Stage Tour I: from Munich to Cypres - Entries for: Albania
18° | sunny | km 395
Albania - What to expect?
on 2012-10-17 in Montenegro, Albania
We started the day early because on one hand we were really excited to visit Albania but on the other we wanted to quickly drive through it and sleep in Greece. We did not know what to expect. One thing is for sure, it was a very big difference to all other countries we've traveled on our motorcycles so far. With initial difficulties finding the right border, we finally arrived at the right one where we were told to pass all other vehicles and cross the border on the sidewalk. Welcome in Albania!
Within the first 500 meters we saw the first donkey carts which greeted us excitedly. The prices were crazy too, we bought a little refreshment - 6 chocolate bars and 3 energy drinks for just under 5 Euro.
The impressions were overwhelming, everyone was very nice. But we also noticed that the living standard was very different to what we were used to. The traffic was chaotic to say the least. The school kids had to cross the main highway to get to school and there weren't any traffic lights or pedestrian crossings. Due to construction work on the highway we suddenly found ourselves in the opposite lane. Luckily, there wasn't too much traffic so we survived. The main road quickly changed between freshly paved, huge potholes, gravel and mud. There were also a lot of dead animals on the side of the road.
Half way through Albania a funny bus driver from Greece greeted us exuberantly on several occasions. Always happy to see us he showed us the way to Greece by blowing his horn and waving excitedly.
Since we were running late to cross the border to Greece and after the nice experiences in Albania, we felt safe enough to spend the night in Albania. We decided to get something for supper from a local supermarket and bought frozen Cevapcici and bread and started searching for a place to sleep. Unfortunately, there was very little and only wet wood in this area so we failed to get a real fire started. After some time we gave up our barbecue, put the half frozen Cevapcici into the bread and ate them with a lot of sauce.
Albania is a great country with very friendly and nice people. If you have the opportunity we recommend to everyone to explore the country and it's people!
Within the first 500 meters we saw the first donkey carts which greeted us excitedly. The prices were crazy too, we bought a little refreshment - 6 chocolate bars and 3 energy drinks for just under 5 Euro.
The impressions were overwhelming, everyone was very nice. But we also noticed that the living standard was very different to what we were used to. The traffic was chaotic to say the least. The school kids had to cross the main highway to get to school and there weren't any traffic lights or pedestrian crossings. Due to construction work on the highway we suddenly found ourselves in the opposite lane. Luckily, there wasn't too much traffic so we survived. The main road quickly changed between freshly paved, huge potholes, gravel and mud. There were also a lot of dead animals on the side of the road.
Half way through Albania a funny bus driver from Greece greeted us exuberantly on several occasions. Always happy to see us he showed us the way to Greece by blowing his horn and waving excitedly.
Since we were running late to cross the border to Greece and after the nice experiences in Albania, we felt safe enough to spend the night in Albania. We decided to get something for supper from a local supermarket and bought frozen Cevapcici and bread and started searching for a place to sleep. Unfortunately, there was very little and only wet wood in this area so we failed to get a real fire started. After some time we gave up our barbecue, put the half frozen Cevapcici into the bread and ate them with a lot of sauce.
Albania is a great country with very friendly and nice people. If you have the opportunity we recommend to everyone to explore the country and it's people!