Entry #3: Albania: June 13 - 19, 2023

Hello from Albania! 

We have spent a full week in "beach mode", travelling through the Albanian Riviera.  

Having been lucky enough to visit some world famous coastlines, believe me when I say that Albania’s beaches are just as epic as the aquamarine paradise of the Caribbean or the breathtaking jungle lined sands of South East Asia.  It has been incredible - and genuinely surprising - to discover these top notch seaside spots.

Each of the little towns along the Rivera has a different vibe.  We made our home in the walkable town of Ksamil, which had a collection of protected bays, all outfitted with funky waterfront bars, providing rows and rows of lounge chairs and umbrellas, along with countless restaurants and cafes, and many other families.  

Close enough to Greece that we can see the island of Corfu across the blue, and a stone’s throw from Italy meant that the restaurants in Ksamil offered the best of both cuisines.  It’s probably not advisable to live on gyros as much as we did, but these edible bundles of deliciousness are a daily indulgence, along with a side of yummy Greek salad.  

We also made sure to sample the extremely fresh seafood.  

However, if Jamie and Jessie were the food critics in town, their vote would go to the delicious sweet and savoury crepes at the Good Vibes Only restaurant.  

No matter where we went for a meal it was our habit to play cards while we waited for the food.  It would often come down to extremely passionate, strategic, and hilarious rounds of.. Old Maid.  This exceptionally simple game would keep us giggling for days on end.  What can I say… some families stare thoughtfully at chessboards.  The Zwaigens are tickled by who has the best poker face while hiding the Old Maid.  

We splashed and swam, and explored the various establishments all ramping up for the busy season, where mobs of tourists would descend on these thin crescents of sand, booze it up, dance to beats being blasted along the coast, and soak up the rays during summer holidays.  We are so happy to beat the rush and be here before the busiest time of the summer.  

The kids could only handle the heat for so long before being zombified. 

We ended up finding a bunch of different ways to play in the water.  In order to get to more distant islands, we got ourselves a suped-up pedal boat and zig-zagged over to get a closer look at the big rocks poking out of the sea.

The gold medal winner for fun in Lee’s amazing research of the area was an inflatable water park.  We drove to the urban seaside town of Sarandë and had a workout on this floating obstacle course. 

In typical fashion, Jamie was the first to conquer the various challenges with his Aquaman/American Ninja Warrior alter-ego self. Jessie, who started in a lifejacket, quickly evolved to being fearless as she would race to the summit of the plastic peak, only to woosh down the slide into the sea.

Taking a field trip from our beach life, we travelled inland to a well-known natural phenomenon called the Blue Eye.  This optical illusion is the result of an underground spring gurgling up into a river and creating a deep blue pool within the perfectly transparent water of a river in a valley of tightly formed mountains.  

It was a short hike to reach the famous point in the river, but it made for a particularly picturesque scene.  The Blue Eye is easy to spot from above and is surrounded by a landscape with surreal beauty.  The multicoloured vegetation along the riverbed is perfectly visible through the ripples of the purest water imaginable.  It was insanely beautiful!  We’re talking a Bob Ross painting slightly submerged in a watery glaze.  

 

Despite being mezmerized by the sight, Jamie and Lee were keen to take a polar plunge into the freezing cold water.  They both dove into the centre of the eye and avoided hypothermia as they quickly swam to shore.  It boggles my mind how they did it.  Just going ankle-deep for about 20 seconds felt like my legs were burning in pain.  The boys were quite refreshed and proud of their exhilarating swim.

  

We took the scenic route back and hiked in the forest for about an hour, only to be rewarded with a pastoral scene of a herd of goats to meet us at the finish line.

The final place in our tour of beach hopping was the relaxed town of Hamarë.  Here, the long stretches of beach were flanked by tall cliffs, and waves that crash into the bleached rocks along the shore.  It’s a pretty spectacular backdrop around sunset.  

After learning about the over 170,000 bunkers that are tucked away in subtle hiding spots all around Albania, it has been interesting to come across many of these cement domes in the most beautiful places.  It seems like the plan for surviving an atomic bomb included a pretty sweet view of the sea.  The contrast between these eerie corpses of Communist construction and the stunning natural beauty is truly fascinating.  

Just past Hamarë is a beach that you have to hustle for in order to enjoy.  The Gjipe Beach is at the foot of a deep canyon cleaving its way through the mountains and cracks open to reveal a slice of Bohemia.  Oozing with classic hippie vibes, this beach is the reward for a 20-minute hike that gets you sweating before you can jump into the refreshing turquoise waves.  

This showstopper of a beach was extra fun with the caves and coves that you can swim to, after floating out in the crystal clear water. It was worth overheating in our effort to climb back to up to car.

Spending a week on the beach is like taking a vacation from our vacation.  It is the ultimate escape.  And somehow, finding ourselves enjoying the sun, sea, sand, cuisine, weather, and kind-hearted people - enjoying all of that in Albania made this part of our trip so wonderfully surprising and especially memorable.

There is so much to appreciate about beaching, but as always, it all comes down to the cheesy, Robert Munch-esque, sentimental quality of having this time together as a family.  Of course, we still have our moments, but for the most part, the past 3 weeks have made for space for extra cuddles, sharing joy, and cracking up.  

Now it’s time to pack up the swimsuits and add some layers.  Onwards and upwards.  Literally.  We’re heading for the mountains and we can’t wait for what we anticipate is the highlight of travel in Albania.  We’ll report back soon after we spend some time in the north.