I had an easy start but it wasn’t easy finding some breakfast. Again, there were plenty of people drinking tea and coffee but very few eating. I ended up at a bakery beside some roadworks back near my BnB and had a spanakopita. The Greek influence is everywhere here.
So I left town quite late as usual but I knew that I had only about 54 kms of hills to get done before a couple of days off in Sarandë.
It was hilly from the start. Straight out of town it was up a short sharp hill and then down to a part of Himarë I didn’t know existed. It looked like a great place to spend some down time and I wished I had. I had booked 3 nights in Sarandë so it was out of the question.
Next was another hill that was 12 percent at its steepest. I needed to manage fatigue today, as yesterday was a big effort. I’d decided to get off and walk for anything over 10 percent as I was in no hurry, it was a beautiful day and the scenery would be stunning.
At the top of the hill, I stopped at a lay-by with some benches for travellers. I finished off my extra bottle of water and went to put on my sunscreen when I realised I’d left my sun sleeves and scarf behind. I knew it, but I still searched every bag as I didn’t want to go back and repeat those hills.
I was annoyed but then quickly realised that nothing like this matters. I messaged the host, who confirmed my stupidity, then got back on the bike and retrieved them. It’s funny, second time around it was easier – I was well and truly warmed up.
From there the day unfolded beautifully. Yes, there were hills but there were almost no clouds, Corfu sat off the coast, traffic was sparse even though it was Sunday and as usual, the Albanians were super friendly.
I passed Palermo Bay where there is a cold war submarine bunker. I spared a thought for an old mate from North Sydney Hockey Club, Knocker White, who was a submariner and passed away a few years ago.
I stopped at a cafe in Piqeras for some lunch. Apart from family, it was empty. When I asked what food they had, the lady said – what do you want ? I ended up with a fantastic vegie omelette with fresh bread and olive oil. It was exactly what I felt like.
While there I noticed the mum talking to her young daughter in English, which was totally unexpected. It turns out she and her family live in Birmingham and are just visiting. Some holiday working in mum’s cafe . This place like most villages was almost deserted so I was really happy they were there.
Next was a great downhill then an uphill, then … I’d made a count of the big hills, medium ones and tiddlers that I had ahead of me and progress was pretty swift.
The dogs today were a bit aggressive and quick to bare their teeth. Each time, I got off the bike and gave them a stern word and each time they backed off. Albanian dogs seem to know who’s the boss thank goodness.
The last part was an exhilarating downhill that was almost too steep and windy to really enjoy – because the drivers always cross to my side around blind corners. That was followed by a gentle ten kilometres with a late afternoon sun drenched valley to my left on an almost empty road. Things got busy near Sarandë though. There’s impatient traffic and high rise and I regretted my booking immediately. I didn’t expect it to be so built up.
I met the host at the BnB and relaxed. I’m exhausted and sore from the last two days’ effort. The way to alleviate this is through sleeping, eating and beer (carbo loading).
The next day I slept in, even though the jackhammers began at 8am, it didn’t matter. Sarandë is a dust bowl. There’s loads of roadwork, or to be more accurate, most of the roads are ripped up with very very little work happening to fix them. In fact some parts of Sarandë look abandoned. It doesn’t matter to me – I’ve done my washing, have wifi for planning, a balcony for relaxing and the weather is warm.