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Around the Adriatic
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  • Miel Degang
  • Laura Debyser

Around the Adriatic

Albania, Greece, and Italy Read more
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    Around the Adriatic
    Our temporary home 🚿The guest housesCooking class 🧑‍🍳1Gardening 👩‍🌾Olive oil tastingSumi in her favourite 2500-year-old olive treeArabic dinner 🤤Joining a natural wine tasting 🍷Joining a dinnerRain-proofing the rabbit hutch

    Eumelia - WWOOF

    Sep 27–Oct 17 in Greece ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    We just spent three weeks volunteering at Eumelia, an organic agrotourism farm in the south of the Peloponnese 🇬🇷. The place is surrounded by endless olive trees for their fancy olive oil production and has a huge vegetable garden where they grow almost everything they serve for breakfast and dinner 🫒🍅.

    Our main tasks were getting the vegetable garden ready for winter planting, helping out in the kitchen, and assisting with the olive oil tastings and cooking classes. It was the perfect mix of work, learning new things, and delicious rewards (although we ate enough yemista to last us a lifetime) 👩‍🌾.

    It was surprisingly hard to leave. We really got along with Marilena and Frangiskos, who involved us in everything: from wine and olive oil tastings to Greek music nights and even a chakra dance session 🎶💃.

    We’ll miss them, the animals (Sumi made plenty of new friends), our cozy trailer with the best views, and our lovely fellow volunteer from France. Eumelia truly felt like home 💛.    Read more

  • Around the Adriatic
    1Sumi is a climber too 🪜One of the many treasuries on The Sacred WaySome of the Oracle's predictions were carved into the stones 🪨🔎Ancient Theatre 🎭Stadium - where the Pythian Games took place 🏃🏽‍➡️Marble Sphinx, a modest gift from NaxosThe Charioteer - a bronze statue that wasn't looted because it was buried after an earthquakeRepresentation of Delphi by TournaireA sea of olive treesDelphi townGalaxeidi1Floating duck house 🦆 🥹Charilaos Trikoupis Bridge 🌉 (which we didn't take to avoid the high toll 🤭)

    Delphi

    Sep 23–25 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    In ancient times, this place was considered the 'Navel of the Earth'. Legend says Zeus sent out two eagles to find the world’s center, and they met right here 🦅🌍.

    A little bit of history (again 🤓): Delphi was one of the most important sanctuaries in Greece. The Temple of Apollo stood at its heart, where the famous Pythia delivered cryptic oracles. Leaders from Athens to Sparta came here to ask for guidance before making big decisions: whether to start a war, build a colony, or plant crops🌾. Delphi also hosted the Pythian Games, the second most important games in ancient Greece🏃.

    Delphi’s setting is just as stunning as its history! Mountains behind, the sea in the distance, and endless olive trees 🌿⛰️🌊. After visiting the archeological site and the musuem, we enjoyed this view from a cozy taverna 🍠.

    On our way to the Peloponnese (and the farm where we’ll be volunteering), we made a quick stop at the charming fishing village Galaxeidi.    Read more

  • Around the Adriatic
    On the balcony of St. Nikolaos of Anapafsas ⛪The Ottomans must have had a hard time trying to conquer these monasteries 💀Varlaam ⛪Roussanou ⛪Miel considering becoming a monk ✝️Inside Holy Meteoron ⛪, the first and biggest monasteryYpapantis ⛪Bumping into a 'buildering' competition in town. Meteora really lives and breathes climbing.Some people 🔎 multipitching a 🧀1Sumi relaxing at the campingInside the chapel of the Holy Trinity ⛪Lunch with a view of St Stephen's ⛪1 picture, 5 monasteriesThe old way to haul in people & goods ...1... and the new wayHoping none of these stones come loose 🤞

    Meteora

    Sep 19–23 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We thought Pindos would be hard to top, but Meteora easily joined our Greece highlights list 😍. It's quite touristy, but standing beneath those towering stone pillars with monasteries perched on top is simply jaw-dropping.

    A bit of history: hermits came here in the 11th century, and monks followed in the 14th century. They built high-up monasteries looking for contemplation, isolation and refuge from Ottoman attacks. Back then, the only way up was by ladder or being hoisted in a giant net🪢😨.

    Out of the 24 monasteries once built, only 6 remain active, and we spent two days hiking between them 🥾.

    Meteora is also a climbing hotspot! The rock towers are made of sandstone and conglomerate, ancient river sediments from a time when this whole area was underwater 🌊. Quite scary to climb!    Read more

  • Around the Adriatic
    Konitsa Bridge and Aoos river (which continues as the Vjosa in Albania)Mikro Papigo and the impressive Papigo Towers ⛰️2Taking Sumi on her first pilgrimage ...... to this hidden monastery1Papigo Rock PoolsPanagia chapel at the beginning of the Vikos Gorge 🔎1Monodendri village at the end of the Vikos GorgeOld Kipoi Bridge (one of the 100+ old stone bridges of Zagori)Cute shop with homemade goods 🍄 🍯🍷Wild camp spotStone ForestCan you spot the monastery? 🔎Wandering around Ioanina on our way out

    Pindos NP

    Sep 15–19 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Pindos National Park was our first stop in Greece, but we already feel it might be one of our favourites 🇬🇷. It’s the biggest park in the country, yet hardly on anyone's radar.

    We explored the Zagori Region, famous for its old stone villages once connected only by mountain paths and bridges. Now they’re linked by roads too, so we got creative: one driving, the other hiking (Laura 🚶‍♀️) or trail running (Miel 🏃‍♂️).

    We also walked a part of the Vikos Gorge. This canyon holds the Guinness World Record as the world's deepest gorge relative to its width (😂). It is carved by the Voidomatis River, but there was no water to be seen 💦.

    Unfortunately, we didn't see any of the park's predators (bears, wolves, lynx, wildcats), except for a sneaky fox that stole Laura’s Birkenstocks right from under our car at night🦊.    Read more

  • Around the Adriatic
    Ura e Kadiut, an old Ottoman bridge near some (busy) thermal pools
    Miel chilling in one of the pools at a quieter timeStart of the Langarica Canyon1End of the canyon (now we just had to find a way out 😅)View of the canyon on the way backMiel peering into the abyssPërmet's boulderThe Vjosa running through PërmetSome shepherd's dogs keeping us company1Sumi waking up with a view📚 😺Last Albanian meal 🥲

    Përmet

    Sep 11–14 in Albania ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Our last stop in Albania: Përmet. Greece just banned wild camping this year, so we made the most of our last days of Albanian camping freedom and found Otto some beautiful spots! 🚐

    We went climbing with a view on the Vjosa river, Europe's last wild river (it flows freely without any dams or power stations) 🌊. The river is famous for rafting, but as it didn't look that impressive (summer = low water levels), we decided to look for adventure elsewhere.

    We found it at the impressive nearby Langarica Canyon! We started early to have this dramatic gorge and its thermal pools to ourselves, waded about 5 km between walls that sometimes narrowed to just 3 meters 😮, scrambled out and hiked back via the northern ridge. 🏞️

    To wrap up our one month in Albania, we went for a last local lunch in one of Permet's farm-to-table restaurants 🥗.    Read more

  • Around the Adriatic
    Old townCute black & white streets1Free figs!The typical Ottoman houses 🏠Little museum in one of the Cold War tunnelsThe castle's clock towerBaked yellow cheese with figs 🤤🙀Taking care of her leg injury

    Gjirokastër

    Sep 10–11 in Albania ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    We made a quick stop in Gjirokastër, a UNESCO World Heritage city known for its stone houses and castle views 🏰. Before exploring though, we desperately needed to reorganize the chaos in our car 🚐🧺.

    Later in the afternoon, we strolled through the old bazaar and cobbled streets full of Ottoman-style houses. We ended the day with a local dinner with a view of the mosque 🌙.

    On our way back, we heard a kitten screaming from a ditch full of trash 😿. She’d been stuck there for three days, injured and all alone. We couldn’t leave her there, so we took her to the vet the next morning and decided to keep her as our temporary travel buddy.

    She’s still very vocal (seriously, she doesn’t stop meowing 🙉), but incredibly cute. Anyone in need of a small, noisy but adorable Albanian travel cat? 🐈    Read more

  • Around the Adriatic
    View from Llogara PassDhërmi sunset 📚 🤓One of the many beach bars 🍸Making new friends 🐶🏖️ 🏨First SUP adventure: Dhërmi to HimarëClimbing up ...... and jumping downPirates CaveLast cute village standingHoxha's submarine bunkerGo-to breakfastMaking new friends 😺Hello Corfu!ButrintSecond SUP adventure: Ksamil IsletsDead fish in the water 🤿Dinner at Albania's only vegan restaurant (Green Life in Sarandë)Corfu and Ksamil (only 2km apart!) 🌅

    The Albanian Riviera

    Sep 6–10 in Albania ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    We cruised the entire Albanian Riviera from Vlorë to Ksamil 🚐. Google promised “turquoise waters, dramatic mountains, unspoilt beaches, and charming villages.” The first two? Spot on. The last two? Not so much. Resorts are being built everywhere, turning villages into tourist towns and it's hard to find a stretch of beach without sunbeds and loud bars 🔊.

    Still, we loved it! We found some epic spots where we could roll out of Otto and into the sea. Sometimes, it felt a bit weird stepping out of Otto in swimwear while hotel guests enjoyed their coffees a few steps away 🌊.

    We paddled around to explore more remote beaches, sea caves, and little islands, snorkeling in between (and yes, Miel insisted on climbing and cliff-jumping at every possible opportunity 🙄).

    We also visited Butrint, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of Albania’s most important archaeological treasures. It’s a mix of ruins from different civilizations: Greek amphitheater, Roman baths, and Byzantine basilicas 🏛️.    Read more

  • Around the Adriatic
    Berat castleHoly Trinity Church - one of 20 churches inside the castleRemnants of 13th-century frescoes1Many of these cuties were roaming around 🐢. This one was stuck in a church so we moved him.St. Michael's ChurchGorica - previously the Christian partMangalem - previously the Islamic part1The bridge connecting the two partsHaving a drink on the roof of a sweet old guy in MangalemByrek & FergësëMiel plunging into Bogovë WaterfallOsumi canyon from above ...... and from below1🤓📚

    Berat & Osumi Canyon

    Sep 3–6 in Albania ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    They don’t call Berat the City of a Thousand Windows for nothing 🪟. Split by the Osum River, the neighborhoods Mangalem and Gorica once housed different religions but now share the same charming narrow cobbled-stone streets with cosy cafes. Overlooking both of them is Berat Castle, a 13th-century fortress-village filled with hidden Byzantine churches and Ottoman mosques.

    To cool off, we continued south to Bogovë Waterfall (not exactly a secret spot anymore, but the icy water was exactly what we needed❄️). Osumi Canyon was next: famous for rafting, though in summer it’s more about scenic views than white-water fun.

    From there, we aimed for Përmet… until locals laughed at Otto’s chances on the 4x4 road 🚐💀. So, we turned around and headed for the coast instead. Turns out we will see the Albanian beaches after all! 🏖️    Read more

  • Around the Adriatic
    ⛪🕌
    The room of Enver Hoxha inside the bunkerCute doggies everywhere 💔National hero SkanderbergThe pyramid, our favorite spot!Local food, less local crowd 😂The best family camping close to Tirana31Cosy cafes everywhereBovilla Lake viewing platformOtto all by himself 🔎🚙The canyon to drive up to the lake

    Tirana & Lake Bovilla

    Aug 29–Sep 2 in Albania ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    The capital greeted us with a dramatic thunderstorm ⛈️ — the perfect excuse to go underground into Bunk’Art 1, a massive five-floor bunker built during dictator Enver Hoxha’s communist rule. Albania is packed with bunkers (we spot them everywhere!), but it was fascinating to finally step inside a big one.

    Once the skies cleared, we got to enjoy Tirana properly. Cosy cafés, leafy parks, good food and believe it or not, clean streets 🌳. We're glad we decided not to skip Tirana after all, this was a refreshing change of scenery.

    We also ventured north to Lake Bovilla, which supplies Tirana with drinking water. Fun facts we learned the hard way: 1) the road there is basically one giant pothole, and 2) that doesn’t scare off the crowds. But once the daytrippers left, we basically had the place to ourselves. To get some extra thrilling views of the lake, we went rock climbing the next morning. 🧗🏼‍♀️    Read more

  • Around the Adriatic
    1Playing with Pinxto 🐐A bear track in the mud!❤️View on Mount KorabThe garden of The Golden Goat (what a view!)The zoomies1Taxi 🥰It's decided, we want goatsMilking the cow of the neighboursThe best breakfasts at The Golden Goat!On the way to Mt KorabLunch on the border between Albania & Macedonia

    Ploshtan & Korab

    Aug 26–29 in Albania ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We spent three nights at The Golden Goat in Ploshtan, a guesthouse where you can cuddle and hike with goats as much as you want. Obviously, we couldn’t resist🐐! Only about 12 families live in Ploshtan, so this was also the perfect way to experience the traditional Albanian village life 👩🏼‍🌾.

    We started with a dayhike in the mountains, accompanied by 7 adult goats who clearly knew the trails better than us. As they were continuing on a multi-day hike, we circled back on our own. The next day we took a chill day to recover and to play with the 3 baby goats who stayed behind (a very energetic 5-year-old in the guesthouse made chilling slightly impossible though).

    After spotting Mount Korab (Albania’s highest peak at 2,764 m) on our goat hike, we knew we had to climb it. This time sadly without goats, but with solitude, stunning views, and a peek into Macedonia 🇲🇰.

    Big thanks to Marjan for the tip 🙏🏼!    Read more

  • Around the Adriatic
    The tourist boat to Shala River (one of many)1Shala River 🔊One of our favorite camp spots so far!Daytrip 1: paddling upstream to the dam 🥵 and floating backSome company 🐐The Milky Way 🌌Daytrip 2: paddling downstream to the castle and hitchhiking backWell, maybe not always paddling

    Lake Koman

    Aug 22–26 in Albania ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Most people cross Lake Koman by ferry to reach Valbonë in the Albanian Alps. Since we've already been there, we decided to try something different: take the boat to Shala River and paddleboard back, wildcamping along the way 🛶⛺.

    Shala River used to be a hidden gem with crystal-clear waters, but that has clearly changed! Maybe it was the weather 🌧️, maybe the crowds of chain-smoking tourists playing loud music 🚬, maybe the debris of a recent storm floating around … whatever the reason, we didn't like it there.

    Finding spots to camp didn't look doable either, so we admitted defeat and took the boat back. We found a nice spot along the lake and decided to go on some day-trip adventures instead. Exploring quieter corners of the lake on the other side of the dam turned out to be the perfect alternative!    Read more

  • Around the Adriatic
    We met a Dutch-speaking barber💈We fed these 2 cuties living under a dumpster 🥺Classic Albanian view from the road☠️🏊🏼‍♀️Cosy pedestrian street in SkodërThe Ebu Beker Mosque 🕌Franciscan Church ⛪Albanian mezze 🧅 🧄The unexpected highlight of Shkodër: vegan pistachio affogato 🤤The beach at our camping 🏖️Rozafa Castle 🏰

    Skhodër

    Aug 20–22 in Albania ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    The road from Montenegro to Albania took us through Gusinje, a cute town where Miel finally got a much-needed haircut and we ended up spending hours (under the baking sun) with two stray puppies 🐕. Unfortunately, they were a bit too scared to join us on our roadtrip.

    The drive to Shkoder was stunning, with lots of switchbacks and mountain views ⤵️. We stayed at a beautiful camping by Lake Shkodër, partly for the scenery, mostly because we were in desperate need of laundry . We've actually visited the same lake 10 years ago, just on the Montenegrin side (where it’s called Lake Skadar) 🌅.

    Our visit to Shkoder wasn’t the smoothest. We made the mistake of biking over 10 km into town in 33°C heat (on some of the worst bikes imaginable 🚲), only to spend most of our time hunting for an ATM that didn’t charge a crazy fee. Relaxing at the beach by the campsite afterwards made up for it 🏖️.    Read more

  • Around the Adriatic
    Our hosts in Vusanje made sure we weren't gonna starveDay 1 - Vusanje to ThethCrossing the border between Montenegro and AlbaniaOur guesthouse in ThethDay 2 - Theth to ValbonëValbonë PassWe made a few furry friends along the way 🐶Unfortunately not OttoLola's vegetable garden 🍅Yoghurt from her 🐄, with honey from her 🐝 and berries from her gardenDay 3 - Laura conquering the last hard ascent between Valbonë and VusanjeInside an ice cave 🥶Made it back to Vusanje 💪🏼GPX

    Peaks of The Balkan - Mini Edition

    Aug 16–20 in Albania ⋅ 🌩️ 25 °C

    The whole trail takes up to twelve days, but as we're not that eager to get fit in the Accursed Mountains, we made our own 3-day itinerary 🥾. After studying the weather forecast, we opted for guesthouses instead of wild camping.

    And it turned out we made the right choice!
    The mountains threw a storm at us every day ⛈️, and nothing beats a warm shower after getting soaked. Also, the skies usually cleared for some epic mountain views.

    We also got to know the Albanian kanun, and we're not referring to the blood feuds but the warm hospitality ❤️! The first guesthouse in Vusanje looked after Otto for 3 days, our host in Theth tried to get us drunk on free raki 🥃, and Lola spoiled us with homemade vegan food in Valbonë 🥗.    Read more

  • Around the Adriatic
    Tara River seen from the famous Tara Bridge 🏞️Classic Durmitor farmsteadSome horses grazing at the foot of Prutas 🐎Piva CanyonCooking with a view 🔪Susica CanyonWildfire starting just when we found our spot for the night 🔥1Laura scrambling the last part of Prutas ⛰️Chamois 🐐All alone between Prutas and Bobotov KukSide peak of Bobotov Kuk1Helena, Durmitor's youngest shepherd 🐑Black Lake, the most popular attraction in the parkGPX

    Durmitor NP

    Aug 11–16 in Montenegro ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We visited Montenegro ten years ago (what ?! 😱), but skipped Durmitor National Park back then because of bad weather. This time, on our way to Albania, we made sure to stop to explore the area.

    We drove the famous Durmitor Ring, a thrilling 85km loop through the park where Laura had a few heart attacks squeezing past oncoming cars along the narrow, winding roads ⚠️. Faced with the choice between Bobotov Kuk (the park’s highest and most popular peak at 2523 m) and Prutaš (a strikingly shaped mountain), we decided not to choose at all and linked them together in one hike (a decision our legs loudly regretted the next day) ⛰️.

    While the area is pretty touristy, we managed to find some quieter spots (with the best views) to spend the night, although we had to flee a wildfire one evening 🔥.    Read more

  • Around the Adriatic
    Schonbrunn Palace 🏰 with Vienna in the back
    Hofburg Palace & Schmetterlinghaus 🦋Basically every street in Vienna looks like thisSaint Stephen's Cathedral in the old town ⛪FerstelpassageThe Palm House @ SchonbrunnThe Neptune Fountain @ SchonbrunnThe Gloriette @ SchonbrunnPrater - Vienna's amusement park where you can roam around for freeKarkskirche - where Vivaldi was buriedPoppy seed 🍦 - not your typical flavors @ VeganistaOne of the many small vintage shopsBelvedere Palace 🏰

    Vienna

    Aug 8–11 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    As we’d never been here before and since it's right in the middle of our journey to Albania, we decided to make a stop in Vienna!

    With its rich cultural heritage and long history as a center of power in the former Holy Roman Empire, Vienna deserved more than just a quick visit. So, we spent our first three nights in Otto at a P+R spot close to the city 🚐.

    We were pretty amazed by the grandeur of the city. Beautiful old houses and palaces are literally everywhere 🏰. But because everything is so big and majestic, the city doesn’t exactly feel cosy.

    Our timing wasn’t perfect as we arrived in the middle of a heatwave 🥵. We found shelter in Vienna’s many beautiful parks and made it our mission to try an ice cream at every Veganista store in town 🍦 (and failed, but maybe that’s a good thing, considering there are ten of them).    Read more

  • Around the Adriatic
    Benson - The Sweetie
    Queenie - The Little BitchBenjamin - The CuddlerGrayson - The BossEddie - The ChillerEric - The Cookie Monster1Ollie - The Wild OneThe Funky OneView from the gym (yes there is a gym)Borrelen - adapting to the local culture (every night 😳)Forum - Groningen's hip cultural centerGroninger MuseumUsual stops when city tripping: book-, coffee- and second-hand shops 📚De Waag in LeeuwardenBlokhuispoort - old prison turned into cultural hubCycling 50km on a typical old Dutch bike 🥵Sneek's Waterpoort1

    Housesit Leeuwarden

    Jul 22–Aug 8 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    We didn't have to think long when we were invited back to this amazing place. Taking care of the 2 dogs 🐶, 5 cats 😺, and 12 chickens🐔 while making plans for the future at the swimming pool was hardly a punishment. Only a 4-hour drive away from our hometown, some friends came over for a visit.

    We also took the time to explore Friesland, strolling around beautiful Groningen, making a few coffee trips to Leeuwarden and cycling to Sneek.    Read more

    Trip start
    July 22, 2025
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