Day 80 - July 31st: Via Egnatia

Bradashesh to Xhyre: 27.7 miles / 2,281 total

I was toast after yesterday’s unexpectedly long day, especially with the heat and exposure. My weight reflected the lack of fluids and calories I needed as I touched 70 kg again, or 154 pounds. Last time this happened, I was in major trouble, but this time I was able to function as I pushed fluids and we went straight out for food quickly enough to feel stable afterwards.

While Albania is rough around the edges, the food here has been exceptional and a real value. Oddly, I haven’t had much traditional Albanian food, but the Italian, Greek, and even Brazilian we’ve eaten has rivaled the best of this trip. In the town of Elbasan, Christina found a Greek restaurant 200 meters from our hotel with exceptional food—it would have made George proud!

On our walk to and from the restaurant, we were astonished at the number of street dogs roaming their territory. They weren’t an aggressive pack; as Jax approached, tails wagged like they sensed a new member. We noticed yellow ear tags on some of the dogs, which must mean Albania is tracking them.

Across the busy street in front of our hotel, a stray puppy wandered alone. Christina was smitten. He and Jax played, but with Albania’s aggressive drivers, we left hoping he wouldn’t learn the costliest lesson.

Christina dropped me off 8 km from the hotel where I’d stopped yesterday. I got started at 6:30 a.m., entering Elbasan and heading into the old town—still partially enclosed by fortress walls.

It’s not as polished as some of the European old towns we’ve passed, but its historical depth runs far deeper. The city was once Scampis, a Roman outpost along the legendary Via Egnatia.

I met Tina in the hotel lobby for a quick breakfast and was back out, leaving Elbasan and starting the gradual climb toward the mountains I’d been eyeing from the valley below. My route followed the Shkumbin River, which has carved this corridor through the mountains over millions of years—and over two millennia of human movement. In Roman times, this path was the Via Egnatia, a military and trade highway connecting Durrës to Byzantium. That same geography still dictates how roads run through Albania today. I was, essentially, tracing the footsteps of legions, caravans, pilgrims, and traders.

The road climbed gently at first, lined by rural homes, farms, and scattered cafés, hardware stores, and markets. I was not feeling strong, likely from yesterday’s deficit, so I pushed fluids despite not holding them well and chose to walk, especially on the uphills. About 15 km in, I hit a stretch of newly paved road that gave me space and a break from dodging traffic and uneven, rutted roads. I could see the cut in the mountains ahead, the river winding through it, and the road tucked alongside.

The good stretch ended when the blacktop turned to gravel. Heavy construction equipment and thick dust replaced the quiet of earlier.

It was all part of a massive infrastructure project following the old path of the Egnatia—earthmovers on ridges, graders, and roadbed surveying. At times it felt like I was running through history being re-paved.

Clouds rolled in midmorning, a welcome break from the 90-degree sun. I crested the first major climb around the 28k mark. As always, one pass just means another layer of mountains beyond. I dropped a few hundred feet into Librazhd, where Christina had booked us a roadside hotel. In the middle of town, next to a mountain-side football pitch, I passed a buzzing plaza full of shops and restaurants. I grabbed a ricotta pastry and ate in a small park where Christina and Jax met me.

After the stop, I felt revived and started running again. A few kilometers later, the sky burst. I kept moving until the thunder and lightning hit at the same moment—too close—so I took cover at a roadside restaurant. Inside, a young man named Arian helped me. His cousins owned the place. When I asked where he’d learned English, he said, “movies,” smiling. No power due to the rain, so no macchiato—“Albania,” he shrugged. Everyone was still smoking, though.

When the storm passed, I got back out in the soft rain and finished the day stronger than I’d started. One more mountain pass behind me, and another storm weathered.

Thanks for following along and the support.

Cheers,

David.