Our final day in Albania

Today turned out to be one of those classic travel days that ends up being a little bigger than expected. What was supposed to be a relatively chill 3.5 hour drive from the laid back coastal town of Himarë to the bustling capital of Tirana quickly turned into a bit of a hectic adventure.

We hit the road in good time, winding through the beautiful Albanian countryside. The scenery didn’t disappoint, dramatic mountain backdrops and the occasional glimpse of that perfect turquoise coastline we’ve grown so fond of these last 5 days. But as we edged closer to Tirana, things started to slow… and then crawl… and then stop altogether. The traffic coming into the city was bumper to bumper, stretching what should’ve been a smooth drive into a near 4.5 hour mission.

We finally reached our accommodation around 3 PM, did the world’s fastest check in, and then immediately had to turn around and race to the airport to return the rental car before the 4 PM cut-off. That meant a frantic 30 minute dash across town city traffic and all. Not fun!

Car dropped, mission accomplished. But of course, we weren’t done yet.

Next up catching a bus back into the city. That took a little longer than we’d hoped, and by the time we made it back to our place, it was about 5:30 PM. We collapsed for a moment, caught our breath, and then headed out in search of food.

We found a cozy little spot nearby that served up loaded baked potatoes, and honestly, it hit the spot perfectly. Comfort food at its finest after a full on day. Simple, hearty, and exactly what we needed.

Back at the apartment, we got ourselves organised for tomorrow’s journey to Montenegro packing, recharging, resetting before winding down the day the best way we know how, curled up in bed with an episode of Peaky Blinders. Perfect!

Long day, but a good one. Tomorrow, a new country awaits.Read more