Skye Sheep. October 2023.
You should go to Skye. As soon as you can. Stay in a cabin. Hike the hills. Swim in the sea. Wrap yourself in a wool blanket and drink whiskey by the fire as a cold rain provides steady percussion on the tin roof. Revel in the natural beauty that surrounds you.
Moonrise in Sarandë. July 2022.
It’s not the easiest place to get to, even from one of the busiest airports in the world. But the Albanian coastal city of Sarandë is truly a unique and special place. Sarandë takes some of the best bits of Italy, Greece, and the Balkans and marries them together. The result is a spectacular contrast of ideals and cultures that can only be described as… Albania.
A valley between Sarandë’s coast and the inland mountain range. July 2022.
Growing up, I played soccer (football) and made friends with an Albanian family so visiting their home country had been a long time goal of mine for quite awhile. I got the chance when I read about how you can take a quick ferry ride from the popular Greek holiday island of Corfu. So I added Corfu to the summer holiday itinerary with the sole purpose of visiting Albania for a few days. In fact, we took a taxi straight from the Corfu airport to the Corfu Town Port. Thirty-five minutes later, we stepped foot in the home country of my old soccer pals.
As I mentioned before, Albania is a land of contrasts. The ferry ride over to Sarandë (high speed ferry service on Finikas Lines) was a perfect introduction to this concept. Surrounded by crystal waters of the Ionian while inhaling intense diesel fumes was something of an experience. Being forcibly befriended by a local who apparently knew every single person at both Finikas Lines and the Albanian border security was also fun, if a not a little overwhelming. “For €10 you can have a great night on the town in Albania,” he told me as he handed me three of the six beers he grabbed directly from behind the small counter that only crew were supposed to go behind. “For €100 you can live like a king.” Well, Gëzuar to that.
Turns out my new friend was pretty spot on. A large apartment a few steps from downtown was under €50 for the night. An amazing dinner at a family run restaurant right on the water was under €20 including (several) cocktails and bottled water was something like €0.25. I think this even beats out Budapest as far as bang for your buck goes. We were even treated to a beautiful sunset and a near-full moonrise. Albania’s beauty is astounding. Later that night we sat on the balcony drinking Albanian beer (€0.60/pint) reflecting on the wonderful people we had met and watching the party boat circle the bay. We were already in love with this city.
The next day it was time for some adventuring. If the southern coast of Albania is famous for anything, it is for the beautiful beaches that line the crystal blue waters of the Ionian Sea. Naturally, there are big boats that will take you on day trips to visit several of them. And naturally they leave relatively early in the morning so you have plenty of time to visit them all. And naturally I didn’t really think about this beforehand and we woke up and headed to the harbor well after they had all already gone for the day. Fortunately, we were in Albania.
After unsuccessfully enquiring at a few tourist offices, we came across a local trying to get off of her boat. The boat couldn’t get any closer to the dock and the end of the gangplank was still a short distance away and rocking quite a bit, so we reached and helped steady the boat as she jumped off. This turned out to be a fortunate meeting because here friends had a small boat and were happy to let us charter it for the day. I guess we ended up breaking the “King for €100” rule, but it was easily worth €150 to charter a private boat with snacks and drinks for 5-6 hours. Of course it was a little sketchy at first. Here we were, heading off into the wild blue sea with two strangers with somewhat surly demeanors and who immediately started steering the boat to a less-than-welcoming cove at the outskirts of town, surrounded by abandoned bunkers. Oh yeah, the bunkers. Have I mentioned the bunkers yet?
Bunkers Along the Sea. July 2022.
Albania is covered in some 173,000 bunkers. That’s one bunker for every sixteen people. That’s sixteen bunkers every square mile (or six every square kilometer for my non-USA readers). There’s a playground in downtown Sarandë with a bunker in the middle of it. There’s also a somewhat terrifying statue of Hillary Clinton’s head and guess what’s right beside it? Bunker. Remember the contrast thing I mentioned earlier? Flat grey bunkers on the edge of the sparkling blue sea are a perfect demonstration of that concept.
The Turquoisest Bluest Water I Have Ever Seen. July 2022.
So anyway, we were being taken to our doom by complete strangers, or so it seemed at first. Turns out the sketchy cove at the edge of town is actually the boat gas station. Once we had filled up, we cruised along the beautiful coastline. Eventually, our co-captains dropped anchor a few meters off the shoreline of Krorëza Beach and reached for a little herbal relaxation as we dove into the sea and headed for shore. We spent the next several hours exploring different beaches along the coast, our once-stoic guides becoming much more friendly as the day wore on. The boat returned to port that evening, just in time for dinner. Delicious pizza dinner. A drink or two. Sleep.
Sarandë From Above. July 2022.
The following day we went inland. I thought I was more prepared this time. What I thought was a day-long bus tour turned out to be our own private tour by car. An all-day private tour for about €50. Kings for a Day. We visited the hilltop castle Kalaja e Lëkurësit, and Albania’s famous Blue Hole. Or Blue Eye rather. Either way, it is a beautiful blue spring in the middle of a lush forest valley and surrounded by arid hill tops. And finally the ancient city ruins of Butrint, which has an acropolis older than THE Acropolis. Take that, Athena. We had very pleasant and amazing journey all day until some local traffic cops attempted to shake down our tour guide. I had the American embassy phone number pulled up on speed dial while loud arguments and wild gesticulations occurred outside the car. It was certainly exciting to say the least. But in the end we made it back safely, and in time for the return ferry to Corfu no less. It was a beautiful Albanian adventure full of contrasts, where we lived like kings and haggled like hustlers. I can’t wait to return.
Crystal Waters From the Blue Eye. July 2022.
Recommendations! Basically all the stuff I mentioned. But TL;DR Below:
Butrint, for sure. Worth the whole trip.
Kalaja e Lëkurësit (The castle on the hill)
Krorëza Beach
Honestly the group boat looked fun, if you can get up in time to go. They had a foam party on the deck. And the boat looks like a pirate ship.
Bar Restaurant Limani. Delicious breakfasts with giant portions. Try the Greek.
Shemo Beach Bar & Restaurant. Amazing food, family run, beautiful view. Ridiculously low prices and such a good value.
I hope you enjoyed the stories. If you have any questions or comments, let me know below! Thanks for reading!
Back in Corfu Town, Albania in the Distance. July 2022.
Lone Palm by Catedral de Mallorca. May 2021.
Like most people living through the pandemic, by May of 2021 I really needed a vacation. There were still restrictions in place across Europe, but it was possible to fly to Spain with a negative Covid test. And as long as you wore a mask outside. And there was a 10pm curfew. But in my opinion, it was still well worth the trip for the food, sun and beaches.
A Suite in Casa Delmonte. 10/10 Recommend.
Palau Reial de l'Almudaina
Bridge Before the Royal Palace.
Castell de Bellver, May 2021
A Peaceful Cala. May 2021.
Always tip your live musicians if they don’t completely suck :)
Shout out to the incredible Casa Delmonte, where the rooms feel like staying in an actual museum.
If you’re searching for beaches in Mallorca, you’d better head for the Cales. They are the famous rock-shelf-lined waters that end in beautiful beaches.
Marina Port De Mallorca. May 2021.
Mallorca/Majorca is a popular summer destination for a very good reason. The food is amazing, the beaches are absolutely gorgeous, and it won’t break the bank. Actually, the best tacos I’ve had so far in Europe were in Mallorca. Not that they come close to touching a taco truck in San Diego County, but still quite good.
Here are some things I recommend in Mallorca:
Casa Delmonte - Clearly. It’s beautiful, posh, and there’s an amazing private garden with white wicker chairs and a fully stocked cigar and whiskey bar. I mean, c’mon.
TaqueroMucho - Those tacos I was talking about. Best I’ve had so far in Europe, and certainly the closest representation to their SoCal counterparts.
Bakeries - Any well respected bakery in Spain will have my favorite breakfast - Jamon Serrano con Queso Manchego. Best breakfast/ham and cheese sandwich ever, hands down. It feels sacrilegious to even label it a ham and cheese sandwich. The best versions have butter and/or a crushed tomato spread.
Cala - Any cala. These beaches are really amazing and they are scattered across the island.
Bocalto Tapas - Eat all of the things here.
San Lorenzo - Hotel I stayed the first time I was in Mallorca. Also a very very nice hotel with a beautiful pool and patio area. Great for photoshoots :-D
Questions? Comments? Criticisms? Hit like and make a comment below…
Ponte Vecchio at Sunset, June 2017.
How to sum up one of my favorite cities in the world? Firenze was one of the first European cities I ever visited, taking the train up from Rome way back in June of 2017. I was on a solo backpack tour for two weeks, and fresh off of a few days of jet lag adjustment after flying from Los Angeles to Reykjavik to Dusseldorf to Rome. After spending hours and hours wandering around Roman streets, it was time for a change of scenery. I booked a train to Firenze and a low-key apartment a few blocks from Santa Maria del Fiore.
The train ride was a relatively short and incredibly beautiful ride through the Tuscan countryside. A quick 15 minute walk from Firenze Santa Maria Novella brought me to the small (but cheap!) room I was to stay in for the next two nights. Then it was time to see the city!
The Duomo Golden Hour, June 2017.
The Basilica Santa Maria del Fiore is one of the most iconic buildings in the world, and with good reason. To this day it (and its neighboring tower and baptistry) is probably the most impressive and beautiful building I have ever seen.
The Basilica Santa Maria del Fiore, known more simply as the Duomo, is a great place to hang out. It is right in the center of the city and is surrounded by pizzerias, gelatterias, and even an Irish pub! Many of the places have outdoor seating so you can sit outside and admire the amazing pink and green marble while enjoying some of the most amazing food in the whole world! Also Peroni!
With a full belly and a nice buzz, it was time to wander around Firenze!
Statua equestre di Cosimo I de' Medici facing the Duomo. June 2017.
Ahh, the Palazzo Vecchio. Built by the wealthy Medici family, for some reason they couldn’t figure out how to center a tower on top of a building. So it is probably my least favorite building in the world. See how ridiculous it looks? Grrrr….
Moving on! to one of the more famous bridges in the world, the Ponte Vecchio. At Sunset! (see also the first image in this post above). For reference, “ponte” means “bridge” in Italian. and the bridges in Firenze span the River Arno.
A Boat Ride in Front of Ponte Santa Trinta and Ponte Vecchio. June 2017.
Chiesa di San Frediano in Cestello, across the River Arno. June 2017.
That’ll do it for the throwback to my first time in Florence. Many many more posts to come, because I just love going back! Ciao!
Sunset on the River Arno, June 2017.
Lofoten is the Norwegian archipelago along the north-west coast of Norway. Here it is in mid-August:
A Small Village in the Lofoten Archipelago. August 2021.
The ferry ride from Bodø to Moskenesøya:
The village of Å:
The Village of Å. August, 2021.
Hoárbma before Djupfjordbrua, Moskenes, Norway. August, 2021.
Nøkkeløya on the Left. View from the Road out of Henningsvær. August, 2021.
Early Morning View from the Hemmingodden Lodge, Ballstad, Vestvågøy, Norge. August, 2021.
Mosken and Værøy Islands, Lofoten Archipelago, Norway. August, 2021.
Time for Futbol!
My first time in Sweden outside of the Stockholm Arlanda Airport…
Downtown Luleå from the Banks of the Lule River. August 2021.
A Yellow Sunset on the Lule River. August 2021.
Walking Path Along the Lule, August 2021.
Stone Fishing Pier on the River Lule. August 2021.
Enjoy the long sunsets. More Sweden to come!
