LOCAL BREWS AND HEAVENLY VIEWS - Korce and Sarande, Albania

.....our last blog post where we travelled through North Macedonia............

Rich getting artistic, Martyr's Cemetery, Korce, Albania

Our travel destinations from the start of March 2021 put into perspective

We had quite a journey ahead of us from Lake Ohrid in the south of North Macedonia, to Sarande, on the far southern coast of Albania. Not being ones to rush, but also keen to arrive at our destination, we chose to break the journey into two large chunks. 

Our lift south from Ohrid, took us along some deserted and breath-taking parts of Lake Ohrid. After a few "beach holiday" type areas, the country ended with a quaint village and a completely empty border crossing. Interestingly, leaving North Macedonia and entering Albania, not only did we not have to exit the car, but the guards didn't even ask to see our faces!

We felt an instant sense of relief crossing the border, and the immediate visual differences were marked. Most pronounced contrasts were the improved state of the roads and the proliferation of produce gardens; also noticeable were the bunkers everywhere and many more cafes! When we got out at Pogradec, the Albanian town also on Lake Ohrid, we felt more relaxed, and were happy to see more smiles and curious looks and no English! We directly jumped into a furgon (minibus) for the short commute to Korce, and felt immensely happy. 

Korce had an easy relaxed vibe, which we must have picked up on as we simply walked into a hotel near the bus station and took a posh-ish room for two nights- something we never do!

It wasn't a big town, but the couple of days we had allocated to explore it were perfect. Of course, there were cafe/pedestrian areas where the town's glitterati hung out, including one sun-bathed cobblestoned square in the centre of a drastically restored 15th century Ottoman precinct. Most of the shops here were closed when we visited, but it looked like they may have been trying to revive some arts and crafts businesses in trendy, renovated historic buildings. 

Newly renovated part of Korce, Albania

Theatre façade, Korce, Albania

Unique yellow corner building in Korce, Albania

The dominant building in Korce was the Resurrection Cathedral, interesting built by the Greeks in 1995, and replaced an Orthodox church destroyed during Communist times. It's design is unusual- it's described as Byzantine revival, and we've never seen a church style like this in the Balkans. The very local looking deities and figures portrayed on the interior walls were interesting.

Resurrection Cathedral, Korce, Albania

Unusual exterior of Resurrection Cathedral, Korce, Albania

Sal with Mary, Resurrection Cathedral, Korce, Albania

Local-looking saint, Resurrection Cathedral, Korce, Albania

After walking through an old part of Korce, with quiet back streets, ordinary houses and people going about their daily lives, we became lost on a goat track heading up a hill, but eventually arrived at the magnificently positioned Martyr's Cemetery on a hill overlooking the entirety of Korce. The actual resting places were not exactly well looked after, but the perspective gained on the size and position of Korce in a green valley surrounded by huge mountains was spectacular. 

Corner shop, Korce, Albania

Nice old wall, Korce, Albania

Gate in back streets, Korce, Albania

Sal with city in background, Korce, Albania

We finished the day with a visit to Birra Korce, the biggest brewery in Albania. At the extremely pleasant restaurant there, where we sat under a blossom tree, had a few Korce Beers straight from the source, and whiled away the afternoon chatting in the gentle sun. 

Beers under a blossom, Korce, Albania

Korce Beer, the largest brewery in Albania

There was intense, but amusing communication problems about catching an onward bus to Sarande. At the bus station, all the bus drivers in the vicinity came to try to help us, and all gathered around speaking only Albanian. A young passer-by was roped in to translate, and he took his job very seriously. Listening carefully to the men, he then earnestly and clearly translated what they had said into English directly into Richard's ear. Unfortunately, we still had to enlist the help of the friendly English-speaking receptionist from the hotel. After a simple phone call, she informed us there was a bus heading south the following morning at 6am, and from there we could connect to Sarande. Seemingly complicated travel arrangements usually turn out to be straightforward and easy in this part of the world, and it was certainly to be the case on this occasion. 

Not only was the bus trip straight forward, it was one of the most stunning journeys we've yet had in the Balkans. Sal drugged herself up for the windy roads and missed the first part of it, but Rich recalls the changing landscapes as we moved further south. Expansive vistas across wooded valleys looked to snow capped mountains in the distance. Forests of oak trees gave way to pines as we rose higher, then farmlands with hazel woods, vineyards and plenty of bee hives. The road followed beautiful clear blue rivers and passed through old world villages, with white and bright red blossoms dotting the countryside. Sheep and goat herds crossed the roads in front to the bus, and cows stood in fields of bright yellow flowers. We could see and feel the changing climate with much more green and flowers than further north where we had travelled from. Spring!!!!

Unbelievable scenery between Korce and Sarande, Albania

Yay, finally warming up! Albania

A short video of the bus ride

A bus was waiting in Gjirokaster for the last hour of our long trip. We were extremely happy to arrive back into Sarande, as our memories of our warm and pleasant stay here last autumn were still strong. Scoring the same incredible sea-front apartment as last year, we looked forward to a couple of months coming out of hibernation. 

After a few weeks, the glorious weather began in earnest, and we took the opportunity to spend as much time out and about as we could. 

Wildflowers, Sarande, Albania

Some delightful days out involved bush-bashing around stunning areas of coast in the vicinity of Sarande. We encountered rough and wonky goat tracks along the rocks, with the odd snake here and there and plenty of thorny bushes. But the scenery was gorgeous, with the foliage of the golden coloured shrubs contrasting with the amazing blue of the sea. We discovered more secret and not-so-secret coves along the way. In some remote areas of the walks, we stumbled upon a few of the huge abandoned bunkers that dot the country's coastline. Some were filled with rubbish and graffiti, others were used practically to keep cattle in. 

A man and his sheep on a goat track

Yep, posing again!

One of countless bunkers in the area

Nearly deserted, Pasqyrave Beach

Resting along the goat track, up the hill from Pasqyrave Beach

These colours are real! Up the hill from Pasqyrave Beach

Another morning was spent slogging up a hill through some low-rise residential parts of Sarande we had never previously known existed, to a place where the houses gave way to rocks and goats, as a stony path continued up the valley to who knows where. Yet another involved an exploratory walk along the canals in the flat agricultural plains outside Sarande town. The small market gardens with upcoming yummy produce and olive groves were especially pleasing to see.

A cow in a yellow field, outside Sarande, Albania

We loved Ksamil last Autumn, and this time we were able to explore even more of the coast. The gorgeous blue sky, warm sun and sparkly clear waters were inviting as we walked from "The Last Bay" to the other end of Ksamil, and on the more remote beaches we were the only souls there. Other days we chose our favourite busier beaches and hung out in the clean sand and sea for the day, swimming and feeling happy.

Looking out to Corfu, Ksamil, Albania

The Last Bay, Ksamil, Albania

Unused life guard tower, Ksamil, Albania

The Sarande promenade, a building site on our last visit, was hastily finished in April with an opening occurring as the last tiles were laid and showers were still being installed on the beachfront. The town beach was not as wonderful as the shore further down the coast at Ksamil, and although it was only about 10 steps away from our building, we rarely hung out there. The promenade was, however, brilliant for people watching and ambling, with Albanians and tourists alike embarking on their "xhiro" (stroll) at around 6pm every evening. 

Other days we were very happy to sit on our enormous balcony, and read, exercise, listen to podcasts and enjoy the stunning view. We loved having our own kitchen to cook, and having no particular agenda. For more about what we've done around Sarande, this blog post from last November is more comprehensive. 

Food porn pics, you either love them or you hate them!! Typical taverna meal, Sarande, Albania

Big moon rising, view from our balcony, Sarande, Albania

We even partook in a few social evenings, including dinner dates with new mates and visiting a couple of the local bars, patronized by a mix of mostly American ex-pats and locals. Since we've been in the Balkans, we've tried to mix up our stays between hostels and private accommodation, as to balance our social experiences with some more personal time. To be honest, we really missed the Asian backpacker scene, and mixing with other travellers rather than ex-pats. 

After two months of blissing out in Sarande, the familiar feeling of itchy feet began again (must get that athlete's foot seen to), and we said goodbye to to our little piece of paradise in southern Albania. The urge to visit new parts was strong................

Another professional style selfie!

* Just a note about language. As we don't have certain unique Albanian letters on our keyboard, there are many inaccuracies with Albanian words, and we hope any Albanians reading will forgive us!

..........next up, a visit to the north of Albania...........

ROLLING ON THE RIVIERA - Ksamil and Sarande, Albania

....our previous post about Tirana, and travelling to the Albanian Riviera........

The time of year was approaching where we would normally be heading back to South East Asia to have some R and R on Ko Fruitopia after our year of travelling. Obviously, this wasn't to happen, as all of South East Asia was still closed (apart from a couple of unattainable options for the likes of us). A pretty good option was to continue our beach time in Albania by travelling further down the coast to the far south and Ksamil. 

Packing up at the end of summer, Monastery Beach, Albania

The furgon (small bus) down the coast was hugely interesting. A winding road followed the coast, with tiny bays sparkling in the sun, ancient hilltop villages, castles jutting into the sea and what looked like a Communist-era abandoned military base, complete with James Bond-style submarine cave! Unfortunately, Sal was as sick as a dog, and was only watching the inside of a plastic bag, hoping it didn't have any holes in it.

We are inherent beach snobs, having lived in Australia, and spent so much time on Thai islands, not to mention visiting beautiful beaches in Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia regularly. Sal, in particular, was very dismissive of European beaches (although some of that could have been our only other European beach experience on Sunny Beach, Bulgaria!). 

Ksamil, however, was an absolute eye opener. Never before had we experienced such gorgeous clear blue water- it really had to be seen to be believed. Several stunning small bays were strung out along the Ksamil coast for a few kilometres, all sparkling water and clean sandy beaches. Several islands were close to the shore, and massive Corfu loomed in the background. It was strange to be so close to both Greece and Italy. We occasionally saw huge ferries further out, presumably going between Greece and Italy (the regular ferry from Sarande to Corfu had been cancelled). 

Arriving at Ksamil, Albania

Lovely clear water, Ksamil, Albania

Islands off Ksamil, Albania

Looking out at the Ionian Sea, Ksamil, Albania

The rocky backdrop inland of olive groves and goats wandering around added a true Mediterranean feel. The fact that it was early October, and the weather was absolutely splendid 25-30 degrees only made it more perfect.

The village proved itself to be friendly and relaxed from the moment we got off the bus. We sat and drank a coffee in the central cafe in the gorgeous warm sun. We were approached by a man we had met in Tirana and his friend, and chatted about local issues for some time. We said goodbye, and wandered along the lane on the way to our accommodation, stopping briefly when an old man making home-made raki in a still in his back yard insisted we join him for a shot, which we were happy to do. What a delicious taste! 

Friendly neighbours making raki, Ksamil, Albania

Our room didn't come with a sea view this time, but was perfectly placed in the village to be quiet, yet only a few minutes walk from the centre and the beach (and again we had two bedrooms!). Most of the Ksamil backstreets were pleasant "villas", built big enough to occupy the family, and had a few rooms or apartments for tourists to rent. When they all fill up in summer, it must be a very different place to the one we visited! There wasn't much open food-wise in the village, apart from a few cafes and posh restaurants for the remaining rich tourists. There was, however, a substantial supermarket in the centre where we bought basic food and cooked it in our apartment. 

Our accommodation, Ksamil, Albania

Part of our little apartment, Ksamil, Albania

People's backyard's in Albania amazed us, and Ksamil was no different. The variety of homegrown fruit and veggies was astounding. Common plants in back street gardens included pomegranates (nearly every home had at least one tree), ditto for grapes, persimmons, citrus, olives and tons of basil. Other popular choices were fig trees and quinces.

Pomegranates growing, Ksamil, Albania

Unidentified flowering tree, Ksamil, Albania

Most days in Ksamil were spent on the gorgeous beaches - we didn't know how long the fine weather would last and wanted to make the most of it! We tried various spots- all had the lovely water and sand, but some were a little more lively than others. There weren't many tourists around but it was the most we had seen in one place so far in Albania. 

Gorgeous views, Ksamil, Albania

Near empty beach, Ksamil, Albania

Our favourite beach, Ksamil, Albania

A surprising and welcome aspect to Albania beaches was that the locals themselves have a beach culture. In most countries we visit, the beach is for the tourists, with the locals thinking it's madness to spend time lying in the sun, preferring to stay in the shade. Albanians, however, enjoyed their beaches-  catching rays and swimming is part of their culture, and we liked that very much! Being Muslim, we were fully expecting some kind of burkini scene going on, but there was nothing like that at all.

All this exploring in Albania was wonderful, but our finances were on our minds, as we had spent more being in the Balkans than we would had we been in South East Asia as we had planned. We decided to stay in nearby Sarande for a month to try to keep costs down slightly. 

After using the old-fashioned approach of wandering around town and asking locals for accommodation options, we lucked out on finding a penthouse apartment on the sea front, smack bang in the middle of the promenade. It boasted a huge, light-filled living space, fully equipped kitchen and a balcony twice as big as any room we've had in the Balkans! We even had a washing machine! Staying put for longer time is always cheaper than travelling about (a major reason for our slow travel philosophy in life), and the price for this apartment was less per night than we had paid anywhere else in the country. As well as cutting costs for the month, Rich took the opportunity to resume his important exercise regime he had missed out on so far this year, due to no long stays in Penang or Ko Fruitopia. The lounge room was plenty big enough to spread out a mat and full water bottles served well as weights. He was very happy!

Morning view from Sarande apartment, Albania

Our sunny living space, Sarande, Albania

The view from our massive balcony

Not having had a proper kitchen to cook in for so long, we immediately went shopping for all the yummy, fresh produce we were craving. We had a funny experience when we visited the tiny local market first. It was just the place we usually love, full of little old ladies selling fresh produce from their back yards- vegies, honey, figs and raki. We delved in, and picked out a selection to keep us going for a few days. When the sweet looking lady showed us the price breakdown, we were surprised, to say the least, that everything was at least three times the price we would have paid elsewhere. We had a good natured laugh about how expensive it was, and her prices rapidly fell, but in the end we decided to give up, and patronize one of dozens of small fruit shops in the town. These had prices clearly shown, and we took advantage of tasty in season treats- figs, pomegranates, apples and grapes, as well as all the usual healthy salad options. The local supermarkets were stocked full of great local products, such as a multitude of dried beans, cheeses (salty goat feta was our favourite), coffees, yogurts and jams packed with fruity yumminess. Added to this were the numerous seafood shops where we bought prawns and fresh sardines and the amazing bakeries with lovely fluffy bread. The climate was so compatible with the Mediterranean cuisine. Food was very affordable, especially cooking for ourselves, and combined with our bargain apartment, we felt a bit more secure financially.

Our selection of goodies, Sarande, Albania

Sarande is sometimes called a city, which is a bit of an exaggeration, really. It was a biggish town, full of apartment buildings and hotels climbing up the hill, a serene little harbour and port, a few posh eateries along the sea front, and dozens of cafe/bars and small local shops in the heart of town. Church bells and the mosque's call to prayer rang out alternatively and unobtrusively during the day. Most days we hung out on our balcony in the sun, drank strong coffee and raki at a couple of our favourite cafe/bars, cooked, exercised, listened to music and caught up on news on the internet. There weren't many sights in the town itself, but we enjoyed some lovely days out by foot or bus during our stay here.

Sarande harbour, Albania

Some interesting eating options, Sarande, Albania

One of our favourite cafes, Sarande, Albania

The fishing port at the far end of town had a surprising amount of action, with the guys bringing in 100 kg tunas, amongst other things. Rich was in heaven just being around all the fishermen fixing nets, sorting fish and repairing their boats. Down the other end of town along the coast were small resorts and more apartments, mostly deserted at this time of year, and empty beaches. It wasn't very appealing to us.

Bollard at fishing port, Sarande, Albania

Midday at the fishing port, Sarande, Albania

Decorative wall, Sarande, Albania

Fisherman near mango Beach, Sarande, Albania

The St George Monastery and nearby small Monastery Beach cove were quiet and beautiful, although we endured a nasty, surprise attack by swarms of mosquitos whilst climbing up and down the monastery hill. The monastery itself was closed, but the sweeping views were a lovely perspective of the surrounding islands and bays.

View from high up at St George Monastery, Sarande, Albania

Window detail, St George Monastery, Sarande, Albania

Lovely bay, Monastery beach, Sarande

Lekuresi Castle, overlooking the town of Sarande had the best panoramic view- what a strategic place this must have been to view what was going on down below in all directions. It was originally built in the 1500s, although there didn't seem to be much left from that time. The restaurant that had been incorporated into the remains was actually very tasteful and boasted amazing views. As well as the beautiful gleaming sea aspect, the opposite direction showed off the mountains and many speckled small villages and farmland.

Looking out at mountains from ruins, Lekuresi Castle, Sarande

Gorgeous look out, Lekuresi Castle, Sarande

A trip to the end of the southern bus route took us to some ruins including the Triangular Castle and the Ali Pasha Castle on an island off the coast. The day included a walk through some marshlands to see remnants of old look outs, bunkers and yet another huge unexplained underground tunnel complex in the side of a hill. We touched on this in the first Albania blog post, but there are literally hundreds of thousands of these old defence structures dotted around Albania- some huge complexes, some small look outs. The Socialist leader, Hoxha, was somewhat paranoid about an enemy invasion.

Looking out the other side, Sarande

Calm lagoon, Sarande

A church on the hill, Sarande

Part of Venetian castle ruins, Sarande

Man searching for bait in the marsh, Sarande

Roadside lookout, Albania

Decorated bunker on the beach, Albania

Scenically placed look out bunker, Sarande

One of the best day trips saw us heading inland, and catching a little bus to Delvine, a surprisingly large and bustling town about 40 minutes drive from Sarande. There was a small old part of town with a central square and the usual cafes (they really are literally everywhere in Albania!). We loved the walk up to the crumbling ruined castle on a hill over looking the town and the surrounding countryside of mostly big hills covered with olive groves and citrus orchards. Not a beach in sight!

Little critter we saw on our walk

Old buildings in Delvine, Albania

Wandering the castle ruins, Delvine, Albania

What a poser!

Atmospheric ruins on Delvine hill, Albania

Scenic Delvine, Albania

An unexpected feature of Sarande, and maybe Albania in general, was the huge amount of ex-pat Americans living there. They are granted a free one year stay when they arrive, and apparently with the current world situation, hoards of them are moving to Albania- one of the few places in the world to which they are welcome with no restrictions. For the many of them who work on-line, it is a really great situation to be in- especially at the moment. We caught up with a few at the American Bar, and although we had radically different lifestyles, they were a jovial bunch, and we enjoyed speaking with some native English speakers.

It was during our stay in Ksamil and Sarande that we really realized how lovely the Albanians are-  generous, patient, laid back, friendly, all in an understated way. Their attitude to life and it's details was wonderfully accepting and relaxed. One local man we spoke to thought their national psyche was a result of being under such a strict dictatorship for so many years.

Patiently working away on the boat, fishing port, Sarande, Albania

The early November days were still gloriously warm, in the mid-20s, but nights were turning chilly, and we realized the long Riviera summer was gradually coming to an end. We had another choice about where to head to next. We found it's hard to enjoy and live in the moment, sometimes, when the future is so uncertain. Probably most people in the world are feeling some kind of version of this. Before we left Sarande, we took advantage of the many second hand clothes shops in town, and added a few more cold weather items to our wardrobe, just in case. The woman in one shop was generous in both her prices, and her insistence on not only giving us a shot of her yummy home made raki, but filling a bottle to take away with us! Maybe we did pay too much for the clothes! We had some appealing destination choices, and headed off to explore a bit more of southern Albania.

PS. Sarande had some distinctive, arty signs that looked very retro, although we can't say for sure when they were produced. Sal became enthralled, Rich was patient.

Funky Sarande signs, Albania

By the way.....we have said this before, but if anyone is receiving this blog post via email, and are not interested or annoyed by the updates, please let us know. We don't want to force ourselves onto anyone!!!

.....next blog post about inland Albania castles here........