The Albanian surprise, pearls from the lake and suspended monastaries
The migration continues southward , we finally got the sun back!!!!
But we had to cross three countries and got soaked again quite a bit before we reached that point…
The first of these countries was Albania, where we left you last time, hoping for more enriching experiences. In fact, we had absolutely no expectations about this country we knew nothing about. Albania actually only became an independent state after the Second World War and immediately found itself locked in an ultra-rigid communist dictatorship that isolated it from the rest of the world for 45 years, from 1946 to 1991. So it seemed like a good idea to begin our exploration with the capital, Tirana. From the moment we arrived, we were surprised by how modern it is, with its tree-lined streets and trendy cafés. As we did in Sarajevo, we decided to take a guided tour to better understand and once again, it was a good idea. Tirana is not exactly what you would call a “postcard city,” but thanks to Jani we were able to understand its unique and eclectic architecture, learn about its history, life under the dictatorship, and Albanian culture. A perfect introduction!
Onelda, Jérôme’s Albanian colleague had prepared a discovery itinerary of her country for us, and we followed it thouroughly😎. From Tirana we headed to Berat, the city of the thousand and one windows, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Now that is a true postcard.
As happened during our time in Ljubljana, Slovenia, we again arrived right on two consecutive public holidays: Independence Day on November 28 and Liberation Day on November 29. There was a show in the city that evening, so we ended up completely alone in the restaurant. But Emmanuele (not an Albanian name at all!) took very good care of us 😉. He took out the raki (a sort of Albanian grappa) before the meal even started! We were off to a solid start💪. He stayed to chat with us for a good part of the evening, told us about his country and culture, answered all our questions — it turned into a great night. And to celebrate this, a second round of raki! Good thing we were walking home 😇.
After this lovely stop, we continued our Albanian exploration following Onelda’s recommendations. A long-awaited sunny day (FINALLY) allowed us to really enjoy the Albanian Riviera. The coastline is stunning and rivals that of neighboring countries, and with all the hotels built or under construction, you can clearly feel Albania’s desire to catch up and claim its share of the tourism pie.
During the dictatorship, the regime built bunkers all over the country — a lot of bunkers — thousands of them! Enver Hoxha clearly didn't have peace of mind… They’re everywhere: in the mountains, in towns; just scan the landscape and you’ll spot one. But Albania doesn’t necessarily try to erase that dark past — sometimes the bunkers are even given a second life in creative ways, like in this park in Vlorë:
During our visit to Gjirokastër (another UNESCO site), we met Justine and Roman, a young couple from Pontarlier in the Jura. Like us, they are “vanlifers,” on the road since spring. While we were heading south, they were going north. After chatting on the parking lot, we each hit the road again — only to end up exactly at the same destination two hours later! It was fate 😂.
Our goal the next day was the same: to go soak in the thermal waters of Benjë. It’s a completely natural site with hot sulfur springs between 26°C and 32°C in about ten different spots. In some places small pools have been built, but elsewhere you simply sit in the river. And the sulfur smell is quite present!! Apparently it has plenty of therapeutic benefits. Surprisingly, the smell doesn’t stick to the skin or clothing. The place is extraordinary, the experience truly unique — and it’s free! At least for now… Given the construction going on in the area, it will likely become a paying access soon.
We spent a wonderful day there. After soaking for a while, we did it the French way with Justine and Roman: we had apéro for one or two hours, then ate, and only around 4 p.m. did we finally part ways — them toward the coast, us toward North Macedonia. We’re keeping in touch of course, especially since we’re basically doing their route in reverse, so they’ll probably have some tips for us.
Albania turned out to be a beautiful surprise — not just because of the wonderful people we met, but also because we genuinely liked the country itself. The people are welcoming, the landscapes are magnificent, and we always felt safe, despite the negative things we had heard. Yes, there are places with a lot of trash (though less than in Bosnia), but others are perfectly fine. The country is full of contrasts: from five-star hotels along the coast to villages where fields are still worked with horses and donkeys, while right next door stands a huge, ultra-modern solar farm. Old and modern coexist — even hyper-modern — at least for now, because you can feel the energy in the air and that things are changing fast.
Feeling very pleased with this discovery, we crossed the border and made a short two-day stop in North Macedonia, on Lake Ohrid — in Ohrid itself. Unfortunately, the weather still wasn’t on our side, but that didn’t stop us from exploring this pretty town known for its beautiful houses:
It’s also known for its many churches — mostly Orthodox, but also Catholic — plus a few mosques. At one time there were supposedly up to 365 of them, one for each day of the year. Not all survived, but many remain. The most famous and most photographed is without a doubt St. John at Kaneo, perched on its cliff above the lake — magical at dusk when it lights up:
But Ohrid is also famous for its pearls. They’re unique because they’re made using a liquid extracted from the scales of a small fish species endemic to the lake, used to coat the pearls. So there are many jewelry shops in town. We didn’t buy any — first because I already have a beautiful pearl necklace, a gift from my family for my 50th birthday, and also because, well… we are the pearls 😅.
After this short getaway, we headed south again to enter Greece. The weather finally improved, so we stopped at one of northern Greece’s unmissable sites: Meteora. Meteora is a small geological formation of cliffs and rock pillars shaped by erosion into truly peculiar forms, kind of in the style "preschool play-dough workshop"…
But the most incredible thing is that during the Middle Ages, monasteries were built atop these improbable, vertiginous rock pillars. Just imagine the construction site back then 😲.
And the sun hasn’t left us since. We are now just a few kilometers from the Peloponnese peninsula and we’re going to slow things down — a lot — because we plan to stay at least six weeks in Greece to make the most of it!
Adio!
Jérôme & Sophie
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