Important decisions are made over a glass of wine. And so a dinner on the terrace at Davide's house, on a warm spring evening in Ascoli Piceno, marked the start and finish of the usual... cycling holiday summer: landing in Tirana and returning from Athens, therefore Albania e Greece.
Two countries that none of us three (the third of the gang is Stefano) had ever visited. But in between there was trace the path real, possibly with some dirt roads capable of enhancing our gravel bikes.
A new capital
We then decided to visit the Albanian capital and then move to Vlora by bus the next day, the real start of our riding tour. Our official destination was set at Meteors, the singular Hellenic mountain formations that rise near Kalambaka, in Thessaly, on top of which stand typical Orthodox monasteries.
A Tirana is breathing the air of change, with skyscrapers under construction contrasting with the city's more backward neighborhoods. There's actually no bus to Vlora; at the bus terminal, there are vans with the destinations of the various cities written on them. There's no ticket office, nor even a ticket; you pay the driver in cash upon arrival.
In Valona we fix the bikes and we are ready to give the first pedal strokes after eating souvlaki for a few lek, the local currency.
Despite the weather
This first stage involves following the coast to Himare but, despite this, there is the Llogara Pass to tackle, a 1.000-meter pass overlooking the sea Due to the particular topography of the coast, the road is part of the Eurovelo 8 route that connects Cadiz (Spain) with Athens.
Vlora is known for its beautiful sea and in fact the part of the city that rises along the beach has another face, more captivating than the internal one, echoing the contrasts we found in Tirana. Once out of the city the asphalt follows the ups and downs of the coast and when you leave the sea the road begins to climb towards the 10 kilometers of LlogaraThe vegetation changes from the first bends, but unfortunately the weather does too, so much so that within a few minutes we find ourselves under a heavy thunderstorm.
We have to take shelter under the porch of a house under construction and, wisely, we decide to abort the first stage by going back a couple of kilometers downhill and taking a side valley leading to the village of Dukat, where a few goats roam freely, oblivious to the rain. Our first assault on the Llogara failed, and we'll try again tomorrow. In the meantime, we console ourselves with a dinner of... boiled kid.
Back on the road
The next morning the alarm clock rings at six. We set out to get back on schedule, so in addition to the climb of Llogara at the start, in total there are 115 kilometers and 2.300 meters planned of altitude difference to get to Ksamil: a tough test for us who, although we travel in bikepacking gear, are far from being light.
The view from the top of the pass is unique. The sea lies below us, beneath the gray morning sky, and we admire it from the panoramic terrace where we're having breakfast with an omelette...
«I think it's one of the most beautiful descents I've ever done», Davide shouts to us as he comes alongside us at the exit of a hairpin bend overlooking the sea. Indeed, the descent is fast, with wide curves and a view that disappears. on the horizon of the Ionian Sea.
Views and flavors of the coast
Arrived in Himare we fill up on peaches and bananas and the road continues along the coast without a single meter of flat land. We also meet another bikepacker on the road, Alex, who left Salzburg three weeks earlier. However, he has road tires, so we have to say goodbye to him when we take a dirt road off to the right.
Our choice to go fishing on a mule track outside the Eurovelo 8 section brings us joys and sorrows: views overlooking the sea and stretches of rock, quiet away from the traffic and climb the steps of a small village with stone houses.
A Saranda the most is done and the last kilometers towards Ksamil, another tourist destination on the Albanian coast, we eat them. The small feat is accomplished, and a dinner in the square featuring mussels and shrimp is more than deserved.
Heading for Greece
La The third stage is the longest one on the program, over 120 kilometers to enter Greece and reach the city of Ioannina. Unfortunately we have to modulate theTravel with an eye on the weather forecast and we are forced to pedal at full speed again from the very first kilometres, so we cannot visit the site Butrint UNESCO.
However, we keep to the planned dirt roads, this time smooth and flat and, having quickly dodged a dog that had emerged from a cornfield and anxious to have breakfast with our calves, we took a path forgotten even by the local shepherds, but excellent for allowing us to "clandestinely" pass through Greek-Albanian border without too much difference in height.
And now… on with the Greece!
