Blue Eyes
All I started with was an idea and a lot of stress.
While photographing for FSY Central, a week long youth camp bringing youth from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints together out of 19 different countries, one of the Albanian counselors showed me photos of something he said I needed to photograph.
Blue Eye.
Actually there were two Blue Eyes, pure turquoise blue springs, and they were both located in Albania. One was in the south, and one was in the north, nestled in the Accursed Mountains by a village called Theth. He showed me images of Theth and I could not believe how blue the water was. I had to ask if the colour was edited.
Later during the week, I sat editing photos late into the night when this same counselor came to me after a rough day with his group. He felt discouraged about whether or not what he was doing was making a difference. He said that it felt like no matter how hard he tried, that they put walls up.
I looked him in the eyes, and I reminded him that he’d told me about the pure spring waters of Blue Eye, and that no wall ever stood a chance with water. Water always finds a way.
I reassured him we needed exactly what he had to offer, and that our church group needed exactly what Albania brought.
And somehow, then, I knew I needed to go to Albania and see Blue Eye for myself.
Which is itself an interesting proposition. You see, I am a middle aged American mother of four and eleven years an immigrant in Europe. It’s not quite a niche that screams ‘solo world traveller.’ Nor is it easy to find time to myself, considering my husband is a self employed metrologist and lab assessor for three different countries.
But even when we lived in the United States, there came a point when I needed something from the mountains. We were getting ready to move then to England, but there were visa delays. So I took my four children hiking, the youngest carried on my hip.
I’ve always secretly wondered if I, too, wasn’t a perpetual motion machine like the piece of music we played in orchestra.
But perpetual motion or not, I knew I needed this trip or I would be broken wide open.
So at FSY, I asked more questions and found a contact for car rental. Then I booked my weekend trip: a Thursday flight into Tirana from Eindhoven, then immediately a drive from Tirana to Theth. Saturday, I’d head down to the lake city of Shkoder in preparation for attending a small congregation there on Sunday. Sunday afternoon would bring me back to Tirana, with a red eye flight at 6:45am the next morning back home.
It sounded ambitious on paper.
I flew napping from Eindhoven on the cusp of autumn and landed in the dusty warmth of a Mediterranean country. Using Whatsapp, I kept the car rental connection up to date on my flight status, and they sent a picture showing where they’d meet me outside of the airport. My name, written in ball point, on a paper.
There was a bit of a wait inside for the luggage to come out, which I made good use of figuring out the ATM. I know it would be cheaper to use the ATMs in the city, but my destination is not the city today.
The rental company sent me a Volkswagen Touran. Of course. A minivan for a mom. Really, though, for the newly paved 1.5 lane wide road to Theth, this was the best option. It would handle the steep climb and the hairpin turns well, and had marginally more clearance than a smaller car. It was also automatic - a small concession for this American driver.
When I got in the car after first making a video of the outside, I was relieved to discover the air conditioning worked. There was no plug for a USB cable, but I’d brought a battery pack that would suit. I set my destination in the Google Map I’d already downloaded, and cautiously headed out of the airport.
Immediately I saw how true some of those driving warnings were that I’d heard. The first roundabout is pure chaos in motion with curb to curb vehicles jostling for position through a slow counter-clockwise motion. Driving rush hour in Brussels was good training for this, I thought to myself as I nosed in.
Then I followed the blue thread lined out on Google Maps and headed north.
The paperwork from the rental company warned me to go the speed limit, and this I did as closely as I dared without causing a hazard on the road. That is because the speed limit signs seemed more like suggestions.
Finally, I found what looked like a highway and I settled in to a semblance of comfort. Up until this point I was questioning my judgment and choices that led me to rattling along dusty highways alone where I don’t speak the language.
Then Google said to get off the highway.
I second guessed, but I followed anyway. For some reason, Google had rerouted me to the backroads and countryside instead of the highway. Accepting my fate with open eyes and curiosity, I kept going. Past small family fences, fruit filled walls, dramatic fig trees, I made my way further north.
And eventually Google Maps dumped me back on the highway.
After a while, I noticed I’d passed Shkoder and was headed to Koplik, which I knew was the last place to fuel up before climbing the mountain pass. I did a quick fuel check and things looked good, so I continued on my careful pace.
I figured if I drove what I thought was the speed limit, and pulled far right whenever a faster car came up behind me, then those that wanted to overtake me would happily do so. This system worked well until the road narrowed and we became like beads on a necklace, only as fast as the car in the front.
With each switchback and kilometer, the way became more narrow and I with my Touran climbed higher into the Accursed Mountains.
The technicality of the road became an arm workout as I walked my hands first to the right, then to the left, as I ascended. No longer able nor willing to look at the blue squiggles of the road still in front of me, I focused intently on the road before me, and the cars behind me. Some parts of the road required inching past the rearview mirrors of vehicles making their descent. I was no longer taking in the view. I was gone from the world except for what lay twisting immediately before my own blue eyes.
In what seemed like a long eternity of weaving, our chain of cars reached the summit, where there was clearly a place to pull off and enjoy the view. But mountains are not unfamiliar to me, and I’d noticed the shadows were already beginning to quickly fall. This was not a mountain pass I wanted to experience at night, nor did I want to chance missing my destination because it was dark.
And so I carried down the other side of the pass, this time with the brake in check instead of gas pedal, hugging the lines and curves of the mountain like a pencil hugs a stencil.
Know before you go:
Albania is a cash market. You can easily find ATMs in many cities and the airport, and you’ll get the best rate in the cities. Do not convert to euros as it’s just as easy to carry LEK. If you have a Revolut card, you can also pay at some locations.
Not all water is safe to drink. Use good judgement and, if necessary, buy water at the grocery stores.
Before travelling, download the Google Map of the area you’ll be going to your phone.
Google Maps is not always reliable so keep your eyes open and trust your instincts
Also consider downloading any Spotify playlists to your phone.
Charge and carry power banks.
Albania is outside the EU, so plan for a local SIM or extra coverage from your own provider. I bought extra coverage through my provider, KPN, before I went on vacation.
Carry reliable food for the mountains and long drives, supplement with dinners you trust. For managing my gastroparesis, I carried shelf stable snacks and foods with me like protein powder, squeezie applesauces, tuna salads, and Clif bars.
Bring hand sanitiser and a pack of toilet paper. You can buy wet toilet paper at the stores. When in the mountains, paper napkins might be placed outside of toilets so check before you go.
The Details
Auto Rental: Auto Rent Bala, Rruga Kastriotët, Tirana 1050, Albania
Theth Accommodation: Villa Molla, Rruga Gjecaj, Theth 4027, Albania
Blue Eye Parking: Franc’s Bar, 9Q39+W7 Nderlysaj, Albania
Mesi Bridge: 4H7F+RX Boks, Albania
Shkodër Accommodation: SANTO Hotel, Rruga Marin Bicikemi, Shkodër, Albania
Shkodër Souvenir Shop: Souvenir Albania, Rruga Kolë Idromeno, Shkodër, Albania
Metropolitan Archdiocese of Shkodër - Cathedral of Saint Stephen: Sheshi “Gjon Pali II, Shkodër 4000, Albania
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: Rruga Gerej 19, Shkodër 4001, Albania
Shkodër Restaurant: Arti Zavane, Rruga Berdicej 4001, Shkodër, Albania
Patokut Restaurant: Aroma Patokut, Patok Patok, Laç 4706, Albania
Fuel Station: Kastrati
Taxi: Clean Taxi: Kompleksi Dinamo, Tirana 1000, Albania
