Permeti, Albania

Renting a car here was like no other experience I've had. It's just guys with extra cars and an Instagram page. I held my breath and rented one for the 2 days we will spend here in the mountains. There are hot springs nearby and we have a hard time passing that up. The guy at the rental place picked us up and will drop us off at the bus station in Gjirokaster on Saturday. It cost 60 euros for 2 days with a 100 euro deposit. No credit card needed!

I read about a waterfall hike on the way here, so we made a slight detour. The mountain valleys are amazing and rival some Swiss scenes, without the quaint houses. We stopped at an aqueduct that Ali Pasha built to supply water to a nearby castle. He was big on that.

An old shepherd was walking his goats and sheep past us and he shook my hand after I said hello in Albanian (përshëndetje) . It took me 4 days to memorize that and pronounce it right. Score!

And then it was up and up a steep valley to Progonat for the waterfall. The road was paved and in great condition, which surprised me. Too bad it was cold and rainy. We parked and followed the trail to a small waterfall and called it a day. It was too wet and slippery to go further. The main waterfall was at the bottom. See the vid here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/pTEJZ2GNym1s2kvm8

On the way back, we got coffee at a small restaurant with views of the valley. It was a place where the local guys gang out, but no one paid us any notice. We see a lot of RVs lately, with mostly German plates, so there are enough tourists in the area.

Then it was off to Permeti, where we'll stay for 2 nights. It's become an outdoor destination base since it's near the hot springs and river rafting on the Vjosa river.

Checking in at our guesthouse involved doing a shot of raki and a tasting of gliko with an old lady. Gliko is the regional specialty: a fruit soaked in pickling lime and cold water, and then boiled in sugar water and lemon juice. Ours was melon gliko. Delicious!

The sheep cheese and nuts we snacked on for the waterfall wasn't enough of a lunch, so we went to a traditional restaurant. Roasted boar or hare? It was a tough choice between these two daily specials, but I chose the latter. Wow. The pearl onions that had been soaking in rabbit meat and red wine were caramelized and melted in my mouth. The meat was tender and not gamey at all. Deanne got a casserole with sausage, cheese, and red peppers. We paired the dishes with an excellent and inexpensive local Permeti red wine.

Then it was off to the hot springs about a half hour away. We love them. But alas, these were tepid springs. Mineral water? Check. Hot? Nope. But the scenery was amazing and we had to cross an Ottoman bridge by foot to get there. It was quite busy for mid- September. Loads of RVers we're camping nearby.

Whelp, my concerns about the car rental were valid. As we pulled into our hotel in Permet, the car died. In the morning a check engine light went on and the car wouldn't start. At least we were at our hotel! It could have been a disaster if we were in the middle of the mountains and that happened.

The bad news is we didn't get to go hiking in the mountains again today, but the good news is they drove out and gave us our money back and even the money for today's rental. We'll take a bus tomorrow from here to Tirana for our last night in Albania. One thing is for sure, there's always an adventure waiting here.

Check out this one minute vid.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/uLppvKWq5jmaS3ju7

More photos and videos are here.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/aU9yEmDC9AZF7Q5v6Weiterlesen