Shkodër Albania's Ancient Heritage Baked in the Heat

Tourists, backpackers and residents all melted in the 100 F degree heat

I’ve been sending you postcard snapshots of various places. These are, for the most part, not the usual tourist cities. The weather is hot, and the beaches are crowded. We have no reservations. Join me as we wander through the Balkans and parts of western Europe, seat-of-our-pants style.

Our plan was to stay the night in this ancient city and explore in the morning when it was cooler. With 2200 years of history to explore, my husband was very interested in this town.

But there was no room at the inn. Or any inn, for that matter. We even stopped in person at one location, waited with others outside (who actually had reservations), and rang their bell (not sure why a guest house with a reception area had a locked door with a bell) until we gave up.1

The city is a frantic mix of many cultures with a smattering of backpackers and other tourists mixed in. The church steeple and mosque minaret also show the mix of religions.

We selected a traditional Albanian restaurant for lunch and had the waiter bring us whatever local food was available. Most of it was meat with several types of sausages and one fried vegetable patty similar to what we make in Türkiye, only heavier.

After several hours, we decided to move on. I will admit that after hours of driving on single-lane roads at ten miles per hour through tiny villages across the country, I was ready to leave Albania. When the road demolition and construction are finished, the drive across the country will be much faster and easier.

But right now? FLY TO, THROUGH, OR OVER ALBANIA.

One thing you should know if driving across Albania: Google Maps doesn't sync correctly with road signage, exit signs, or even town or city names. While our map directions were correct and we never got lost, not one name was correct. I had no idea whether this was a Google issue or a problem in Albania.

We just kept moving forward to Montenegro.

1 I felt for the guys with the reservation still waiting for someone to let them in. It was early afternoon, and the town shimmered in the heat.