Albania - The Adventure Begins!

I arrived in Albania yesterday after 20+ hrs of traveling…car, buses, planes-3, escalators, stairs, and lots of walking…to begin our adventure in the Balkan region of Europe.  My friend, Robyn, and I were scheduled to come in 2021, but the pandemic we will chose to forget postponed our plans.  It is a little strange to me to be overseas after our imposed isolation…foreign languages more prominent than English…the smell of cigarette smoke at outside cafes…figuring out the time difference to the US.  It is definitely an adventure!

Our flights were great…a little bumpy over the open ocean…but I prefer to think the plane was rocking me while those heavenly angels were supporting the wings.  I always pray for angels to support the planes when I fly, and I love the thoughts of flowing robes when I look out the window.

My last transatlantic flight was to Dubai and Africa, and I am now spoiled by Emirates Air!  This trip on United left me thankfully for safety but missing the leg room, the comfortable seats, the entertainment, and the FOOD that Emirates offered.  However, even Newark airport cooperated only leaving us hanging on the tarmac when we arrived for 40 minutes.

With flight connections through Newark and then Frankfort, Germany, Robyn thought it would be a miracle if our bags arrived with us in Albania.  They did but as the taxi was closing its trunk, I thought, “Did I just see what I think I saw?”

I usually buy my luggage at TJMax with an emphasis on color and low cost…in that order!  After much research including Consumer Reports, I decided to invest in a much better brand at a much higher cost.  My purple 25” bag was probably 4x what I would normally spend, but “It’s an investment!” as I look forward to many more trips abroad.  To accompany this beautiful bag and since purple wasn’t available, I bought a 19” dusty rose carry-on which would satisfy every international restriction of 21” including those delightful spinner wheels.  

Pink and purple….my favorite colors since childhood when I had a  lavender bedroom, my wedding’s bridesmaids’ dresses were pink and violet, the master bathroom plum and rose towels in my first house, and have you seen my house in Williamsburg?  When I had the foyer and hallway repainted, I asked Bryan what he thought of the color.  “It’s PURPLE!” he exclaimed.  

Defensively I  said, “It is not.  It is Violet Evening!”  

Ok…back to trip.  Robyn and I elected to arrive a day earlier than our tour started.  The tour company knew this in December 2020…over 1 1/2 years ago!  We assumed we would be spending our first night in the same hotel as the subsequent 3.

Our taxi delivered us to a different hotel than our very detailed and extensive itinerary stated.  “No, no!  We are at the Oxford, not the Opera!”  The cabbie kept driving in horrendous traffic running a few stop signs and at least one bright red stoplight all the while merging lanes where there were none and talking and then yelling into the phone!

I suspect there were quite a few cuss words…my Albanian is rusty!..and he probably rained a couple of curses on Robyn, me, our descendants, Americans, and maybe all tourists!  Robyn tried to engage him with questions, but he either didn’t speak much English or wanted to forget we were there.  By this time, I just didn’t want to be left on a street corner.

We were finally told that we were at the Opera Hotel for one night before moving to the Oxford.  The cabbie delivered our bags and RAN back to his car.  Hummm….22+ months’ notice and our tour company couldn’t arrange an extra night!

We received our hotel keys but sit in the lobby for almost 1 1/2 hrs trying to reach the Oxford hotel, the American tour company, their office in Croatia…someone to make sure we were in the right place.  I had no international phone plan as I planned to depend on email, texting, and FaceTime connections through WiFi.  Skype and WhatsApp wanted to send me a text to confirm which I could not receive.  Robyn had an international sim-card, but the only number she could reach was their US office.  The hotel desk clerk said the Oxford Hotel’s telephone number didn’t work.  We were dealing with this after 30 minutes of sleep in about 34 hrs.

Robyn finally reached someone confirming our one night at the Opera Hotel, our Albania tour guide would meet us the next morning to transfer hotels, and I just wanted to go to bed.  Robyn was hyped on adrenaline and wanted to walk.

 

But first, I had to deal with a split zipper on my new and beautiful and expensive luggage on its virgin trip!  Since most of my items were in packing cubes, it didn’t look like I had lost anything.  Imagine my bloomers parading along the airport luggage conveyor belt!  

I carefully re-teethed the zipper but not before taking pictures.  I will be calling the company when I return to replace this suitcase!

We headed to the “castle” area to explore and grab a light supper.  The site contains the ruined walls of a Byzantine-era fortification built before 1300 AD  and now supports a pedestrian mall and lots of restaurants and shops.  We shared fried sheep cheese for dinner along with piglet porchetta!  Maybe not the wisest or best choices, but I and my decision making skills were starting to resemble the Walking Dead…and I always gravitate to weird stuff. 

I slept well….Robyn did not…and so ended the first day of Travels with GJ does the Balkans!

(Sorry…no pics.  I’ve spent almost 6 hrs on this post and several of it was trying to resize pics to include.  Will try again tonight!)