Thank you for liking Albania!

After my mom travelled back home I have made my way to city near Greece border in sothern Albania. For me, Albania has been one of the most challenging country to cycle, but at the same time one of my favorites. The mountains have continued and the is just stunning. I cycled the cost of Montenegro and started miss mountains, so I planned to cross Albania through the north east mountain region called Valbone national park. Unfortunately my bike broke down after the border with Montenegro. Even if Skoder is a town with thousands of bicycle, I didn't manage to find a new chainrings for my bike. The chainrings had had some problems since Bosnia, but by gentle hammering and the chain was running in it smoothly.

So I had to put travel to Tirana with bus, in order to hunt this part. Earlier in Montenegro, I had met two beautiful girls on the wheels and we had planned to meet again in Skoder. We never met again because my Tirana trip, but I was happy to share few days with Claire and Biene. Hope to see you somewhere on the road again!

Tirana is town full of everything and the traffic seemed not to have any laws. Yet, I felt more comfortable to cycle there than in some towns in Finland. The car drivers are used to share the road with horses, dunckies, cycles and everything else that moves forward.

I stayed one full day in a cycle repair street in Tirana, while the owner was calling around to find the chainrings. There is actually one street, where around 7 shops are selling second hand cycles and fixing them. While waiting for the new set of chainrings, I got some beers, lunch and listened stories of people in the cycle repair place.

From Tirana, I had to make a decision, either to head back up north to the Alps of Albania, or continue towards south. I already liked Albania, so I wanted to explore more of the country. Therefore, I decided to go down south. Leave alps for next time.

So, I got to explore Albania. I choose a national park that I wanted to go, before crossing the border to Greece. Also took some random roads in meanwhile. With this kind of route planning, I learned that the roads in Albania can change very sudden from perfect asphalt to very poor rocky roads. The main roads are in very good condition, but the rest are a bit more challenging. Good experience for me to learn more about my bike, what I can do with it and what I should think twice. Now, I have gotten very unsure, if it will make its way through poor roads in other parts of the world. Well, time will show.

The people along the way were once again the most warm hearted. People were running behind me to bring me water and wish me good luck. I have not bought any vegetables yet, because the veggie-sellers refuse to take money from me. In the villages I get my water normally from the cafeterias and they invite me for coffee. When I have told that Albania is one of my favorite country so far, people often say: thank you for liking Albania and give me some more food.

It has been said that Albania is the most dangerous country in Europe, but nothing else than good things have happened to me. I love the fact that the bordering countries are very suspicious for one another and trying to worn me for the next country I am cycling. Once I have entered people say the same for the next country. In Albania, people tell me that as long as I stay in Albania, nothing bad will happen to me or my stuff. In Albania the family relationships are thigh and to be alone as solo female cyclist, i feel that people are taking me into their homes with open arms. Poverty can be seen, but at the same time the new government has put lot of effort to spread the money for new infrastructure. Lot of men are unemployed and are sitting in the cafeterias or roadsides of villages and towns.

Along my route there was a beautiful historical town Breat, from where it was one day cycling to the national park. The canyon was stunning and the road was good for long time. Unfortunately it has rained heavily the day before, so when I entered into the national park the road was more like a mood pool. I carried my bike for some hours but there was no end with the mood, so i was once again stuck. I managed to get out from there and into Gjracaste town located close to border of Greece.