We set our alarms for 2:15am to start our journey from Albania to Meriden, NH. While our trip to Albania was a great adventure, we were excited to be heading back home. We talked about what we were most excited to do when we got back home. For me, I could not wait to play with my pups and check out how the garden was doing. Dan was most excited about sleeping in our bed and to hear how it went with James and Maron taking care of Ernie and Luca.
Dan's top experiences in Albania were: 1) Holtes Canyon 2) Benjes Canyon 3) Xhiro in Berat 4) Affogado in Shkoder
Kara's top experiences in Albania were: 1) Holtes Canyon 2) Hiking Maja Rosi 3) Dipping & jumping in Lumi Valbones without anyone else around 4) Xhiro in Berat
Taking off before sunrise from Tirane Airport
Sunrise from Air Italia
Layover in Rome
I bought a massive sandwich that fed both Dan and me for 2 meals.
Layover in Amsterdam.
Final bird home
After being awake and traveling for over 24 hrs, I was soooooo happy to see my pups.
One of the best things about traveling for me is being reminded that I actually live in paradise. Despite very little sleep, I couldn't wait to zip up the Ledges to greet the new day from home. Lucky me, I have the two best hiking buddies who are willing to get up before the sun to join me. Dan's a great travel buddy, but he is not a big fan of getting up before the sun.
Last year, Dan bought a book about canyoning in Albania, so that's how we ended up deciding to go adventure there. I read about the beautiful mountains, but what tipped the scales in Albania's direction was what I read about the food - it's kind of a mix of Greek, Italian, Turkish, and more. And with a mountain range named the "Accursed Mountains", we kind of HAD to check it out. Before we left, we had to get our ducks in a row, including creating our "geriatric garden" (raised beds) and putting the plants in the garden, getting and training a puppy, packing a lot of gear, wrapping up things things at school for my work and putting together the master spreadsheet for our trip. And before we knew it, it was time to depart. It was a long travel day, but we finally made it to Dhermi, Albania. We said goodbye to our pups, Maya and James and then headed off to catch the Concord Coach with a quick stop to get the salads that we always get for flights at Market...
There was not time to be jet lagged because we had things to do today. The weather and wind cooperated, so we grabbed some breakfast at a bakery on the beach and then headed to meet the paragliding folks. Because, why not go paragliding on your 1st morning in Albania? Plus, today we got proof that Kara and Dan were on a beach during a vacation - unheard-of. Check out the color of that water - it really is that blue! A delicious breakfast from a bakery on the beach. A bakery on the beach The paragliding launch spot One of our pilots using some flagging tape at the end of a stick to figure out the wind - very high tech. Setting up the paragliders We did introductions with our pilots, set up the gear, waited for the right wind and figured out who would fly with whom - they divided up our weight, so I went with the bigger pilot named Guisne. I was told that all I had to do was run when I was told to run and then hold the camera. That sounded easy. So, I was excited, but not nerv...
Dan thought it was a good idea to do Benjes Canyon today despite the fact that it is a more technical canyon and very few people even do canyoning in Albania. So, I was a little anxious the night before thinking that we might die in a canyon in Albania. I am writing this blog now, so we obviously didn't die - yay. The morning started off well with a yummy breakfast in the garden of our guesthouse. Then we packed up our gear and headed off to find Benjes Canyon. We had to go several kilometers on a dirt road which would have made our rental car company very unhappy. We drove very carefully though. Breakfast in the garden of our guesthouse Our guesthouse There were even little pizza fritta - just like I learned how to make from my Italian mom and Nana We parked at a church that was tricky to drive to. The approach to the canyon was about an hour of hiking in the hot sun on a faint trail. It seems like we have spent a lot of time sweating since we have been in Albania. Eventually, we...
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