Albania
Sarandë
You may be saying, "Why Sarandë, what is happening there?" Well, truth be told, I wasn't really sure but I am dangerously close to my 90-day limit of being in Schengen countries within 180 days. Albania is not part of the Schengen area, so off I went to spend two weeks buying my time before I could return to Greece.
I had seen so many influencer photos and videos, posts claiming Sarandë to be the heart of the Albania Riviera, the Maldives of Europe. It looked great, a relatively low-cost, up-and-coming area with turquoise blue waters and beach after beach.
I found a lovely apartment that seemed like a perfect location just three blocks up from the sea. And, the host was responsive and helpful, offering to pick me up from the ferry port. It all seemed too good to be true... and that may be because it was!
What is happening here? Well, the public beach is rocky-like the kind you buy cheap at Home Depot for landscaping. The short distance from the sea boulevard was stairs-straight up three big flights in the blazing heat. And, the resort like Riviera is a bit more like a rave (as I imagine them to be anyway) than what I expect the Maldives of Europe to be. Oh, and I should mention that Albania is on a 'bad' list meaning I had limited websites I could visit, including my bank!
Now, they have lovely water and private beaches are a bit better maintained. The countryside is beautiful. The country's turbulent history is evidenced by bunkers and abandoned castles. You know me, history and blue water are two of my favorite things so not all was lost. I was determined to find the beauty and culture around the thumping DJ music and packed beach.
There were definitely some WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE moments!
There were impressive moments and sites, too! I took a scenic boat tour to a quiet, hard to get to beach with smoother rocks. Spent my birthday on a tour to the Blue Eye Nature Reserve and a small town called, Gjirokastër, to see the castle and the bazaar in town. The castle had an impressive display of weapons through the years and showed both sides of 'spying'. The town was set like an old Ottoman bazaar with an impressive Clock Tower and mosque. Blue Eye was a beautiful water spring where the clear blue water of the river can be seen from a depth of more than fifty meters. I enjoyed the drive through the countryside while bracing myself as the driver took curves like he was driving a Maserati rather than a minivan.
For me, Sarandë was a miss (even though I had the sweetest host ever). I think there was some natural beauty and cultural charm that got to the world faster than the infrastructure and tourism services could keep up, the result being a bit of madness in my opinion. Don't even get me started on the transportation system. However, the jury is still out for me on Albania. I can't judge a whole country on just one resort city. I had planned to go to Tirana following a week at the beach but between the heat (temps over 100 degrees) and my yearning for peace and quiet, I decided to hold that trip for another time when the temps are cooler and I recover from my beach party.