From Vlorë we then headed south by bus to Saranda on the winding coastal road, a journey
that is either very fun (if you are like me) or stomach-churning and nerve-wracking in some places
(if you’ e like David and several others I’ve spoken to). Along this route are several small coastal
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villages rumored to be beautiful in their isolation, but they are a bit harder to get in and out of so for
our short trip we passed them by. Saranda is a popular destination for both Albanians and
Macedonians, so you may be able to hitch a ride with a friend or counterpart. Hotels run only about
30 Euros per night for two, with breakfast included, and the city has a fabulous boardwalk. For
swimming, skip the public beach in the city and instead catch the bus south to Ksamil, just fifteen
minutes away, where you can swim to several nearby islands or sunbathe and sip coffee or cocktails
on the soft white sand. Ksamil beach is one of the most beautiful I have seen (and this was
someone’ Peace Corps site!). Another fifteen minutes down the same road is the archeological and
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UNESCO World Heritage site Butrint, with ruins from ancient Greek and Roman inhabitants.
From Saranda you can easily head to the pricey Greek island Corfu for a day or two, or like
us, head inland to Gjirokastër: World Heritage city and birthplace of Enver Hoxha. (If you have time
stop at the Blue Eye natural spring on the way.) In Gjirokastër we stayed with a volunteer in her
Italian villa-esque home on the cobble streets of the old town, shared steaks with her site mates, ate
delicious gyro and explored the famous castle. After Gjirokastër was the long ride to Korçë,
supposedly more stomach churning than the coastal road. We managed to sleep through the ride and
easily found our PCV host, then headed straight to the Birra Korça brewery, where light and dark
brews are served in a German-style beer garden. For true beer enthusiasts ask to take a tour, or
better yet, travel there this August 11-14, for the annual Korçë Beer Fest (I might even join you!).
Korçë is also home to some museums and plenty of cheap and delicious restaurants.
Less than an hour from Korçë by furghon (kombe) is the city of Pogradec, located on the
southern shore of Lake Ohrid , where we met two more PCVs for coffee. We then caught a furghon
to the village of T
ushemisht, and walked from there to the Sveti Naum border crossing, a journey of
about 45 minutes total. Finally came the bus ride back to Struga and our whirlwind tour of Albania
came full circle. Looking back on the trip six months later, I still can’ believe how many diverse and
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interesting places we saw, how little it all cost, and how easy and relaxed the whole trip was.
Albanians overwhelmed us with their friendliness, hospitality, and tolerance for our end-of-PSTlevel Albanian skills. Traveling around Albania is an adventure worth taking.
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