Day 3 - Corfu to Saranda

I left my hotel at 7:30am & walked towards the New Port to catch my hydrofoil to Saranda. On the way I stopped off for a coffee & a toasted ham sandwich at one of the restaurants opposite the main gates to the port.

At the port I had to show my passport & then just sit in the waiting room where there were a few other passengers already waiting. We were all let through the main doors towards where the hydrofoil was waiting at 8:45am; there were about 15 of us. We set off on time at 9am, I stood near one of the side doors & watched us pick up speed & before too long we arrived on Albanian soil in only 30 minutes!

Hydrofoil to take me to Saranda in Albania

Views of Albania

Approaching the port of Saranda

On arrival I had to go through the passport control office where I showed my passport to a friendly lady. I had my 10 Euros at hand (Tax Duty), but she seemed just to laugh about it & suggested it was not needed? I did explain I was staying in Albania for 3 weeks. Whether I will have to pay on exit, only time will tell! Either way it was a nice surprise.

I had a map of Saranda with me so I knew which direction to head for to reach the centre of town (it’s not a big place). I decided to look for a hotel away from the coast (as I knew they would be cheaper), so I walked up the main steps near the harbour along Vangjel Pando Rd, past the taxi rank & spotted Hotel Tatzati. They were wanting 10 Euros for a room. I thought it was a great price for a double room with air con & a balcony, a bargain compared to Corfu! I paid for two nights as I plan to spend the day around Saranda & then the following day I will visit Butrint & Ksamili. (Before I left to head into town, I noticed the toilet would not flush, so I had to change rooms!)

After another cold shower, I left & headed towards the bank to exchange some English currency for the local currency (LEK). The girl behind the counter said I would have to wait until 10am? I was initially a little confused with this at first as my watch said 10:55am? I soon remembered Albania is only 1 hour ahead where as Corfu was 2 hours! Whilst waiting another girl proceeded to change the exchange rates on an electronic board with a remote control, but not to my favour, it was nice to have some local currency anyway!

With my local currency in hand I walked down the main steps (towards the harbour) & visited the restaurant on the left called Taverna Leo & ordered 'Tasqeba'. It turned out to be a lamb broth served with bread. It was very tasty & the lamb was really tender. They did not serve coffee so I had a local beer to go with it (400 lek in total).

My first Albanian menu, with English translation!

Breakfast in Saranda - 'Tasqebap' (Fricasse)

After my breakfast I walked along the coastline whilst taking a few photographs. I headed east for about an hour before becoming bored looking at all the building sites, so I headed back into town again. I returned to Taverna Leo again & ordered mixed salad & bread with herbs (350 lek).

After my lunch I walked up Vangjel Pando Rd (past junction where my hotel was) & visited a local bar & had an espresso & a small mineral water (100 lek). I had a brief chat with the owners as I noticed they had a large TV hanging on the wall, I plan to watch the England v Sweden match in the European Cup somewhere tonight!

The very picturesque Saranda harbour

Selling oranges in Saranda!

Saranda

After a rest back at my hotel I headed back out in the evening (along Vangjel Pando Road) where I noticed another café which had a large TV. I popped in & got chatting with the owner & it turned out he was a big football fan! (He spoke a little English.) I ordered a beer & we chatted about a few things. I had the European fixtures printed out from England with me & England were due to play at 6pm, but it turned out they were playing in the later match at 9pm? I decided to settle down to watch the match between Ukraine & France, however it was stopped after 5 minutes because of torrential rain! After a while I decided to leave the bar & find somewhere to eat, (I told the owner I would be back). I continued further down Vangjel Pando Rd & visited a restaurant right at the bottom of the steps (on left) & ordered pork chops & chips (650 lek), you seem to pay a little more at the sea front. They also had a large TV & so I watched the first half of the rescheduled match between Ukraine v France! It was also a good place to watch the locals (& I assume some tourists) walking up & down the sea front passing the time away.

I returned to the bar I visited earlier, & had another beer & watched the second half of the Ukraine v France match & then settled down to watch the England match. It was an enthralling match with England being triumphant at 3 - 2! The owner of the bar presented me with a free bottle of lager & a plate of crisps towards the end which I thought was nice! I finally left the bar at 11pm & walked the short distance back to my hotel. I will be up early in the morning as I want to catch the 7am bus to Butrint.