If you want an adventure (I ALWAYS DO!) and you want to experience a new country too, I recommend doing a cycle tour, it really is a fun way to experience towns and share the experience with like minded people. These days cycle tours also have electric bikes which you can pay extra and makes life a little bit (a lot) easier!
532KM later!
UNESCO Tour CAU-08
https://www.wetravel.com/trips/unesco-tour-cau-08-cycle-albania-39062228
OVERVIEW & HISTORY
ALBANIA is in Southeast Europe and has an interesting history – its capital is TIRANA, and official language is Albanian & borders Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia & Greece – with coastlines on both the Adriatic & Ionian seas
The population is 2.7m and official currency is the LEK
It was said to have been ruled by many different powers over centuries and became independent in 1912.
It was a communist state under Enver Hoxha and then transitioned to a democracy in 1991
THE ALBANIA FLAG
Red with black double headed eagle and was adopted after 1912 and its independence
Red = bravery / strength, valor and the blood shed in defence of the country
Eagle = Symbolises the sovereign state of Albania
Walking around Tirana, you can see a lot of the hurt and pain that the communist era played in this city, the people are still hurt by this which you can see in their “cold” demeanour, as they were isolated from the rest of the world during this time period and held back the country in many ways, its just becoming touristy now
Albania was named the first atheist country in the world in 1967 – The religion today is mostly islam with Christian minority
The government is a unitary multiparty republic with a president as head of state and prime minister as head of government
Below is a quick overview of the whole trip, the first and last legs back to Tirana were with mini-bus and the rest by bike
As you can see looking at the bottom of this map, we came pretty close to Corfu, we could see it from the bottom of Albania!
TIRANA
Had 2 days in Tirana on my own before joining the group, it was nice to be able to wander the streets on my own and get to know and feel the city
1 thing is that it’s really expensive and majority of people speak English which is great
The more I explore, the more I see unique and funky modern buildings
The largest mosque in the Balkans and opened in Oct 2024
Funding of 30 million euros a substantial portion of which came from the Presidency of Religious Affairs of Turkey, Diyanet, the construction of the mosque they commenced in 2015
Postblloku β Checkpoint, is a memorial to Communist Isolation and commemorates the countryβs political prisoners who suffered under the communist regime
It was created as an artistic installation and co-created by former dissident Fatos Lubonja and artist Ardian Isufi. Lubonja had suffered thirteen years in hard labour and another four in solitary confinement, for being critical of Hoxhaβs regime.
The monument consists of three main elements: one of the small concrete defensive bunkers that litter the country; several concrete supports from the mine at the notorious Spaç labour camp where thousands of political prisoners suffered between 1968 and 1990; and a brightly painted section of the Berlin Wall from Postdamer Platz
Resurrection of Christ Orthodox Cathedral
Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania
Marking the revival of the Albanian Orthodox Church after decades of religious suppression under communist rule
The design of the Resurrection Cathedral seamlessly blends Byzantine architectural elements with modern influences.
The central dome, measuring 32 meters in height, is an homage to traditional Orthodox structures, reminiscent of ancient Byzantine churches
I went wandering around the city and kept exploring on my own because I really did enjoy the buzz and the atmosphere, excited about meeting the group tomorrow and especially Paddy and surprising Graham! LOL he doesn’t know Ill be there, he thinks its only Paddy and him – I met Graham and Paddy on another cycle trip a while back and along with our other close friend, Jodie, we have kept in touch since then and try to meet up when we can as we are all from different countries π – you meet such great like minded people on these type of trips, I really enjoy it
1st Day Tirana (Arrival) 29TH MAY
1st Night: Tirana
The stylish Hotel Sky 2
Tour briefing started at the Sky Hotel at 6pm – we got to meet the tour group and ask any questions that we may have
We have a large group of 20 people – 15 on e-bikes – but who cares! it looked like a really good group of people who wanted to have a good ride and some fun
We started to get to know each other from the dinner and every one was really nice
2nd Day – 30TH MAY
QafΓ« ThanΓ« to Tushemisht (Pogradec) (aprx. 25 mi./40 km)
2nd Night: Pogradec
Morning transfer (distance: 110 km/1.5 – 2 h) to the Albanian- Macedonian border.
We met at reception at 8-8:15 for our bus ride to the first place to ride – 7am rise and its 13 degrees today which is not bad
37km in total ride – easy along the lake on a bike path with beautiful scenery
I slept really well in this hotel, the pillow and bed were comfy
OUR AWESOME AWESOME GUIDE!
We got to finally meet our guide today, JULI… and boy, we were all soooo happy with him! his personality was amazing and he kept up with the whole group and always the last one to get back to bed, he encouraged us to explore and enjoy every day and every location, always had energy and really a lot of fun and an awesome person, he made the whole trip so much more enjoyable!
I ended up surprising Graham this following morning as he arrived late, now that was fun! He wasn’t expecting me and I scared the crap out of him! LOL we were missing Jodie though π¦ (she did try to get into the group last minute but the tour was all booked out)
It was 13 degrees when we woke up so it was a tad cold but it did start to heat up a bit later on
11:50am got to our bikes!
Start cycling along the lake, stopping for lunch at one of the many restaurants at the shore of the lake. After lunch continue through Pogradec to Tushemisht, near the other Albanian-Macedonian border on the south-east corner of the lake. After checking in the hotel we will ride to St. Naum in Macedonia to visit the beautiful Monastery.
ST NAHUM MONASTERY
This beautiful complex is an orthodox monastery and named after a medieval Bulgarian writer and enlightener, Saint Naum who founded it who was known for spreading christianity amongst the Slavic people
I was a little bit naughty here, but I felt it was justified a bit! lol but I tried to walk into the monastery and I got shouted at by a really rude and grumpy man who I didn’t even see tbh sitting behind a glass, I walked over and he said “five” and I gave him 5 leks and he basically threw it back to me and said 5 EUROS… I didn’t have euros on me! I told him that and said plz take the lek and he wouldnt and didn’t let me in, he was pretty rude, I walked off… I was a little annoyed cos id seen other people walk in without paying and he hadn’t seen them… but I was thinking of something… I ended up waiting for him to look the other way, did a sneaky manouver and I walked in behind some other tourists… THERE! I didn’t want to miss this just cos I didn’t have the right currency, and plus… he was mean lol
Location of the Monastery on Lake Ohrid and bordering Albania – easy bored crossing
The main Church of the Holy Arch Angels – It’s said to be built in the 10th c. in Byzantine architecture
The inside was beautiful and the frescos were painted so beautifully! I really enjoyed exploring this church and glad I snuck in – these frescos are from 17th, 18th century and 19th
The candles were all set up at the front to make prayers
Some areas of the church reminded me of fairytales I used to read, how the old churches would have looked in a children story book, I loved it! Books stacked up high and paintings of knights on the walls
St Naum is buried inside the monastery – myths and legends say that you can bring your ear to the stone coffin and hear his heartbeat, even to today (but the real truth would be more likely the water from the Lake crushing against the rock formation down below)
WELCOME TO MACEDONIA!!
Met some pretty kool Kats who could really ride! We all had a hell of a lot of laughs together along the way
side note: I really like the people in this group! A lot of Canadians (awesome and funny!) a few Americans and a lovely German, a hilarious and unique brit, some really adventurous people who had come from other active trips and who were of a ripe age! There were a lot of people who motivated me and I heard some awesome stories! I even got to learn a bit more Italian with Joe who would teach me as we rode! π everyone was lovely and we all got along really well, for a big group, thats not easy to have such a connection, we still keep in touch every now and again
Ok, now back to the adventure…
Because we were cycling, everyone was super hungry every day and always looking forward to the meal…. we had lunch at our hotel at 2pm – im telling you, Albania never let us down! All meals were fantastic and Juli made sure everyone was well fed and content
We had lunch at the Hotel Millennium where we were going to stay for the night, dropped our bags off
Tried my first Albanian beer and I really enjoyed it!
We were the only guests in the hotel here and it was nice and quiet and we had comfy rooms
The Hotel Millenium is perfectly situated at lake Ohrid and therefore a highlight, It is one of the very best hotels in this area!
We had the whole hotel to ourselves – the main hotel and where the restaurant is, is the one in front of the lake
Had a “big” night tonight at dinner, had 3 red wines!!
3rd Day Tushemisht (Pogradec) to Korçë (aprx. 32 mi/52 km)
3rd Night: Korçë – 31st MAY
Woke up 7am and headed down to breakfast 7:30am – had a few glasses of wine the night before with a few others! Had a good chat and laugh
We were on the bikes by 8:45am – Getting used to my bike… great quality bikes and easy to ride
Farmers would be walking their sheep from one green pasture to another and we would constantly see scenes like this and I LOVED IT!
We had a lunch stop at Taverna Shaholli
Every single person LOVED the food here! Yummy, fresh and very very tasty… we all left feeling very satisfied!
We then road on to Korce directly to our hotel
A climb out from the lake into another high plateau bounded by mountains. Continue following the gorge for a while until the hills open up leading into a vast plain, a patchwork of individual farms and colours. An early arrival in Korçë allows you to go for a cultural tour around the city known as the Paris of Albania.
Located in the centre of Korçë, the Hotel Bocca has 20 comfortably equipped rooms – it was basic and with no views from the windows, but it had everything that we needed
HOTEL BOCCA INFO
HOTEL BOCCA via BOOKING.COM -> https://booking.tpm.lv/U2K9SFTa
HOTEL BOCCA – Google Maps -> https://maps.app.goo.gl/4CPGrtYfMrmdYWARA
Showered and relaxed and went down to meet the group, we then had an awesome and fun walking tour around this town
Juli showed us some tourist attractions and we ended up having a pretty big night as we had dinner and some of us went out afterwards and listen to a few bands playing around the area
THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST CATHEDRAL – built in what they call Byzantine revival style architecture, it sits in the centre of Korce in regal confidence
It is the largest Orthodox Church in Albania and dates back to 1995
Inside is so unique and beautifully colourful!
The vibrate colours with splashes of shiny gold and intricate icons decorated around the interior
The Cathedral symbolises the return of religious practices in a country where faith was prohibited from 1967-1991
Walking around Korce, there is a mix of old and new buildings which seem to work together well
Some interesting simplistic buildings with pastel colours and relaxed hues
Splashes of bright colours in the streets
This area has some multi ethnic history which you can see from the different style of buildings – there were turks and greeks Aromanians Macedonians and Romans – Venetians and the French also made their marks on the Old Bazaar area
THE OLD BAZAAR OF KORCE
Old ottoman and Roman architecture which were used as shops and guesthouses – said to be mostly rebuilt in 1879 after a fire hit the area
It was said there were over 1000 stores and taverns during its heyday at the end of 19th c. now there are a handful of stores in comparison but its the liveliest part of the city and most touristy
We tried the really strong Raki at one of the shops in the bazaar area – there were so many different flavours to try! I don’t know which was my favourite, obviously cherry and caramel was nice too
We all decided we wanted to try beer so Juli took us to a beer garden called Shtepia e Barres and we had some local beer under the sun in the garden, was a great experience
DINNER – Our dinner was at a really traditional and cute pub like restaurant and we took over the whole room being such a big group!
The food was really good (yet again!) and we had some really awesome local wine as well which was divine and went so well with the lovely food! – being vegan, I had absolutely no issues having an awesome meal
After getting nice and full and singing along to the local band that played for us, a few of us took off for another walk around the town to see what else was going on
We later went out to a funky underground bar where Juli knew the singer
We had a few shots and some wine and had some fun dancing and enjoyed the band and the funky music!
After we built up a sweat dancing, we went walking around the old town area and there was an outdoor concert and we spent some time there enjoying the music
Slept at around 23:30 which wasn’t too bad, all washed and ready and packed for the next days adventure – we had quite a few laughs today so we fell asleep laughing and retelling some of the stories from the night!
4th Day Korçë to Sotire (aprx. 45 mi/72 km)
4th Night : GΓ«rmenj – 1st June
Bob would send us all a daily update of the weather, direction of the wind etc and elevation, it was quite a useful tad of information!
We start cycling leaving behind the agricultural plateau of Korçë climbing steadily into the border mountains through a landscape of barren rock interspersed with wild flowers. Numerous cols and valleys lie ahead, climbing into the heart of the Gramoz Mountains and over the Barmash Pass (1,159m) to Sotire lying in its own tranquil valley.
The group waiting for each other, we tend to ride at different speeds but at a spot along the way everyone waited for each other, had a chat and then carried on
SHEEP!! We were stopped for a while by all these cute sheep! there were so many that we had to wait for them all to slowly wander by – they were nice to watch though! love the tinkle of the bells around their necks
This is a village in the former municipality of Potom in Berat County
LOOK MA!! NO HANDS!!! He got told off a few times LOL but glad he trusts himself enough to ride how the F he wants π
We stayed in a Guesthouse Farm Sotira β Germenj National Park and loved it!
The lovely cabins we stayed in for the night – it was awesome staying on a working farm out in the wild surrounding by animal noises and beautiful nature and mountains
This farm was a working fish farm and for those who eat meat, this was a nice place to try their farm grown fish which they fished out right in front of us and cooked
Beautiful cattle came to greet us upon our arrival
The animals were so friendly and weren’t scared of us sharing the same land
There are small two-bedroom cabins, on a working farm raising their own vegetables and produce and (apparently) animals that are slaughtered for meat, and they have a trout farm
This area is well known for its crystal clear waters and nature
At night, a few of us sat around the fire and had a few beers and chatted, it was a cold night so the fire was perfect way to meditate and relax
A great night sleep in the comfortable warm cabin
5th Day Sotire to Benje (PΓ«rmet) (aprx. 32.5 mi/60 km)
5th Night : PΓ«rmet – 2ND JUNE
A climb out from Sotire to a high grassy plateau surrounded by soaring peaks before reaching the source of the River Vjosa and descending through its spectacular gorge to Leskovik. Descending to Γarshove and then following the corniche route high above the river to Benje situated on a bluff above the river.
PΓ«rmet is a town and municipality in GjirokastΓ«r County
Woke up at 7:30am to get the day started with some breakfast at the farm restaurant and left at 9am
GREECE / ALBANIA BORDER – a few of us did a detour and grabbed some stamps in our passport, the passport people were lovely! The rest cycled on an waited at a rest stop
We crossed the border and felt so weird having to park our bikes, get off, find our passports and walk up to the border to get the stamp
There really wasn’t much on this side, we rode for a while and it was just quiet highway with no cars driving either way
Our lunch was really nice! We stopped at a home where they had set up a table and chairs outside on their balcony
They had veggies and flowers growing everywhere, it was a relaxing break and lovely to sit and enjoy the tranquil surroundings
WHITE WATER RAFTING
Vjosa Rafting – https://maps.app.goo.gl/k2sg7Y6q4vNtwUd16
After lunch and checking in the guesthouse we went white water rafting! most of the group chose this option and it really was so much fun!
A few of us even jumped in (led by the brave Dave!) and floated down in the ice cold water and then hauled back into the boat (not in a very dignified manner that is! ass in air LOL)
We ended up back at our Guesthouse and showered relaxed and had an awesome dinner on the deck
We had our dinner with drinks and hung out on the balcony for a while chatting and laughing away until around 11:30pm – what a fantastic day today was!
The bed and pillow here were soooo hard so I had a bit of as restless sleep – I don’t know why people like rocks as pillows?
6th Day Benje to GjirokastΡr (aprx. 44 mi/70 km)
6th Night: GjirokastΡr
Continue along the valley towards Kelcyra the distant sharkβs tooth peaks, which guards a further gorge. Ride between them to the confluence of the Drinos river following yet another gorge. This opens out into a wide plain with the town of GjirokastΡr (city of 1,000 steps) high above on your right side.
I had an AWFUL sleep the night before with a cement pillow… (who invents and brings to life these awful inventions! ugh) I transitioned to my fleece jacket at some stage of the night but that still wasnt comfortable – oh well… Im not working so no complaints as Im loving this life of travel!
A BEAUTIFUL 18 degree day with blue skies and sun – yes!
We noticed there were more cars on the highways and were taking over quickly and close by to us as we rode
The temperature is always 13 degrees even in the hottest months!
Just check out this building built on the edge (literally!)
Bar Restorant Rushiti – We came upon a rather strange looking building which ended up being a restaurant, I had to stop and take a look at it closely!
LUNCH STOP
We stopped at a rather busy area with a few bars restaurants and shops
People everywhere, animals everywhere, food everywhere! busy busy exciting place!
We then jumped onto a bus and drove the rest of the way to Gjirokastra
GJIROKASTRA
WOW!! what a place! what a town! what a castle! LOVED it here – I wish we stayed longer, it just wasnt enough time to enjoy this gem
The modern city comprises of the old town, the fortress, there is an ottoman district that sits on the ridges leading away from the fortress and then there is also the new town on the valley floor, it really is a gorgeous town!
located in the center of GjirokastΡr right below the fortress and connects the modern to the old part of town – built under communist rule in 1960s its known for its cuisine and staff
THE FORTRESS
The fortress has always had a primary military function
It sits in authority on its mount over looking the area in a domineering manner, its beautiful to look at, elegant and regal… can you tell I like castles?? LOL
There were houses within the walls but these were for the garrison and important political leaders
In the 1930s the castle was converted into a prison for those people acting in resistance to the ruling party
There isn’t much evidence for this though other than a 13th c part of a ruin which was found on the site
The artillery gallery houses objects from WWII that were either abandoned or captured from Italian or Germans
the arches lead to the outside area and as we walked through these huge halls, we felt tiny and insignificant! Curious doorways and dark halls connect into each other and it was such a fun building to explore and get to know
There are Cold War Tunnels and bunkers underneath the castle that were built during communist times, the ticket is seperate from the castle entrance fee, if you have time, go!
SKENDULI HOUSE
We had a tour around the town and headed to this really interesting and unique house in the old quarter
Skenduli house was built in 1823 and is an awesome example of a really well preserved fortified Ottoman era house of a wealthy family of the times
We were guided around by one of the descendants of the family
It has 12 rooms, 64 windows, 9 fireplaces and 4 Turkish baths!!
We had a fun night and I really did love this town, I wish I could have stayed longer as there was so much more I wanted to see…. maybe another time!?
Ended up sleeping around 11pm so wasnt too bad – it was a very comfortable sleep in the hotel!
7th Day GjirokastΡr to SarandΡ (via Butrint) (aprx. 44 mi/70 km)
7th Night: SarandΡ (surroundings) – Villa Nertili – 5th June
After a fast 16 mi. (25 km) morning transfer we will start riding toward SarandΡ, which lies along the Ionian coast, sandwiched between the high mountains and the sea and close to the ancient remains of Butrint. As an UNESCO World Heritage Site, Butrint is one of the countyβs most important archaeological sites, tracing its origins back to the Greeks and the Romans.
It was 19 degrees today, what a beauty!
We woke up at 7am and had breakfast at 7:30 and got ready to leave at 8:25am
We caught a bus to a deserted petrol station to start our ride from there, the bus was full so some of us jumped into the car with Yuli driving, that was a fun trip!
We all noticed it being much busier than the previous days (touristy area) but it was still nice
One of the best parts of today was smelling the Jasmine flowers on the descent down the mountain!
We all jumped onto a Ferry boat at the crossing over to the island
Lunch stop was right at Buntrint on the island next to the ruins
Lunch was nice and simple with preselected choice – I grabbed the vegetarian pasta which was lovely!
BUNTRINT / Buthrotum
There were only a few of us who wanted to explore the UNESCO site
OPEN April to October 9am-5:30pm
We paid 1500lek and had a tour guide show us around – there was a lot to see!
Ancient port city discovered in 1928-39 and said to date back to 8th c. With splashes of Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman cultures
It was said that this city was one of the most beautiful in the Roman Empire and used as a hospice for the veterans of Roman wars
They told us that there was an earthquake that destroyed most of the buildings in 3AD
The round structure of the baptistery, measuring 14.5 meters in diameter, was built within a large rectangular space that was either part of a Roman bathhouse or household bathing complex. Archeologists have identified a small room to the northeast of the baptistery as a caldarium, or hot-room, of a Roman hypocaust heating system. The prior existence of this system may explain the choice to build a baptistery there.
The most amazing part of the Butrint baptistery is its mosaic pavement! Most likely created by mosaicists from Nicopolis, the mosaic floor is considered the most complex of any late antique baptismal structure still existing in the Mediterranean today.
A pic I found from the net, the amazing mosaics on the floor are covered with sand / gravel to protect it
It consists of 7 circling bands turning around the central font, the mosaic features iconography relating both to Christianity and to the aristocratic life of the people who lived there
This was one of the better preserved ruin and I loved walking through the arches and around the inside of the ruins
it is a late antique structure known for its well-preserved mosaic pavement
There are mosaics inside which are worth looking at
The Venetian Castle and museum and said to have been purchased by the Republic of Venice in 1387 to help control sea-based trading along the Adriatic coast
Main port at the ruins in front of it with intricately placed stones stacked and packed on top of each other with no cement – it’s incredible! like what the Inca people have done in South America
This is one of the gates into the city wall and the Lions Gate is probably the main one as it is heavily fortified
The wall is made and added to in different eras which give it its appeal
Got to Saranda around 5pm and had dinner at 7:15pm and it was such a nice town
After Butrint we headed to our hotel and downtime to rest and relax
We had free time and I walked to the castle and synagogue ruins and the town
Very tourist with a lot of tourist shops and you can see this is a fun summer seaside town for Albanians and tourists alike to visit
It is an archaeological site excavated in 1984 featuring the remains of a 4th c Christian basilica that was later converted into a 5th-6th century synagogue and eventually re-converted into a church
They say that the Basilica is an early Christian one in 5/6th c. and sits in the centre of the castle complex – the floor is made from mosaics
The Synagogue – there was a Jewish community here in the 5th c. – there is a 7 stick candlestick (menorah) mosaic on the floor
Villa Nertili (Ksamil), which is with a private beach in front of the Hotel, is about 400m away from the Saranda Main Promenade
The food was nice, not as nice as some other stops we have been to but it was decent – and the view made up for it!
Slept at midnight so it was a late one but the place was so nice and didnt want to sleep!
Really enjoyed Sarande and the Adventures of today
8th Day SarandΡ to HimarΡ (aprx. 32 mi/51 km)
8th Night: HimarΡ 1060m elevation – Rondo’s Hotel – 6th June
A roller coaster of a ride, leaving as the mist is burnt off by the sun, climbing steeply out of SarandΡ to a rocky plateau. Then itβs over cols into bays and around headlands, always with the stunning mountain scenery to the right and sea to the left before descending to the long beach and the bay of HimarΓ«.
Today’s scenery was really nice as well! I don’t know which day is better lol
We passed by small hamlets and mountainsides
Porto Palermo Castle is triangular shaped and was built by Ali Pasha of Tepelena in the early 19th c – it used to be used as a prison and shelter for military units during and after WWII – its 300lek to take a look inside
Porto Palermo has a beautiful beach as well, if only we weren’t in such a rush, I wanted to explore the castle
We got to Himare around 3pm and checked into our hotel and relaxed a bit – Hotel Ronda owned by an angry german who Didnt seem to like any of us!
Himare is an ancient coastal town and its known for its castle that were built by Chaonians in 4th c. BC
Went for a walk around town and bumped into Graham and Davo having a beer and joined them – it was a lovely sunny day and a cold beer went down so well!
It was a really nice day today riding through some really beautiful scenery and enjoying the town of Himare
9th Day HimarΡ to VlorΡ (aprx. 41 mi/65 km) – last day
9th Night: VlorΓ« – 6 June
Todayβs route is as challenging as it is spectacular. Cycling up to the Llogara pass 1,000 m above the blue water of the Ionian Sea and its National Park, home to black pine, Eurasian otter and golden eagles. The park is a scenic expanse of protected woodland that encompasses the forests on the northern side of the Llogara Pass. After lunch we cycle downhill all the way to VlorΡ.
Today was a MASSIVE incline up a windy mountain… its the hardest day – 1025m incline today!
Elevation gain of 1500m because we went up and down quite a bit and then at the end went up to get to 1025m
Those who were on normal push bikes did SO well going up this road, they really did a great job! Davo is really fit, he seemed to do it quite easily! M did amazing as well! Shes a machine
A few of us accidentally peddled straight towards the new tunnel that was built recently as we didnt see the group turn, a police car was there and made us turn around and we had to go back and find the rest of the group! – dur!
We had lunch at around 1:30pm at a restaurant at lower elevation it was a nice restaurant with good food / the down hill ride today to the restaurant was the best!
10th Day Departure (transfer time aprx. 2,5 hrs)
LAST DAY – TRANSFER TO AIRPORT
The morning transfer from VlorΡ to Tirana Int Airport leaves between 8 – 9 am.
They had a lot of sweet cakes and pastries which were really nice
The mood was a little low as we all knew it was the last day and were a but unhappy – we lay around the pool a bit and chatted
A collective transfer took us from the hotel to the airport Tirana (TIA) – we left at 11am on the mini bus – it was hard saying bye to Paddy and Graham as they were staying for a few extra days and I chose not to
Transfer takes approximately 2.5hours and suggested to get a flight after 1pm, so I booked my return flight at night around 7pm
The Wandering Passport 
Fantastic photos and descriptions Jazz. Sounds like it was a great trip and a lovely reunion for you. Really enjoyed reading it.
Cheers
Sherran
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Aww how cool! Thanks for reading and for your comment π€ Glad you enjoyed it! Was a long post lol but we did soooo much – hope youre well! X
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