The Long-Winded Version

7.20am Collect Maxine!

The adventure begins.

I pick up Maxine and within minutes we’re deep in conversation. In fact, we’re chatting so much that we completely fail to notice the others overtaking us on the M11. Apparently, they were bibbing their horns and waving like mad people, but no, we didn’t see a thing! 😂

Then again, we didn’t see them at the Long Stay car park either… mainly because we were in the wrong car park. Oops. Mid Stay, here we come.

10.00am Wetherspoons tradition

No Adventure Geek airport departure would be complete without a visit to Wetherspoons. Traditions are important.

Then we experience another tradition… flight delayed.

Still, eventually we board and settle into our seats. Happy days.

Fifteen minutes later, another announcement crackles over the speaker from our captain:

Apparently, it was weather-related.

Oh joy. Thankfully, I had a good book and watched Office Romance on Netflix.

5.35pm First glimpse of Albania

Wow. I thought flying into Dubrovnik was spectacular, but the approach into Podgorica Airport was on another level.

As we descended through the clouds, endless mountains stretched towards the horizon. Deep green forests covered the slopes, broken only by winding rivers, tiny villages and narrow tracks snaking across the hillsides. Somewhere down there were the famous trails of the Albanian Alps that we’d soon be walking ourselves.

It looked wild, remote and wonderfully untouched, and for the first time I allowed myself to get excited.

5.55pm Welcome to the heat

The cabin doors open and the heat hits us immediately. 31°C!

The bags arrive surprisingly quickly and I’m now on the hunt for our driver.

Eventually, I spot him proudly holding a sign that reads:

Close enough.

And we are off. Albanian driving commences and I’m immediately thankful for the travel sickness tablets that I consumed on the plane.

We stop for diesel… €1.79 per litre, so they are feeling the pinch here as well. Our driver puts in €107 worth of fuel and we are soon back on the road.

Driving in Albania is certainly an experience.

Under Albania’s communist regime, private car ownership was heavily restricted, and very few people owned vehicles until the early 1990s. Today, however, the roads are full of cars and everyone seems to be in a hurry.

At one point, we were overtaking a lorry while a car headed straight towards us with its headlights flashing. Eeeek! I won’t type the words I actually said.

Border control seemed to take forever. Eventually, we made it through and arrived in Shkodër, one of Albania’s oldest cities and often known as the gateway to the Albanian Alps.

As we stepped off the coach, Stephanie, Julie, Snay and Jennie were waiting for us, waving Albanian flags. What a welcome.

8.30pm Dinner at Tradita

After a quick freshen-up, James, our host for the trip, led us on a short walk through the streets of Shkodër to our restaurant for the evening.

Tradita Restaurant felt more like stepping into a traditional Albanian courtyard than a restaurant.

Old bicycles hung from the walls. Antique farming tools and wooden carts were dotted around the grounds. Lanterns glowed softly in the evening light, while vines and flowers climbed over stone walls. Traditional Albanian music drifted through the warm air and a lady sang nearby as we sat beneath the open sky.

It had the feel of a rustic taverna where people have been gathering, eating and telling stories for generations.

The waiter was superb. He remained remarkably calm while sixteen ladies attempted to order dinner at the same time.

Beer and wine were flowing, conversations bounced around the table and you could already see friendships beginning to form.

Tonight, I tried cornbread for the first time, served with a warm cheese dip. I really liked it.

I wasn’t quite so keen on my pasta, which was rather salty, but the Albanian alcohol-free beer was definitely a hit.

Time for bed

Just as I was settling down for the night, our phones started pinging.

A message from James.

The ferry timetable had changed.

Instead of meeting at 5.45am, we now didn’t need to leave until 8.30am.