Albania: The Worst Kept Secret of the Balkan
Albania was the last, and the main leg of our journey with our recently acquired minivan to the Balkan. Eli and I have been planning this for a while. We previously got a camper box, which, when it folds out, has space for two with enough storage room for a trip.
September is an unassuming month – most people are done with their vacations and are back at work. Prices are somewhat down, and although the weather is a bit more sassy and unpredictable, it´s not as merciless as in the peak of summer either.
There has been so much told about Albania. “Thanks” to its long isolation from the outside world, it managed to be kept as an insider tip. Okay, to be fair, probably the most well-known “insider tip” ever.
Skopje – the new old capital of a new old country
North Macedonia -personally- had been such a mixed bag. I felt at home in Skopje, the socialist era buildings, the kind locals that made us forget what it lacked for historical monuments and infrastructure – partly due to its turbulent history, but mostly because of the 1963 Earthquake that destroyed 80% of the city.
The present day city center was rebuilt following an unprecedented global initiative coordinated by the UN, led by the star architect, Kenzo Tange and architects from all corners of the world.
Lake Ohrid – the oldest lake of Europe
Before crossing the border to Albania, we stayed in the town of Ohrid.
Ohrid is known to some as the Jerusalem of the Balkans. The town´s patron saint, St Clement was one of the most prominent disciples of Sts Cyril and Methodius, founders of the Glagolitic alphabet, which partly spread from Ohrid to the slavic world.
We know this thanks to Vesna, a local guide took us around the newly renovated Church of Saints Clement & Panteleimon.
The lake – with 4 million years – marks itself as the oldest in Europe. It has a unique ecosystem with many endemic species.
To get out of the confined space of Ohrid´s old town we stopped and decided to camp on the other side of the lake.
Watching the sunrise over this great body of water with the many birds was a sight to behold. Truth to be told, sadly, I also found many illegal dumping sites on the shore, with black smoke marking some of them from the distance.
Crossing to Albania Kanioni i Holtës
Due to our limited time, we decided to cover as many different landscapes of Albania as possible.
The original plan was to visit Permet and the “Benja” thermal baths, but the infamous road quality of Albania, and the length of it finally deterred us.
Our choice fell on Kanioni i Holtës, a canyon in the Elbasan region, close to the village of Kabash.
Driving there we drove by Lake of Banja, an impressive water reservoir, when the road just got worse. We saw children coming from school walking on the narrow roads and a Greek tortoise crossing it while a shepherd was herding his flock of sheep.
The last bit of the road was a bit of a challenge to our Citroen Berlingo. A kind man allowed us to stay on his plot with a swimming pool. In the morning he picked us walnuts and pomegranates before we headed out to the hike…
The canyon- created by the erosion of the Holtë river- is 3km long, 350m high and 3-4m wide at its narrowest places. Our wet shoes and bags came really handy at times, when we had to submerge to the chest. The water-being the end of September- was freezing but the many side-pools of thermal water gave our feet a short relief.
We spent around an hour and a half wandering around in this incredible grotto – and we could have done with more.
Wildcamping on Hidrovor Beach
Since it´s been a while we were at the seaside, we thought it would be a great idea to do some wildcamping. We used the app, Park4night, and found a very promising stretch of shore close to Vlorë. Little did we know that the road there included a 10 km long gravel road. It was straight as a nail, surrounded from both sides by lagoons. We could only drive at a walking pace due to the many holes.
After about 40 minutes of pure torture, getting lost and driving on sinking sand in the pine forest, we finally arrived. Just on time to prepare for the night, we found many of the neighbouring campers with German and Austrian plates.
Stray dogs are quite common in Albania, and the beach was scattered with them. They came to beg for food and did their usual rounds of pity plays. I´m not saying it didn´t work.
At dusk some people came on a motorbike to catch fish. One in a wetsuit held the net, while the other was coordinating it from the shore. They seemed to be on the wrong and were a bit camera shy.
We took a long walk on the otherwise beautiful beach, littered by garbage and thought of what it would take to organize a clean up. Probably a week or so for less than a hundred people.
Although, judging from some of the garbage, people have been dumping their waste here for decades, and most of it by now is just buried under the sand.
According to some gossip, Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of Donald J. Trump is (was?) planning to build some hotel right on this beach.
I understand that it´s noone´s fault that Albania struggles to have a working disposal system, but the sight was so disturbing that I did not feel like staying a minute more. After all, the beach and the lagoon are supposed to be a protected area and a sanctuary for nature.
Himarë and the Albanian Riviera
Himarë is one of the southernmost towns on the seaside, not far from Ksamil and the Greek island of Corfu.
For visitors coming to Albania, it´s probably one of the must see locations. There is a long and winding road that leads us there from Vlore.
I only realized that we are in the ancient Greek region of Epirus. There is a sizeable Greek community. After all our Airbnb owner was Greek and so were the tags on the highway.
The old Himarë lays on a cliff -partly abandoned- a couple of kilometers from the newly built, seaside Himarë. People come here to visit the nearby beaches and grottos. Some, that can only be reached by boats. Grama Bay, Porto Palermo, Pirates Cave, just to mention a few.
The first day we went to Gjipe Beach. It takes half an hour walk from the parking lot to reach the bay.
It was windy and wavy, swimming wasn´t really an option. After some time enjoying the sun we headed to the Gjipe Canyon. I know, yet another canyon! The small path was leading us along the dried out bank, we hopped from one rock to another until the road disappeared, and rocks the size of trucks closed off our way.
The next day we went to Aquarium Beach, a tiny little bay with just enough place for a towel. We saw some fish while snorkeling in the calm waters, on what felt like the last days of summer.
We got back to home by the time dark clouds gathered and the storm hit.
Tirana- a city of controversies
You don´t know a country until you visit the capital. This is true of any country, however small it should be.
I was truly surprised by how massive the incoming traffic was, and the sheer number of international brands lining up with their businesses along the highway.
The traffic was heavy and chaotic. The flow of traffic is unlike anywhere else in Europe. Okay, maybe Istanbul could compete. You have to be fast and assertive, borderline aggressive to make your way in this concrete jungle.
We were really lucky enough that our host held a spot free next to his shop.
We only had a day to see Tirana. We tasted the local food, tave kosi and fergese for dinner, had a drink at Hemingway Bar and wondered what a night out on a weekend in Tirana could be.
The next day we joined a walking tour. The guide was funny and self-reflective. He painted a very vivid picture of the times during the reign of the dictator Enver Hoxha and the many decades of isolation through the eyes of his grandpa. To this generation the change came too sudden and many of them were left behind. Many of them could only dream of living in Tirana those days, since moving within the country was restricted.
But the young generation of this country sees its future in Europe and are excited about the attention Albania is recently getting.
As the whole Mediterranean struggles to cater to mass tourism, with increasing prices, water shortages, and heat waves, we can only hope that Albania will find a healthy balance between identity and development without overstretching its natural resources.
