Week 3 – Off the beaten track
Countries: Albania – Greece
We made ourselves comfortable for the night by the castle walls, with a beautiful panoramic view over Berat and a summery 14 °C. The peace didn't last long, though: two cars parked next to us and some teenagers got out. At around 11 pm another car joined them, and right next to us they played Albanian rap … They didn't pay any attention to our bus, though. We were a metre away from them, wide awake, taking it all in by ear. But that's all it was.
Our landlord in Tirana had recommended Albania's biggest canyon and a route leading straight to Greece that would also test the T3's agility.
So we drove south from Berat towards Konitsa, a town in Greece. We wanted to spend the night in the riverbed near the border.
The canyon was impressive, but the route that followed even more so. The track wasn't well signposted. I'd wondered why Google Maps never suggested this way to Konitsa – probably because it's a single-track dirt road meant for 4x4s. At times my travel companion had to get out and push on particularly steep and rocky sections, because even with the clutch half in we were making slow progress. Besides being rocky and muddy, the track was very uneven. Yet the T3 didn't touch the ground once, which I'd actually expected given the fairly large underfloor water tanks.
This was honestly the most demanding drive of my life. The roughly 20 km took us two hours, almost entirely in first gear. We passed through two remote mountain villages, Raban and Bjkollare. In these hamlets of at most ten houses, all you saw were four-wheel-drive vehicles …
Still, with lots of patience, pushing and plenty of clutch wear, we made it to our destination.
On Friday morning we crossed the Greek border without any trouble. Here we had to put our clocks forward an hour for the first time. In the small town of Konitsa we tried to exchange our leftover Albanian lek – in vain. I also bought waterproofing spray there, because it had rained so hard overnight that the pop-top's tent fabric got soaked and puddles formed inside. I hope it helps, as there are no other leaks. After visiting the town's landmark, the Ottoman arch bridge, we left the snow-covered Mount Trapezitsa behind and drove south to Meteora. We spent the night at a campsite with a view of the imposing rock formations.
Meteora has sandstone-like rock pillars with various monasteries perched on top. We visited the monasteries on foot. These places of worship on the summits were truly beautiful. Thanks to the good weather, after climbing up to four different monasteries we were able to hike to a remote waterfall as well. We gave up the spot we'd chosen near the monasteries, because a nearby inn let us stay overnight for free in exchange for eating there.
Overall, though, the weather was colder than expected, so on a recommendation we went to warm up at the hot springs of Loutra Pozar. We stayed for two days and, with hardly anyone around, could make the most of the springs and go for quiet walks. Here we met a couple who were also travelling by camper … also from Germany.
Because of the current Covid situation and the uncertainty around the Omicron variant, we decided to head quickly to Turkey, where things seemed more relaxed than in Greece. On the way east we did stay a few days in the Greek city of Thessaloniki, where we found a spot by the sea. On a free walking tour we met several travellers who were also heading for Istanbul. We spent the evening together and arranged to meet again in Istanbul.
We didn't meet the other travellers we'd got to know through a contact in Albania as planned – in the end our routes were just too different.
Besides the walking tour we visited other local sights, such as the city's landmark, the White Tower, the fish market and various museums.
Soon we'll be on our way to Istanbul …
Journey from Germany to Nepal - VW T3 - Week 3Watch the video on YouTube