Seaside Albania, the north. Part 2 of our first day in Albania, following our morning adventure in Krujë. I never would have thought to spend any time here at all, if it weren’t for the recommendations of an Albanian friend. It was a modern, clean, and quirky little city that deserves more time than we gave it.
From my travel notebook:
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Day 1
“Our Airbnb for our first night in Albania was a small and simple, but cute flat behind a restaurant called Troy in Durres. The room cost $16 a night. After we arrived, we left our things in our room and drove about 10 minutes into town near the boardwalk, where we were able to park our car easily on the side of the road. We walked by the historic amphitheatre and out to the sea, past carnival rides, beach bikes, and stray dogs, wandering to the end of the boardwalk and back, until we eventually returned to the center for dinner at a restaurant on the pier. The place had sort of an odd casino vibe – trying hard to be fancy, without needing to be, but the food was good, and the view of the sunset was stunning. For dinner: two carafes of house white wine, seafood bruschetta, octopus salad, roasted vegetables, calamari, fresh caught fish, and complimentary fresh fruits for dessert. After that, it was late, and we were tired; we returned home to have some local Tirana beers at the restaurant in front of our flat before going to sleep. And of all the possible things that could have been on the bar walls, there was a Massachusetts license plate. The world is so small – and I am so lucky to see so much of it.”
Day 2
“We woke up at 7 am in Duress and ran along the seaside, on the boardwalk and occasionally on the very firm sand. It was a resort vibe, Gray-Malin-style colored umbrellas in geometric patterns all along the way. We passed a group of school children playing football on the beach. Then, shower, pack, get ready, get out, quick stop at our Airbnb restaurant for food. We had a full breakfast – eggs, sausage, cheese, tomato, toast – a plate of fresh fruit, and two local coffees; the total was about the equivalent of $5 USD. By 11 am, on the road again, on to the new day’s adventures.”
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Posts from this trip:
Albania #1
Albania #2
Albania #3
Albania #4
Albania #5
Albania #6
Albania #7
Albania / Corfu #8
exploring & escapades 
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