She'll be coming round the mountain

I wake early and sit on the balcony with a guy who is Belgian and served in the military for 9 years and when he left joined the army in Ukraine. I asked him why and expected him to say to help but he told me they paid him £6000 a month. I'm really shocked. I am leaving Tirana today to head to the town of Shkoder up in the North. I'm catching a Flix bus which leaves at 10 so head to the cafe over the road. Two girls from Australia who are in the same dorma as me are heading north and when I checked there's a space on the bus so I book on. I've really enjoyed the vibe here. People are super friendly it's not as cheap as I first expected but it's a lot cheaper than Europe. There is a cafe opposite the hostel so I grab my morning coffee. Everyone here drinks espresso so when iaskfor a latte it's generally luke warm and served in a glass. Another thing here is the traffic. It's very busy and people just beep their horns all the time. I'm hoping this will change when I get up north. It's a 5 minute walk to the stadium car park where the Flix bus leaves from. It was £10 for my ticket and the trip takes about 2.5 hrs . As we arrive we are looking for the traditional green bus it's actually a transit minibus and how all the luggage gets on is beyond me. The road her is pretty well paved so a smooth ride. We arrive in just after 1 and I check into the hostel which for 11 euro a night is wonderful. I drop my bag and go out to eat. I'm blown away by how beautiful it is here. Little trattorias it like being in Italy. It's 32degrees here and if I was expecting it to be cooler with being in the mountains I'm mistaken. Sckoeder is the main hub point in the North and if you're going trekking you can leave heavy luggage here and just take a smaller backpack. It's so beautiful here with views of the mountains and the streets remind me of Italy. The tourist effect is definitely starting to hit with Burger king in the main high street and they even have a Shein shop. Back at the hostel I meet a lovely group of girls. 2 are from Mexico and we spend the evening exchanging travel tales and one of them is watching Love island. It is really hot today and the weather says the energy out of me . In the evening we just chill on the Terrace. It's crazy because when I go to bed it's like the town has come alive as in the street outside all I can hear is people singing sweet Caroline and I think I fall asleep singing along .Read more