These superlatives contain the notable things from my 8 day Albanian road trip on the southern coast between Vlorë and Ksamil.

Best Seafood

The shrimp at Eni – Bar Kafe – Traditional Food, between Ksamil and Saranda. Yum it was perfectly cooked and so flavorful that I ate up all the sauce with bread. I did not eat the heads. I think they were added back on for decoration.

Prettiest beach

Drymades beach, next to Dhermi. There’s a lot of development going on there with many buildings including an entire resort village, so I imagine it will become more crowded in the coming years. Look how brilliantly blue the water is!

Best Beach Water

Dhermi. This beach needs a shout out because the water feels very nice and makes a nice calming noice when the waves wash back out to sea. Enjoy this minute long clip of relaxation.

Favorite beach

Qeparo. This beach is less developed than the other beaches on my journey by a lot. It even has cows!

Coldest water

The Blue Eye, near Saranda. There was a sign that said not to swim in the blue eye, but here is a bit downstream. The temperature is around 10°C.

Curviest road

South of Dhermi. In the distance you can see the road curve up the mountain.

Most adventurous moment

Gjiri Amla – Amla Bay. Climbing the boulder to this tiny beach. I had it all to myself!

Favorite soda

Ivi limon i gazuar. I tried some other ivi flavors, but lemon is clearly the best.

Most mosquitos

Qeparo beach at sunset. Luckily the campers next to me built a fire and chased the mosquitos away.

Best Beach Bar to Co-work At

The beach bar in front of Drymades Inn, in Drymades. Quality cocktails were 8€, wifi was strong, nice ambiance, an abundance of electrical outlets. The music was quite loud, so I had to go elsewhere during my meetings.

Most construction

Drymades. I think it will look very different very soon; it will be much more crowded.

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Conversations where I was able to use my Albanian successfully

Shopping

I can say “Sa Kushton” (what is the price). I see the person’s eyes light up, and then I have to say “but I don’t know the numbers”… They run to the calculator to type up the price.

Talking with locals

A few times I get to say how much I love Albania, and it goes something like this: “Të dua Albania! Mirë! E bukur!” (I love you Albania! Good! Beautiful!) And then I wave my hands around an invisible map and list some of the cities I enjoyed visiting.

Greetings: “Pershendetje! Miradita!” (Greetings! Good day!)

If someone sneezes: “shendet” (bless you). A stranger sneezed, I said “shendet,” and I felt part of society.

Saying goodbye. I say “Falamindwrit! Mirupafshim!” (Thank you! Goodbye!)