place to enjoy an exquisite sunset over Corfu and the Ionian sea.
After the sunset, we walked down the steep hill to find a restaurant for dinner. Sarandë was a nice little beach town, but it was completely dead at this time of year. Once again, we walked along a street that was supposed to be lined with different restaurant options, and only found one place that was open. We felt uncomfortable sitting in this large restaurant with no one else there, but they had some really good seafood so no complaints here.
The next morning was our last day in Albania as we continued the road trip into Greece. Our first stop was the Albanian coast, where we wanted to check out the popular beaches. We could tell that this is a summer party town because everything looked abandoned, with palm frond umbrellas loosely piled up, stray dogs lounging on the platforms, and not a person to be found anywhere. It was a surreal experience to see all this infrastructure abandoned for the winter, especially since it was such a nice day where I would have absolutely gone for a swim and sat with a drink on a swim platform for a couple of hours.
Entrance to an abandoned beach club outside of Sarandë
After enjoying the sun and the beach, we turned inland toward our next stop, Ioannina, Greece. But before we made it to the Greek border, we made one last stop at the Blue Eye. I think this is one of many ‘Blue Eyes’, but it’s the only one we could make it to. We parked at the end of the parking lot, trying to avoid the parking fee, and walked up to the entrance. The guards at the front saw where we parked and still tried to charge us for parking, but we played dumb and I don’t think they wanted to deal with us, so we got away with it.
We still had to pay the entrance fee then walked along a reservoir toward the mountain spring they call Blue Eye. This spring was pumping crystal clear water out at an incredible rate, creating a large river from nowhere. It was hard to capture with photos, but it was a really impressive sight to see this river created out of a hole in the ground.
The Blue Eye in southern Albania, where a river is created from a hole in the ground
The Blue Eye was our last stop in Albania, and we would soon cross the border into Greece. It was a beautiful country and the people were so friendly, which was a huge contrast from the previous five days in Croatia. But it also felt closer to being in Sri Lanka than Europe with the half finished concrete buildings and crazy driving. It was also the place where we felt the isolation of travelling during low season the most. All the tourist sites and beaches were empty, and most restaurants were closed or not serving food. We had a great time, but I think Albania is a place that is better experienced during peak or shoulder season. Maybe we’ll come back someday to hike in Theth without 100ml of rain and do some beach clubbing.
