Day 81 - August 1st: The Pied Piper

Xhyre to Pogradec: 29.5 miles / 2,310 total

Last night was one of the most memorable of this trip and proof that going slow has its benefits. In the small mountain village of Librazhd, population just under 7,000, Christina and I walked to a restaurant overlooking a beautiful football field framed by jagged peaks. A scrappy golden-white stray cat stationed herself to my left, while Jax lay alert on my right after she’d swiped at him on first approach both waiting for a morsel to fall. Simple, tasty food at a reasonable price left us satisfied and wanting to explore the town’s promenade that I’d run through earlier.

My new breakfast strategy when there’s no hotel offering: baklava. Dense, full of calories, and super tasty. Albanians use flaky pastry in everything, and their baklava might be the best I’ve had - will verify after Greece! We found a patisserie with a line out the door. A father tried to help us in Albanian, then called his daughter over to translate. I asked for pistachio baklava. Instead of the ones in the case, he brought a tray straight from the back — still warm. It was heavenly. I bought six slices and sugared biscuits for the morning. Total cost: €2.

Back on the promenade, four teenage girls stopped me to ask where I was from. “America,” I said. “What is your name? And your dog’s?” they followed. They wanted to know everything. They were 13 and lived in the village. It was touching.

As the sun set, the town bathed in pastel light, filling with locals. In the center, two little boys came up to me hurriedly speaking Albanian. While I could not understand a word,  I understood that they wanted to now about Jax. I told Jax to sit and then paw which elicited excited laughter from the two little ones but also a few nearby children’s attentions were caught and they came over. They were all mesmerized trying to touch him but too scared so when he looked at one kid, the others would jump around to his back and quickly touch him. I commanded Jax “up” on a nearby wall and the flood gates burst, a dozen kids now all trying to touch him and some even saying in heavily accented english, “sit” and “paw”. Jax, The Pied Piper led the contingent out of the plaza laughing and screaming with delight until we came to the street of our hotel and waved goodbye to them. 

After we went upstairs a few things jumped out to us. While there are a ton of stray dogs, we haven’t seen one pet dog and perhaps the reason why the children were so fascinated by Jax obeying commands and also might explain the fear of touching him. We also realized that the children had all followed us off the promenade onto the street that led to our hotel and left their parents behind. It made us nervous, of course, but in this small community, the parents must have felt at ease letting the kids run free.. Finally, I was relieved that Jax behaved well as it was unpredictable what he could of done with all the commotion.

Even after a rough night’s sleep, I was raring to go. DHL had confirmed that Jax’s EU Pet Passport had arrived at their Tirana facility, and Christina would retrieve it after dropping me off. A relief, with the Greek border approaching and the most difficult Turkey to follow.

Today’s stage would take me to one of Albania’s most famous tourist destinations: Pogradec, perched on the shores of Lake Ohrid, one of Europe’s oldest and deepest lakes. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site — shared with North Macedonia just across the water. Although I’d be within 5 km of the border, we’d play it safe and avoid crossing due to the Hertz rental car restriction, instead detouring south through Albania.

I resumed the Via Egnatia from 6:30 AM, climbing for 13 km and 1,000 feet up into a mountain-top plateau. In the distance, I could see a serpentine road winding up the next pass, a path I’d soon be on.

As I entered Përrenjas, I noticed shuttered factories, likely remnants of the area’s former mining and manufacturing past, once a hub during Albania’s industrial push under the communist regime.

The town was lively with street vendors, used clothes stalls, and packed cafés. On my third try, I found a place serving eggs. While they cooked, I grabbed pastries next door. A girl brought me two fried eggs, hard cheese, bread, and a double espresso — exactly what I needed after my baklava breakfast.

Refueled, I started the next climb — another 1,500 feet over 8 km — passing a string of Albanian car washes along the base. I counted at least a dozen. Most were basic setups: river-fed hoses, power washers, rags, and unlabeled chemical bottles. Even tractors were getting hosed down. Young Albanians smiled and shouted “hello!” as I passed. The Albanians love car washes, we have seen as many of them as Cafés!

From the top of the pass, the view was stunning. Behind me: Përrenjas, the mountain range I’d crossed over the last 75 km.

Ahead: the shimmering blue of Lake Ohrid, larger than Lake Tahoe and framed by the towering peaks of North Macedonia across the water. The descent brought me 1,000 feet down toward the lake.

And then at the top, someone napping under a statue.

Surprisingly, a pedestrian and bike path — the first I’ve seen in Albania — hugged the shoreline for the next 20 km into Pogradec.

The town’s name, of Slavic origin, means “beneath the small fortress,” a nod to the ancient Illyrian fort ruins that still crown the hill above. Pogradec has long been a cultural hub, especially during the 20th century when it became a favorite retreat for Albania’s artists and writers, including Lasgush Poradeci, one of the country’s literary giants.

Just a kilometer from the hotel, Christina pulled up honking. She had just returned from Tirana, victorious — passport in hand, stuck in construction half the day. The hotel she found was second-nicest in town, €60 and dog-friendly after some convincing. Luxurious by our standards.

Time to explore the lakeside town.

Thanks for the support.

Cheers,

David.