Road to the Sun (don't look down)...A road biker' s delight, Bus travel...how fast can we go?? Berat....Castles, churches and Mosques, Rafting the Osumi River..Albanian style...and, sometimes you just have to go backwards to go forwards in Albania!

Dhermi to Berat......

We left the quiet beaches at Dhermi and headed for the inland city of Berat.  Rather than walk the 1.5 km uphill road back to the highway and bus stop, we paid a fellow at a beach kiosk to drive us. Much better than walking in 30 C plus high humidity. Well worth the $5!!

We flagged down the first bus heading north and up and over the mountains that hugged this coastal stretch. The ascent to the rugged summit took only 30 minutes to climb 1100 metres, numerous switchbacks, hairpin turns and views that beat anything we've seen or driven on yet. Simply stunning, such that only pictures can tell the true story.  The zigzag lines are the roads we traveled on!

Can you spot the bus on the top road? That's where we headed.

And stunning vistas.

So high up!

This Albanian road to the sun would meet any road biker's serious pain threshold. Finally, at the summit and down the other side with only a 10% grade, into pine scented forest and eventually back to sea level at Vlore.

The bus we traveled in.

If you are a road biker in serious need of a challenge, then the stretch of road between Dhermi and Vlore, as well as, Sarande to Dhermi, would more than foot the bill. Cheaper than Italy, with quieter roads (esp in the spring), fantastic scenery, small, clean mountain villages and decently paved highways, would make it a bike trip to remember!

 In Vlore we changed buses and headed to Berat, a UNESCO designated town. Ended up on our final bus with Formula One wanna be driver...cruising along at nearly 130 kms through village/town roads, avoiding potholes, oncoming traffic and work vehicles, we achieved warp speed with very little problem.

As has been the case, we arrived safe n sound to the wonderfully, ornate and well-kept historic town of Berat.  This town began in the 13th Century built beneath the castle walls. It has gone through some changes with the varying rulers and one serious earthquake, but for the most part, it remains as it was in its early years.

We thoroughly enjoyed wandering the many intricate pathways meandering through the Muslim and Orthodox sections of town. Have a look at some of these sights:

The old town of Berat has numerous rooms to rent in quiet, shade-covered homes. Just need to wander the many passageways. Plus, there is a great hostel, The Berat Backpackers is a unique place high on the hill facing the Castle.

We headed out for some river rafting fun on the Osumi River and the towering, narrower canyon walls that line the river we paddled. The highest cliffs are said to be 150 meters with vines hanging precariously over our heads waiting to be swung on... We passed 3 waterfalls that cascaded down into the canyon from great heights, one of which we stopped at to take photos.  It was quite magical!

So, our rafr trip cost $50 euros/person...we were told to meet at 10am and then head out for the 60-90 minute drive to where we were to put in for the 3 hour adventure. Back in town around 5pm.

Well, most of you know how this story really went (sideways, fast).....this is Albania...of course, things don't go like clockwork.

10am pick up, short drive and wait 90 minutes until rest of group arrives. Drive 2.5 hrs over narrow winding roads, ride the river... get off around 5pm, stop for beers and back in Berat around 7:30pm.

Aside from the haywire time schedule, it was a fantastic day. Our van ride out to the river included an Irish couple (retired), 2 Albanian women, an Iraqi doctor practicing in Sweden. By the time, we arrived at the river, we had really bonded...lots of laughs, discussions about Albania.....we decided we'd stay together as a unit for the trip down river.

Can't tell you how much fun our group had paddling together that day. Our raft guide, also happened to be the head of the rafting company.

We felt safe, and with the Albanian women translating our guide's commands/directions into English all made for a very fun Albanian wilderness adventure!

We moved on from Berat, but not before, we received a gift (Berat red wine) from the hotel we called home for 4 nights, along with a ride to the bus station by one of the hotel staff! Nice surprise.

Bus ride north to the beach town of Shengjin via Tirana proved uneventful, apart from getting into the wrong van that took us 30 minutes back on the road we just traveled on...(Hmm! Looks like we are back in Kansas!) ...anyway, after 2 hours of getting back on track...we headed north and arrived in Shengjin, just south of Shkoder ( near Montenegro)!

Visited the old castle in Lezhe perched high on its hilltop. A 2 km trek on groomed cobblestone streets.

The 'eyes' of the ancient mosque watch over the ghosts of the past and the whispers in the wind.... 

But, as we listen/watch a fabulous beach storm hit Shengjin......

It looks like it is time to head north for our last few days in Albania......

Albania....the Long Way Round, the road to Ruins, Bunker Men, Submarine Hideouts and Empty Beaches....and a Richard Branson sighting in Albania! Haha!

Kakavije, Sarande, Ksamil, Dhermi...

We arrived in Albania after the long way round, rather than staying another night on Corfu.

Corfu ferry was like our BC ferries with indoor and outdoor seating, cafeteria, lounges, TV's and children's play area.

After hopping a 2 hr ferry ride to the mainland, in gorgeous weather, we found a 1 hr bus ride north to the Albanian frontier. At the border crossing, Kakavije, we followed the rest of the bus passengers as they walked the 500 metres up a steep hill from Greece to Albania. Then, we hopped on another 1 hr bus to Sarande. No hassles crossing, no visas, no fees/bribes/payments, no surly guards/military. And, spectacular  scenery en route!!

Finally in Sarande, we bartered with a taxi to get us to the beach town of Ksamil. Turns out our Albanian taxi driver was a gift. Helped us buy some food, showed us a few hotels and bargained a better deal with the one we wanted in Ksamil - the Hotel Castle.

That was indeed ......a long way around kind of day.... after leaving Kassiopi, Corfu about noon we stepped into our Albanian room at about 7 pm.  Not bad, considering, Corfu and Albania are only about 3 kms apart at this point. Might have been easier to swim?

Hotel Castle is run by a fantastic Albanian family. Quite new, high end finishes, great sunset/beach views and meals if you wish...all for 25 euros/night. Family gave us our first Albanian language lesson. We tried, they laughed!

 Beach across the street from our hotel. The start of the Albanian Riveria heading north. And, the beginning of a string of stunning, empty beaches.

View of the bay from our hotel.  We had quite a storm that night.

After only 3 full days here, we are finding it quite difficult to learn some basic Albanian as most words seem to be very long and difficult to pronounce.  Have a look:

Hello - pershendetje           Goodbye - mirupafshim

Thank you - faleminderit.    Please - yu lutem

Yes - po.    No - Jo.     water - uje.       bill - vaturem

We get by....we use a little cheat sheet that we carry around and pull out as needed. Ha. We must be teachers!

Everywhere we go people are friendly and curious as to where we are from. We wave, they wave. We say hello, they reply back. Young, old Albanians are helpful when approached. Some have English, some not so much.

This part of Albania has great rolling hills, high, craggy mountains and clear waters with fine, sandy beaches. 

Albania uses the Lek currency.. $1.00 Can = $100 Albanian Lek. Bottle of beer = 100 - 200 Lek, Greek salad 300 Lek and 400 ml wine about 400 Lek. Prices are half what Corfu was, and cheaper than Mexico. 

There are nearly a million of these concrete mushroom shaped structures scattered throughout Albania. We discovered these as we climbing the hills above Ksamil.  What a view!

Leftovers from the Communist regime of the brutal dictator, Hoxha that strangled the country, these round domes have room for 4 and occupy about 24 per sq km throughout the country. 

They were built for an invasion that would never happen. In 1997, the communist regime fell, in part to a pyramid money scheme. No money left, no government to run things, just chaos. In 1997, only 18 years ago.

Since then, things are changing.. .construction everywhere, new roads, Mercedes cars everywhere....seems they have a lot of them.

Albania, has had a rough history, no doubt. The landscape, in parts is as tough and hard as parts of the moon must be. 

However, what we have seen in our brief first few days blows away the myth that Greece and Croatia hold all the scenery cards. The country has staggering beauty, high craggy mountains, villages clinging to steep inclines, views that take your breath away and cities, every bit as modern as in other parts of Europe. 

We spent a day walking around the ruined fortress city of Butrint, located a short distance south of Ksamil. 

Interesting structures, fortifications and a myriad of civilizations, rulers and conquerors are spread over its strategic history at this important juncture in the Ionian Sea. 

Seems several British tourists on tour claimed to run across Richard Branson sightseeing amongst the ruins.

Leaving the beach town of Ksamil, we bussed north to the town of Dhermi.

 The bus trip took us through jaw dropping mountain passes, along narrow cliff-side mountain roads and through precarious placed villages.

And out of the blue, we came around a corner and down in the bay was an old submarine base - leftover from the Soviet days when they were on the prowl along these waters!

 The views and roads rivalled anything one sees in the more popular tourist destinations like Italy and Croatia.

 Our trip from Sarande to Dhermi took over 2 hrs, with much of it on roads and switchbacks that would rival our Saddle Lake corners (for folks back home) and scenery every bit as spectacular as the Cascades or Rockies. 

Now, we are back on the Ionian Sea in the little beach town of Dhermi on the completely empty, quiet Ionian beaches on this part of the Albanian Riveria. Devoid of tourists, noise or hustle, we soak up the warm rays and glide through crystal clear waters. 

Dhermi is set at the base of towering mountains with Banff-like views. 

It is a slightly disorganized beach town, a long 2 km walk down from the highway above.  The sandy beach road fronts ramshackle buildings and structures. 

Reminds one of the Baja/Mexican beach towns that haven't been taken over by brand name resorts. 

Dogs bark, local kids throw rocks at the dogs and at each other. 

Construction is going on around us in fits and starts...getting ready for the tourist invasion starting later in June. 

 It is time to move on for us... heading north and inland to Berat.

Some random shots...

Mirupafshim- Goodbye!