The drive from Vlorë to Sarandë

More than we expected.

Travel day. A necessary part of every nomad’s life, and yet often not a fun part.

Exceptions include things like having a rental car and taking a slow drive with lots of stops, like we did in Turkey from Izmir to Selçuk. Or a train ride from Palermo to Rome, that included a ferry ride while on the train (hard to forget).

But last weekend we worked with our Airbnb host to find our driver, Andy, to take us on a two-and-a-half-hour drive down the Albanian coast from Vlorë to Sarandë, and we thought it was just another travel day. We hoped to get from point A to B safely and uneventfully, nothing more.

Our lack of research worked in our favor. We were pleasantly surprised by the beautiful drive.

Our driver Andy was a nice guy, he learned some about us and we learned about his family. As we rose and fell on the curvy roads to ear-popping heights and sea-level lows, we saw some of the most beautiful sights that we have ever seen. I will include some pictures, but most are from the car with few exceptions. And even our best pictures do not come close to replacing what we saw first-hand.

We started by seeing some beautiful mountains off in the distance, on either side. Through the course of our drive, some mountains became more distant while others started to tower. All underlaid by peaceful pastures and forests that would be at home in Alabama.

The first part of the drive was a bit more inland, but then we reached the coast and got our first view of the sea from this far south. I was not able to properly capture it, but we came over a hill and were driving straight down for a stretch.

Coming over that ridge revealed the sea directly ahead, the road a runway taking us there. It was surreal and beautiful. We just stared at the water, vast and stretched out before us, so thankful for the opportunity to take this in.

The road leveled out and wound around some more, as we played peek-a-boo with the sea again and again. The clock was counting down, and we were down to the last hour or so.

Then our driver Andy started to slow down a bit, for no apparent reason.

Then we saw it.

A turnout with one of the most stunning views of the sea that we have seen in person. I would argue that one of our turnout views on our road trip in Turkey is the only one that can even compete.

As far as we could see, a transition from sandy beach to turquoise water to deep blue sea. No cafes or restaurants. No congregations of umbrellas. No people at all.

After I “got the shot” and put the phone away, I just stared for several moments. These are the unexpected reasons we love our nomad life. It wasn’t long, but it was impactful.

The rest of the drive was fairly uneventful. We made it to our Airbnb, paid Andy with our thanks and appreciation, and got checked in.

I think two things came out of this drive for me.

One is a reminder that no matter how well we plan, how things unfold naturally is often better.

And two, attitude is more important than reality. If we had started our day in dread of the long trek, we would have wasted emotion to no end. And we would have delayed our enjoyment, requiring a transition from sour mood to amazement.

I think unemployment is also teaching me these lessons, which I remember better on some days than others. A positive attitude prepares you for the unexpected, which by definition you cannot plan for.

A beautiful drive indeed.