Land of the double-headed eagle
If you are an idiot as I am and you mistaken bus station straightaway in London perhaps it would be better to stay at home. However, I am not going to give up that easily with a lost lamb look stare at the bus driver:
you look really confused love, show me your ticket… my dear your bus is going from terminal 2 and you are at terminal 5 …. hop in I will take you there.
So, now you are sitting on the right bus, need a wee with a massive headache, but whatever, Alea iacta est.
Security check, coffee in Pret and then you just fly, sitting by the window surrounded by unbelievably loud young Albanian guys. You are not bothered anyway, fast asleep, waking up just before landing. You see something that seriously looks like a huge shining camel. Perhaps you are already a lunatic.
Now you have to survive till 7 am at the airport—five hours of lying on the sofa, reading The Alchemist and staring at people with obvious interest. The first bus running from Tirana airport to the city centre is at 7 am, and it costs you around 300 LEK. You got off the bus earlier and entering Tirana bus station that somehow is similar to a marketplace. Your bus is the first one in the line. Shkodër is around three/four hours far from Tirana.
The city is surrounded by Shkodër lake and the foothills of the Albania Alps. Approximately 5 km from the city centre you can find Rozafa castle sitting on top of the hill. If you ever find yourself in Albania, I highly recommend staying there at least for half a day and taking a walk to the castle.
Before you get back to the hostel, you pop into one of the traditional Albanian restaurants (Peja Restaurant). You order mousaka; waiters are obviously nervous from the presence of a foreigner. Food is fantastic, so you can live with that slightly uncomfortable feeling of dining alone in the restaurant.
Mi Casa Es Tu Casa, your hostel with so many dogs and cats, is vibing in the hippie spirit. People in the hostel help you arrange the bus to Theth, your next destination, and although the place is full of unique and exciting people, you fall asleep instantly.
At 7 am, you are leaving through the gate of your hostel and sitting down in the furgon, heading towards new adventures. Four hours later and two British couples later, who has been bragging about who is more adventurous or better in business all way long, you are finally walking on Albanian Alps or, more precisely, Cursed Mountains.
Guesthouse Pashko with their dogs and a cat make you feel like you are at home instantly. Owners made you feel like a part of the family, and if you are lucky enough, you will get to try home grapes. The owner of the guesthouse thinks you are an Albanian girl and speak to you in their language. You cannot really blame him, its not the first time you can be from wherever. In fact, no one would ever guess Czechia.
The guesthouse is in the perfect location with local sights. Kisha e Thethit is basically visible from your window. The church and mountains create an iconic picture of the whole village and give you a humble feeling. At least I felt a little bit smaller and a little bit less important.
Anyway, after you leave your monster (backpack) in the hostel, you are heading to see Grunas waterfall. The waterfall is about 45 minutes away from the hostel; the weather is absolutely stunning, something around 30 degrees, welcoming change for your bones after horrible English weather.
Night. The night in the mountains is quite sudden and unexpected. You are lying in bed with dozens of blankets over you, and still, your nose is completely frozen. You are falling asleep with the sound of wolves just a few kilometres far from you.
Morning is still so cold that you are refusing to leave the bed, but in the end, you are putting your feet down on the frozen ground and heading for breakfast. Your stomach made you do that. After a day without food, it`s a time for eggs and coffee and, oh my god, the tomatoes and COFFEE!
After breakfast is time to go. Plan for a day Blue Eye. Ten kilometres each way. Sun is already up, but it`s still quite chilly. You are walking and walking. Horse. Rock. Again Horse and another rock. The whole journey was a fantastic experience especially for someone who spent last year in the concrete jungle called London.
Almost every step (I am probably a little overdramatic here) can be fatal, but you are happy that you can walk and breathe. Oh yeah, life… life is freedom.
Around midday, you are reaching a blue eye. It took you around 2 hours to get there. You have not seen anything more beautiful until now, and hell yeah, not even that boy who gave you a few le petite mort from some time ago cannot beat it.
After a feet bath in the ice-cold water, you are setting back. The way back is significantly more demanding, so you spend twice the amount of time on the trail. Hiking alone has its perks. You can walk at your own speed, stop whenever you feel like it, and you do not need to pretend how cool it is even though you are literally dying. Safety briefing it is never a good idea to set for a trip without any food, torch and mountain emergency kit. What did I do? I left everything at home. But clearly, I am still alive and writing this article.
To be continued…
