Albania: From Tirana to Valbona via Prizren, 14 September 2012

After 3 to 4 months without rain, it started to rain in Tirana the night before we left for the Valbona Valley. We found our guide, Bledar, left from the bus stop with a minibus. There were only Lisbeth, me, Bledar and his brother.

Find the car. We were driving with the new highway that goes through the mountains from Tirana to Pristina in Kosovo called ‘The Road of the Nation’. There was very few cars on the road, and I thin it must compete with the famous (famous at least in Denmark) Risgaaard and Knudsen highways in northern Jutland, Denmark for being the highways in the world with the least traffic. We went via Prizren in Kosovo, as it is by far the fastest way to get to the Valbona valley.

We had a two hours stop in Bajram Curri - the regional centre, as we had to shift from one minibus to another. Our guidebook writes about Bajram Curri: It is a windy town whose lack of charm is amply compensated by the beautiful moutains which overlook it.

The town is named after a famous hero Bajram Curri from the liberation wars to free the country from ottoman rule.

Eventually the minibus from Bajram Curri to Valbona was ready for departure. This time the bus was fully booked.

We stopped to deliver equipment to a guy working with some road repair.

At then we reached our bed & breakfast place, which was run by the mother, farther and sister of our guide brothers. The minibus from Bajram Curri has a daily regular stop at the place. Bledar told that they opened the place 6 years ago, and that they has many visitors, approximately half Albanians and half foreign. When we were there were 6 hikers sleeping in their tent and the farm, an Austrian couple in their Land Rover and 19 Albanian ladies on a weekend trip. Next day a group of 12 people from New Zealand, who was on a hiking trip to Croatia, Albania and Greece, members of a hiking club, arrived. Bledar also told that by the time they opened they were the only B&B. Now there are many B&Bs, small hotels and restaurants in the valley and the former depopulation has turned into an increase of the population in the valley.

The river which hides its water Next to the farm is the river. Actually the river is covered with a two meter layer of stones, and the water is running between, so there is only water in the river a few days a year after torrential rain.

Evening at the family farm.