There are places we visit, and then there are places that awaken something in us. Albania has done just that.
I fell in love with its wild, untamed beauty — the mountains rising towards the sky, the rivers carving their way through deep valleys, the forests covering the hillsides, and the very, very blue sea stretching endlessly towards the horizon. There is something about this landscape that speaks to my heart. Perhaps it’s the feeling of space, of freedom, of nature still allowed to be a little wild. Or perhaps it’s simply the joy of being somewhere that makes me want to keep exploring.
Gjirokastër is the birthplace of the celebrated Albanian novelist Ismail Kadare. His writing often draws on the city’s haunting atmosphere and Albania’s complex history. During Enver Hoxha’s communist regime, writers like Kadare were allowed a way to explore political realities that could not always be addressed directly.
Googling Ismail Kadare, I came across his Longing for Albania. His words seem to capture something of what I felt:
“I was filled with longing for Albania,
For that great, wide and deep sky,
For the azure course of the Adriatic waves,
For the Albanian Alps with their white hair and green beards…”
I had only just begun to discover Albania, yet I understood that longing. The mountains, the vast sky, the blue of the sea — they had already found a place in me. Perhaps this is how attachment to a country begins: not with knowing it, but with feeling unexpectedly at home in its landscapes.
Gjirokastër, the City of Stone, clings to the hillsides above the Drino River valley. Its steep cobbled streets climb to the imposing fortress that seem to grow out of the mountains themselves. Walking through this UNESCO-listed old town, I felt as though I were wandering through the pages of another century, like I had once been part of it.
I explored the fortress, wandered through the Old Bazaar and admired the traditional stone houses. I could easily have spent hours discovering the city on foot — if only the afternoon heat hadn’t turned those beautiful cobblestones into an exhausting obstacle course – especially with thin soled barefoot shoes! 😊
Further south, at Butrint, history and nature seemed to merge into one. According to legend, the city was founded by refugees from Troy after the Trojan War. Archaeology tells a more complex story, beginning with its development as a Greek settlement. Today, this UNESCO World Heritage Site preserves more than 2,500 years of human history, surrounded by lush vegetation, water and the quiet beauty of its natural setting.
And then, the Ionian Sea.
The Ionian holds some of the deepest waters in the Mediterranean, including the Calypso Deep, which plunges more than 5,000 metres. Imagine what lies beneath that vast blue surface! My diver’s fantasy went wild…
After a delicious lunch, we swam in its wonderfully clear waters, with the dramatic coastline stretching around us. I wish I could share photographs, but I was far too busy floating in the waves, soaking up the moment and invoking the God of the Seas — Neptune, alias Poseidon.
For centuries, sailors entrusted their journeys to Poseidon, leaving offerings in the hope of safe passage and calm seas. I left a coin on the beach. One never knows when a little divine goodwill might come in handy. 😉
What stays with me most, though, is not any single monument or destination. It is the feeling of Albania itself — the mountains, the rivers, the forests, the sea. The way history and nature seem to accompany one another, and how often I found myself wanting to stop, look around and simply take it all in. And a final, wonderfully simple memory: being spoonfed freshly extracted honey by our beekeeper, Mr. Landi. Nothing quite like tasting a little sweetness straight from the source. 🐝
I came to discover a country. I left with a longing to return. I have a feeling Albania has only just begun to reveal itself to me. But there are still so many roads to wander, rivers to follow, mountains to cross and stories to hear.
#iamawanderer #Travelmaniac #Peopleandstories
