Armchair Travels: The Albanian Alps
Before coming to Albania, I knew nothing about it. I had no idea where it was geographically and had never met anyone from there. I definitely felt like an ignorant American. And it turned out to be one of the most surprising of all the places I have ever traveled.
The Alps run through the Northern part of the country and although the prominent peaks aren't super high in altitude, their abrupt features took my breath away.
There is a hike that begins in one small village, Theth, goes over the tops of the peaks, and ends in a valley in another village, Valbona. Vendors set up makeshift teahouses along the way and families offer their donkeys and services to help people with their bags. In each village little bed and breakfasts have been set up as basecamps for people making the trek. Cows wander through neighborhood gardens and in the morning the lodge serves their fresh butter and milk with breakfast. It was honestly the most pastoral experience I have ever had.
We had heard mixed reviews about the difficulty of the hike and maybe were a little optimistic since we are from Colorado.
The only "walking" shoes I had were a pair of Fila sneakers so worn out from a year of walking that the bottoms of the soles were completely cracked open. I knew it wasn't the best choice but I couldn't afford to buy another pair so we did the hike anyway. It was steep and much harder than we expected in the hot August sun. We had to make several stops to get rocks out of my shoes and rest and were grateful for the tea houses. When we made it over the tops of the alps and back down to the second valley, I had one of the greatest showers of my life. There is something about physical exhaustion and soothing water that makes a magical combination.
Having an open mind when arriving at a new place is crucial to getting the most out of the experience. Albania views gender roles, social rules, and hierarchies very differently than we do in the US or other 1st world countries.
Sometimes it's difficult to look past the injustice or corruption but it's also important to remember that wherever we travel we are guests. Listening and learning from others is far more important to understand their experience than focusing on our own belief systems we have rigidly engrained.
Travel is the ultimate empathy creator.
Would you take a hike through the Albanian Alps?
Let me know in the comments!
Thank you for following along on this visual journey through the Albanian Alps! If you enjoyed these images and would like to see more, check out our print shop! These prints add beautiful art to your home or are an incredibly thoughtful gift. All the proceeds benefit our future creative work and 10% of the year-end proceeds will be donated to the NAACP in hopes that more people will have access to travel to learn about themselves and the world!
It's been one year and one month since I moved to Barcelona. It has quickly become my favorite home, but it has also come with its fair share of challenges. More than anything, living abroad has taught me empathy in ways I didn't fully understand before. This is what I learned this year.