Mountains and rain...

Leaving Lefkada last Sunday under a post early morning storm, by bus, paying 10.1 E for me 10 for jolly jumper... was with a mix of feelings. Some kind of relief, anxiety, and melancholy. Back on the road, alone...

Then the bus started, the hills went by and the rain got around, and i started to enjoy being on the bus.

Arriving close to Ioannina, i got off the bus and rode around 7km to reach the city center, went around, then contacted Costa who told me he would introduce me to a squatt, but who finally took me to his flat.

We had lunch there with his girlfriend and another friend of them, then Maria and i went for a walk around town and a coffee in the fortified part of town when Costa was studding. Back home we rested and watched TV, then next morning i left for Albania.

Monday was a great day, with a bit of fog to go out of Ioannina, then less and less fog, sun, and gentle hills to arrive to Kakavia's border.
Around 4pm i had crossed the border, changed 10E to Albanian Lek being robbed 50 Lek on the 1357 i should have been given, and could start my way to Gjirokaster.

Beautiful valley with snow on the side's mountain tops, a river green as the water must be freezing cold, but lots of rubbish along the river and the road, more than in Greece which is not so clean regarding this.

On the fields and hills around, lots of small concrete buildings, 'blockhouses' to resist the potential invaders.

In the villages aside the main road, a feeling of emptiness... I would learn then that 3.5 million Albanians live in the country, and the same amount abroad.

I arrived then in Gjirokaster around 5pm, contacted Allan who had given me his number, then finally contacted Courtney and Chris, some other peace corps volunteers i would stay with.

After some time at the cafe with electricity and wireless (energy breakdowns and pressure less water-pipes are common here), we went to a restaurant with regional food (vegetables, meatballs, kofte and local wine) then back home with a cold house.

Yesterday Tuesday i staid to visit the castle, the Ottoman town with old stone houses (and stone roofs), then spent an evening with the guys (including George) watching some documentaries about history of evolution and mathematics told by an American mathematician from the 80's.

I hesitated to go on the road again today to Fier, but staid as Chis intended to go for a visit of a military base around with a big open air garbage and potentially tunnels to explore... but as it rains a lot (and this will certainly continue everywhere in Albania for a week or so), this exploration should be canceled...
I guess i will have to ride under the rain sooner or later... :(

See pictures from Ioannina to Fier !