Living In Albania For 1 Year-Part 2

The wonderful beach town of Himarë

Feb-March 2021

As the van arrives in Vlorë, one of the passengers helps me translate to the driver I’m trying to get to Himarë. I see him get on the phone as we cruise up and down the main street. Eventually we stop and I see the van with a sign to Sarandë. I transfer over and we zoom off. The road follows the Mediterranean sandwiched between the mountains and the sea. It was incredible. Eventually the road climbs in elevation and rises high into the mountains to a place called Llogara National Park. There is snow up here. We stop at a restaurant close to the top of the mountain pass. There is a hiking trail here that goes to the summit of Mount Cika. The locals break for the Albanian standard of espresso, cigarettes and Raki. It wakes you up alright, but if you're not used to it, this combo may throw a wrench into your day. They invite me to try it and refuse I pay for anything. “Gezuar!” I regret it later though, as the road through the pass twists and turns rapidly enough to give me motion sickness.

When we cross to the other side we are met with an unbelievable view. Due to elevation, the blue of the sea blends into the blue of the sky. Like an illusion. On the horizon you can see a handful of Greek islands, the largest being Corfu. The mountains nearly hug the sea, leaving a thin slice of land for life here. From snow to a hot beach in less than 30 mins. First village we pass through is called Dhermi. Nestled into the mountain, the second half is still farther down on the coast. We pass several intersections leading to Gjipe, Jala, and Livadi Beach. Finally going down in elevation, the road goes to sea level as we arrive in Himarë. A cozy beach village, it appeared to me as the perfect chill spot. I wasn’t disappointed.

I walk to the waterfront and touch the Med. Felt so nice to be back in this region of the world. The water is clean, clear, and a vibrant blue. There is a hostel called Hostel Relax. It sits on top of a restaurant. Walking up the few flights of stairs I go in and see the owner working on a few projects. He is surprised to see me. Being February, while the weather was already warm, it still was some time before main tourist season. He introduces himself as Romeo. He tells me I’m the only one at the hostel and amongst one of the first to arrive since the start of C-19. I like the place instantly. Collectively, I ended up spending nearly four months here. Overall, it became my favorite place in Albania.

There’s a superb balcony view looking out over the sea. The sun and breeze are great. Romeo enjoys cooking, so he lays out tons of suggestions. He also tells me about all the exploration one can do in this area. Nearly all can be reached just by walking in a full day. I’ll lay out all the cool spots for you:

We'll refer back to the map a few times.

Himarë

I go north first. There’s a coastal trail that leads to the various beaches. About 20 minutes through the forest, you’ll come up on Livadi. A long stretch of beach that takes longer to walk across then it did to get there. I have it all to myself. It was pretty surreal to stroll along. With the exception of the small waves, things were peacefully quiet. It’s February 2021, and the world was still deep in C-19 drama. I felt lucky to be here.

Livadi

On the hill you’ll find a bunker. Like I mentioned in Part 1, these are everywhere across the country. Built back in the Communist days with the expectation of war, they now add a dystopian aesthetic to the countryside.

It’s several hours hike to Gjipe, but it’s a highlight. A beach hyped quite heavily by the tourism industry for its unique turquoise water. The trail is obscured in a few places from overgrowth. If you have a car the common access is a parking lot and short walk down, but for the adventurous types you can also hike through the canyon. My personal opinion is that while it is beautiful, it’s better to judge it for yourself.

Gjipe beach and hike above the canyon

On the road back I’m feeling tired now, so I try my luck with hitchhiking. In just a few minutes a guy in an old Toyota pickup waves me on to jump in the back. We coast down into Himarë and the sunset. Hitchhiking gets a bad rap but so far, I’ve had wonderful experiences and met nice people. Perhaps it depends on the country and when/where you attempt. If you’ve never done it before, I think you should try it at least once when you travel somewhere. Great way to add adventure to your memories. I’ve met people who have traveled across continents hitching only. Incredible.

Next day it’s time to explore south. There are a few good spots around Porto Palermo. One thing I do need to note for you is safety with dogs. Some are rough around the edges in Albania. Both from owners and strays can be aggressive. Walking outside town I have an encounter with one laying on the road. The dog viciously barked at me. I hold a rock over my head, yell and wave my arms as I pass around. I would end up having dozens of similar encounters during my time in this country so just be aware if you come.

First up is Llamani Beach. I get a good view of both snow and sand:

Like I said, from snowcapped mountains to a hot beach in less than 30 mins drive.

Romeo told me about his time as a Marine in Porto Palermo. The military base is deserted now, the buildings falling apart. When he was 19 he got drunk, went AWOL and spent some time in prison. “To be young”, he said with a laugh and shrug of his shoulders. He’s done well for himself here, owning land and multiple businesses, but he also said competition was hard after the communist days and saw how some people turned on each other. Every older Albanian has a hard story to tell. One battle transforms into a new one.

What interests me most about the ghost base is the closed entrance to a Submarine Bunker. Having served on one myself, it was incredibly intriguing for me to imagine how things could have been. If you refer back to the map, you can see the bunker goes underneath the mountain and the entrances built like a tunnel. What a unique place to have gone out to sea from.

There’s a trail off the road that goes to the far side of the entrance, I hike there first. After some minutes the trail becomes dilapidated with rubble and small rocks. The sea is beautiful, the smell of salt strong, and I can see the entrance! So exciting that I can explore closely. I am surprised. No way in the US I think could this happen. Coming up to the tunnel, I see the bunker door for people cracked open half buried in rocks. I peer inside but it is eerily dark. Going into the tunnel, the submarine entrance is closed, it’s old iron rusting away. There were no safety rails, I have a narrow strip of walkway to get as close as I can. The water looks deep. The sound of the waves become louder and echo in the tunnel.

Spooky

Back on the road I walk around to the other side of the mountain and look down at the base below. I try to imagine a young Romeo in formation doing push-ups in similar fashion to what I experienced. More or less, we are all cut from similar cloth. I can see the other side of the bunker entrance. How did they build that? Fascinating.

But wait, there’s more! Just beyond the base is a castle. It sits on its own island accessed by a narrow land bridge. Built by the Ottomans, it served as an important bastion for defense in the area. Albania has changed hands many times throughout history. From ancient days to present times. In Part 3 I will show you pictures of an archaeological site where you can see Greek stones that have Roman stones built on top, that have medieval stones built on top of that…There’s no trail so I have to walk along the road. I have to be careful because the road is not that wide and I’m sure some drivers were frustrated. I tried to give as much space as possible. They didn’t slow down. The air of their vehicle giving me a big push from its force as they fly past probably going 60 or 70mph (approx 100-110kph). And that’s slow compared to what I have seen on other roads. I’ll talk more later about Albanian drivers. They are off the chain. The Castle was amazing to explore. On the top it’s flat with open views of the surroundings. In the back courtyard there’s a firepit. I try to imagine the guys here on watch talking about life. I never get tired of seeing castles. We don’t have these ancient creations in ‘Murica.

It’s not the only castle in the area. On the hill above town, you’ll find another. Dating back to the 4th or 5th century, the remains are still walkable and has an adjacent old town with people still living here. Tight stone streets, compressed buildings. It can take a whole day to appreciate its construction. I came up here some days later for sunset. The views did not disappoint.

There is so much to do here for a small beach town. I’ll talk more in Part 3 about the days spent and some of the people I encountered, a drive down the coast, and then traveling into the interior. Honestly, living in Albania for 1 Year will probably end up a 10-part series. Possibly more. There is so much to tell you about. Let me know if you prefer shorter or longer articles. Even just Himarë can end up as a solid 30-45 minutes of reading. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in the next story!

-AbroadwithBrian