Albania was not looking her best when we disembarked the ferry in Durres early the following morning. It was raining, the traffic through the town was nose to tail and the potholes in the roads made our truck lurch violently. The busiest junctions were controlled by traffic police who just seemed to add to the chaos. Their role looked extremely dangerous and, armed with just a whistle, they certainly had to be nimble on their feet amongst the fast moving vehicles coming from all directions.
We received a warm welcome when we arrived at the camp site just outside the town of Elbasan. Three generations lived in a modern bungalow on site. When the sun came out, everything looked green and pleasant. The temperature was about 22º warm enough to sit outside in the sunshine.
There was a Grill Restaurant next door which was open from 8 am until 10 pm. The staff spoke good English and, unlike the UK, we weren’t directed to a table for two the size of a postage stamp. We paid £35 for a huge plates of lamb chops with chips and big mixed salad – plus 2 beers each, a glass of red wine, a dessert and an expresso coffee.
Fellow guests on the camp site were Italians, Germans and Dutch. The owner ran a vehicle repair business on site and there was an English family staying who were having mechanical problems with their Fiat camper. The site owner had a huge Kangal Shepherd dog called Bob who was six months old and already the size of a small horse.
