Hello friends and fam! We retired and moved to the Balkans. These pics from our first days in Albania.
The Bay of Vlorë opens to the Adriatic and Ionian seas. Albania borders with Greece, Montenegro, Macedonia, Kosovo, and Italy across the sea. In March the temperature was still cool.
Sunset of our first day in Albania and the Valza Boutique Hotel, where we stayed the first weeks.
Gerti, the owner of the hotel, took us to an observation point above the bay.
The plaque says the Albanian flag was first raised here November 28,1912 after defeating the Ottomans. Monuments to the national hero and founder of modern Albania Ismail Qemali.
Apartment and "Old Beach"
April 2026
We leased an apartment and are now fully immersed with the local culture, trying to learn the shqip language.
Knowing some italian is helping us communicate. Albanians are very friendly and kind people. They smile when we recourse to pointing and using "sign language" ☺
Sometimes we walk along Plazhi i Vjetër (old beach) north of the main boulevard. The ferry goes to/from Brindisi, Italy.
Beach day!
Another beach is adjacent to the summer home of the Albanian head-of-state (below).
Zvërnec Hike
Early May 2026
It is sunny and warm in May now. We donned our hiking gear and hiked 9 km up/down and along the coastline to a solitary beach.
We started the day at the Zvërnec monastery. Built in the 1300's on a small island in an estuary. After crossing to see the monastery, we hiked to the coast along olive groves and a small village.
Pic from the sign outside the monastery "please, no photography past this point"
Snow-capped peaks beyond the village.
We spotted sheep grazing as we hiked along the coastline (video).
Kalaja e Kanine
Castle of Kanina
May 13 2026
Steep hike up the mountain to the ruins of a castle built in 400 BC. Through groves of olive trees in bloom.
Our first time smelling the aroma of olive flowers (zoom in).
The species of olives that grow here in Vlorë are "kalinjot." We buy this olive oil at local markets.
Approaching the castle, the narrow streets of an old village.
View and sheep in the shade.
Below, the solid blocks at the bottom are from the original walls built in 400 BC. Layers were added through the middle ages to expand the castle.
Taking a break after the hike down the mountain. 6.5 miles round-trip.
Seaside cafés and views, soft music and gentle waves. Hours pass. Taking it easy.
One café gives you a "fortune." It said "When you love, time stops."
"There's a deep nomadic impulse built into us by the evolutionary process.. we come, after all, from hunter-gatherers, and for 99.9% of our tenure on Earth we’ve been wanderers." — Carl Sagan
Vlorë, Albania 2026
Vlorë Old Town
Apartment and
Zvërnec Hike
Kalaja e Kanine
Cafés
