Butrint National Park

Our visit to Butrint was a case of a shit sandwich. We woke up early to try and get an early bus there, missed one, waited half an hour for the next one which then didn't arrive for another 40 mins, and set off to Butrint for another 20. We realised on the journey there we had been waiting at the wrong bus stop.

Eventually we got there, and it was well worth the wait. The actual ruins were cool to see, and fun to wander around - but as with other Albanian tourist sites we realised the views were the main spectacle. It was a hot day, but as wandering around in the speckled sunlight through the trees with a breeze it was refreshing. We sat and watched the nature and enjoyed the views for longer than wandering around the ruins. An absolute highlight of the trip.

The other side of the sandwich was a small accident I had while running to try and catch the bus back, that the driver seemed to deliberately ignore us waiting to get. I tripped, fell on the gravelling floor and managed to get a cut on my knee that needed a trip to an Albania hospital for a stitch. Maybe I wouldn't have wanted the handmade rug from Gjirokaster if I knew I would come away with a permanent souvenir after all!

A day of ups and downs but we survived thankfully!Read more