“We sit on the border of East and West, but we’re always looking west,” says Dritan Xhengo, who established Past and Present Journeys 10 years ago, to introduce tourists to his native Albania. For decades, this small country, on the western side of the Balkan Peninsula, surrounded, on one side by sea, and the other by Slavic dictatorships, was shut off completely to the outside world.
For the intrepid traveller who prefers beating a new path rather than following one, Albania offers some of Europe’s last undiscovered beaches, as well as surprising culinary appeal.
We begin with a lunch of fresh oysters from the Ionian Sea, washed down with white wine from Albanian’s biggest vineyard, Cobo.
Tirana, with its wide, quiet boulevards, and massive, squatty, Communist-era buildings is a fascinating view to the past and the present. There are bicycles for rent and entire, dedicated cycle lanes. Our boutique hotel is situated on the “block,” the area open only to government officials until 1991, now Tirana’s trendiest area.
From Tirana, we head back down south, via a 13th century monastery whose frescoes rival those in Florence. We wind down through the seaside town of Vlore, known for its fresh seafood, before the sapphire Adriatic turns into the turquoise Ionian Sea.
At the edge of a white pebble beach in Palasa, we taste warm, toasted bread served with fresh bruschetta and a yogurt spread with hints of mint that’s so local we’re unable to satisfy future cravings for it. Small fillets of tender white fish are delicately laced with lemon peel, and octopus carpaccio is drizzled in Albanian olive oil. We could be anywhere in the Med, except we’d be paying at least twice as much.
Ksamil is famous for its well-photographed white, sandy beaches and clear, azure water. There are no resorts in Albania, and the beach is no exception; no luxury, and little tourism infrastructure outside of basic, small, family owned hotels. In return, there are unobstructed views of streaky, smudgy orange and pink sunsets.
A small island beach is accessible by boat, or an exhilarating 700 metre swim. The water is safe, still and shallow. The island’s Lion Club pumps up the volume with bass-thumping beats and a beach bar. Albania’s beach motto is, after all, “Less clothes, more music.”
In five to 10 years, luxury may be in the offing, but along with it, will come the hoards of people. Go now, before everyone else does.
You can enjoy more images of this journey below.
