Entry #4: Albania: June 20 -25 , 2023

Goodbye to Albania!

So, Albania delivers! 

Big time!  

We are so in love with this beautiful place.  It is equal parts cosmopolitan and rustic; lively cultural centres and rugged wide-open spaces. But mostly, it’s a place of warm hospitality and endless gestures of kindness.  

The conclusion of our time in Albania was going to be an unforgettable adventure, doing a big trek in the mountains.  It was asking a lot of the kids, so with that in mind we carved out a bit of time for some good old-fashioned bribery.  Back in the capital of Tirana, Jamie and Jessie were treated to serious kid-friendly fun.  

There was another round at the trampoline park.

There was an evening at the fantastic Grand Park; Tirana’s version of Central Park.

And the icing on the cake was a day at the Equos Water Park!

After the kids had been fully spoiled, it was time to cash in on our investment and ask them to return the

favour. We headed for a town called Shkodër, which would be the jumping-off point for our trek.  Little did we know that our wonderful guesthouse would have the best surprise!  Baby turtles!  

Jamie and Jessie were beside themselves when they realized the large garden was filled with baby turtles on the loose.  They couldn’t have been happier to tiptoe through the grass in search of the tiny armoured creatures.

The next morning our journey started at 6 am.  It was 7 hours of transportation that went from a car to a van, to a boat, to another van. It was an exhausting day.

However, each ride gave us a chance to appreciate the diversity of stunning landscapes.  

Heart-pounding swerves along narrow mountain roads were paired with sweeping views of the rugged peaks.

The 3 hours of sailing along Lake Koman took us through a narrow waterway that felt like a Norwegian fjord.

After a long day on the move, we arrived at our new home in the sparsely populated village of Valbona.  Welcome to the heart of the Accursed Mountain Range.  Its intimidating name seemed to be all bark and no bite.  These snowcapped stunners were an inspiring sight.  It felt invigorating to be in the basin of these immense mountains, with crisp air, wild strawberries, and the splatter of rainbow-coloured wildflowers spread out around us.  

Waking up at 5:30 am we were pumped to set out on the trek that would take us up and over the Valbona Pass, and descend on the other side, leading us to the small village of Theth. 

Jamie and Jessie were sincerely thrilled to be the early birds on the trail.  They were in the lead as they clambered effortlessly up the path.  In order to reach the pass we would be climbing 1km in altitude.

We would stop to catch our breaths and soak up the insane beauty of our surroundings.

We went from forest to sloping fields until, after about 2.5 hours, we were gazing up at the rock face that would lead us to the pass.  (Try to find Jamie in the picture below.)

Then, suddenly, menacing grey clouds started moving in over the mountains.  Uh oh.  This was our worst-case scenario.  We decided to try and outrun the weather.

We were booting it up the rocky trail, which was getting dangerously steeper, narrower, and more gravely with every step.  Meanwhile, those dark, grumbly clouds had eclipsed the sun,  summoned the wind, and felt like a nefarious presence closing in on us.  

And then, right when we were at the top of this 2km high peak, past the treeline, exposed on the bare rock face, that’s when the sky tore open and drizzle turned into cold spikes of rain and hail.  

Together with a pair of girls who were sticking with us in the stormy weather, we used ponchos and umbrellas to make a human fort and shield our group against the angry elements.  Jessie was scared and in tears, but in the midst of the blustery storm, the universe gave us something to smile about.  A stray dog that happened to be strolling around the mountain was also spooked by the thunder.  The pup found our little fort on the side of the cliff and proceeded to squeeze right into the middle, settling himself on Jamie’s lap!  It was just the cuteness we needed.

About 20 minutes later the skies had cleared and we got back to hustling up to the pass.  Being so high up we were skimming past pockets of snow as we inched along the steepest part of the hike.

Finally, we had conquered the Valbona Pass and the view - hazy and cloudy as it was - was something to celebrate!  In moments like these, you can’t help the Leo DiCaprio voice in your head that screams, “I’m the king of the world!”  We truly felt triumphant, as though we had faced off against the storm and the mountain and had won the fight.

Sunshine and blue skies lit our path for the rest of the way.  We savoured the good weather and felt grateful for the relief of going downhill.  

By the time we reached the village in the valley, we had been trekking for almost 7 hours! 

We were tired with sore toes and aching muscles, but deeply satisfied and very proud. Jamie and Jessie blew us away with their stamina, their positivity, and their appreciation for the majesty of the mountains. 

It gave us pause to realize how grown up our kiddos had been throughout this experience; demonstrating physical strength and expressing mature gratitude for the experience.  It filled our hearts to share this adventurous journey with them.

We recovered in Theth, happy to be in the shadow of the cliffs instead of on them.  

It was tough saying goodbye to the mountains because it meant saying goodbye to Albania and all that we had grown to appreciate about this special place. 

However, we were stocked full of incredible memories and gave the mountains a reverent last glance as we drove away and towards the border of our next destination… Montenegro. 

That’s where we are now, treating ourselves to the spoils of life along the Riviera, feeling blessed to have learned so much about a country we previously knew nothing about, and loving every moment of the experience.