Sarandë & Durrës, Albania
We flew from Portland to Rome using miles and then booked two round trip tickets from Rome to Tirana for $331. We stayed in Tirana for a night and then caught a bus south to Sarandë for $32, where we stayed for two weeks.
While Albania is not at the top of places I'd recommend to see; the weather was hot, the dollar goes a long way and the people are friendly and kind. While it is comparable to the cost of living in Mexico, maybe even a little cheaper, the beaches leave little to be desired, which was one of the main reasons for visiting.
Sarandë
On our first day we happily took off to find the beach. Sarandë has a beautiful pedestrian promenade that follows along the water for about a half a mile. It's a wide walkway which makes for a pleasingly peaceful stroll, not having to worry about traffic, just a few bikes here and there. It's lined with small shops and restaurants on one side and a public beach on the other. Now these beaches are not the beaches of Mexico. In lieu of sand you have rocks and instead of crystal clear beautiful water, well sometimes you might find a light bulb floating around. Unfortunately, the public beach and water were both littered with all sorts of trash and cigarette buds.
Shemo Beach Bar and Restaurant
There were also a few spots on a hard slab of rock with built-in umbrella holders, which were free to use. One day we took our own umbrella and found a spot to chill, not the most comfortable, but free and entertaining. We watched a group of older gentlemen play chess for most of the afternoon. At one point I thought of asking to play a game, however after watching pieces get slammed down when someone lost I thought it best not to piss off the locals with my awesome chess skills. This was our go to beach while in Sarandë.
Greek Island of Corfu
We took a ferry ride to the Greek Island of Corfu to spend the night and explore. We booked a roundtrip ferry ride for $84. The ride there was painfully slow. It was two hours and 45 minutes, in the hot sun, crammed with chain-smokers and people who didn’t believe in wearing deodorant. Without going fast enough for a breeze, it made for a hot and stinky ride. We arrived at port along with a cruise ship, getting through Customs took an hour and fifteen minutes of patience and standing in the hot sun.
Once we cleared Customs we took off walking to find our Airbnb, got a bite to eat at the coffee shop below our place, which was delicious and then off to explore. For $3.00 we caught the local bus to the Old town. We spent the rest of the day exploring the Old Fortress ($13.23) and strolling through the streets of Corfu. We stopped for a drink where a Mojito and a small beer cost $27.00. OUCH! Always ask to see the menu.
The next day our return trip home was a more pleasant experience. Getting through Customs was a breeze and lucky for us the slow ferry was not full so they stuck us on a fast boat that got us back to Sarandë in 30 minutes. Taking the slow ferry was a savings of $40.00, in hindsight we should have paid the extra money.
The Blue Eye & Ksamil
The highlight of my time in Albania was the visit to the Blue Eye. After the Blue Eye we had our taxi driver drop us off in Ksamil, 30 minutes south of Sarandë where we heard the beaches were much nicer. However, the traffic getting there was crazy. The Blue Eye.
The beaches in Ksamil were filled with even more people than in Sarandë and all private clubs wanting $50 a chair in the back with no view of the small but beautiful beach. We walked through the sardines, took off our clothes and enjoyed a much needed dip. The sand was white, the water clear and cool. The madness of so many tourists packed together almost seemed to fade. Almost. We got out to dry off and were immediately yelled at by the cash collector saying, "Tis private beach!"
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| Bianco is my Nani's maiden name! |
Durrës
Getting to Durrës was an adventure. We had 16 days here and with no parks, dirty beaches and little to see or do, we found ourselves spending most of our time at the house enjoying the AC.
The promenade was a block from our house and was not as beautiful or peaceful as Sarandë. There were no public beaches. They were all packed with umbrellas, blaring music, stinky smells and people, people everywhere! The beaches started as sand, but closer to the water was mud or oil, I am not sure which. The one day we spent at the beach we paid $7.00 for lounges and an umbrella. We left 30 minutes later and not because of the shards of glass sticking out of the sand, or the unbearable heat, or even that neither of us were brave enough to get into the water. It was the smell that got us.....making it our shortest beach day ever!
After sitting on our asses for a week and a half, we needed to get out and get some exercise. Jim suggested a walk into town to check out the city center, Roman Amphitheater and the Venetian Tower. Then afterwards we would have a traditional Albanian lunch and take a taxi home. Sounds great!
We happily took off that morning thankful to be moving and excited to see a different side of Durrës, well to see anything really. Three miles later, drenched in sweat, we found the Amphitheater. While it is no Amphitheater of Philippopolis, like in Plovdiv, Bulgaria; it definitely wasn't worth the walk in the heat. I did enjoy the Venetian Tower's cool inside and beautiful views from above.
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| City Center |
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| Roman Amphitheater |
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| Venetian Tower |
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| View from the top of the Venetian Tower |
Working up an appetite and needing to rest the dogs, we weaved in and out of side streets making our way to the restaurant. Most of the reviews stated it was hard to find. After finding ourselves in a back alley behind the bus station, with two Albanian men getting ready to go to blows, or just talking ....not sure. Hot, hungry and ready to get out of the alley, I asked Jim if he knew where we were going. He had no service which made me pull out my phone. Before searching for directions I asked him if he checked to make sure it was open, his look implied… a big fat NO. Six miles and four hours later we arrived home, exhausted and hungry. With an aching body, Jim looks at me and says, didn’t that feel good, my reply was... a big fat NO!
Sometimes, we like to spend time sitting on busy street corners for hours, having drinks and watching people and the craziness of traffic. All these years doing this we’ve never seen an accident or fender bender, (of course never hoping for an accident, but always expecting to see one) and with the traffic of some places we've been it has been miraculous. One day after getting groceries, we were waiting in a crosswalk and a new BMW came to a quick stop. Jim takes off across the street, I wait to make sure they come to a complete spot before I cross. Jim is half way through the crosswalk and just as I step out I hear the screech of tires, a loud crash and then the BMW is pushed forward a few inches. As I glance at the situation behind me neither driver looks happy, thankfully nobody was hurt. Jim just kept walking and when I reached him, I said well we saw our first fender bender and you caused it!
We ate out four out times, and all four were at the Resto Cafe Hemingway. We had the same thing every time, spicy Italian sausage pizza. It was the best pizza I've ever had. If Albania can rock an Italian pizza I am excited to try pizza in Napoli. A family size pizza, with two cocktails and a tip for under $20.00.
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Albania may not be the most eye pleasing country but the beauty lies within the culture and people. Bunkers are scattered around the city, a reminder of a brutal past; while Mosques and churches sit next to each other, where different religions are able to co-exist. The resilience and tolerance of the people of Albania who are so kind and willing to help does make the country beautiful.
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