Next up, we set off towards Albania! The drive from Plataria isn’t that far (in fact, it should only take around three hours), but as there are no proper roads, only broken and cobbled paths so it took around eight hours and involved a lot of travel sickness. We eventually arrived though and were greeted by a lovely local man who gave us a brief tour around Tiarani.

Local street in Tirana

Tirana, Albania

The brochure described the country’s capital Tirana as ‘one of the few remaining countries in Europe where you wouldn’t be surprised to pass a horse and cart on the road‘. So cheesy yet so true. I loved the ‘charming’ feel of this city and the many wandering goats.

Tirana, Albania

As the economy is so cheap here, we stayed at a grand five-star hotel, which is supposedly the best one in Albania. After the last three days on a small boat, this was pure bliss.

Albanian apartment party

That evening, Top Deck organised us a beautiful three-course dinner in the hotel’s restaurant, after which, Jess and I got ready for a night out with the lads, who taught us what real pre-drinking is. As Tirana is renowned for its nightlife, we checked out the hottest spots and danced until the early hours.

The only downside of the night was when a club’s manager offered us, girls, a free drink each, which we politely accepted. On leaving a little later on, the bouncers stopped us and aggressively demanded that we pay for the drinks at triple the price. Fortunately, the boys swiftly pushed us out of there before it escalated.

Pre-drinks in our luxury apartment

Tirani sunset