Thoughts about Albania

It’s hot in my apartment in Gothenburg and dirty clothes are hanging over the edges of my bag. A few days ago I got back from Albania where I spent six days together with parts of my family. The apartment we rented in Dürres was situated close to the shoreline and most of the mornings I woke up to the sound of the ocean. I can tell you it’s a calm way of waking up. For breakfast we had cherry flavored yoghurt from the small grocery shop and bread with sesame seeds from the bakery. The door to the balcony stood wide open and the air was warm and salty even in the early mornings.

One day we decided to take the car to the green mountains. Along the road we drove past two men selling big bouquets of sage, I wish I had rolled down the window to feel the smell. After a while we stopped at a small café for some coffee. On top of my cappuccino there was a cloud of sweet cream and the young waiter smiled when he placed it in front of me.

It took some time before we found Cape of Rodon, a peninsula that stretches out in the water like an arm. But it was well worth travelling the serpentine roads. We walked along the untouched beaches and let the wind made our hair messy and tangled. A girl waded out in the blue water waving to her mother on the shore. My bathing suit was in the backseat of the car.

On our way back to Dürres we stopped to eat grilled fish with lemon and cheese cut in triangles at a restaurant. Afterwards I finally took a dip in the ocean and got sand under my fingernails. We were almost alone at the beach, except some boys playing football in their small swimming trunks. I thought: “this is a moment I want to remember”. Back in the car, I wrote everything down on my phone: the mountains, the grilled fish, the ocean and my sunburned thighs.

When thinking of Albania and our week there, I remember a lot more than our trip to Cape of Rondon. I remember the contrasts. Big hotels built in the direction of the sky. Apartments with sun-bleached facades and small windows. I remember dogs curled up on the streets. All the amazing food: risotto with mushrooms and truffle, grilled fish with fresh lemon, pasta with shrimps and zucchini. I remember the market where you could buy olive oil in old Coca-Cola bottles and cheese from the local farmers. I remember Dürres and I wonder what it will look like in a few years. The city with the streets filled with life and colors. I hope I will be back soon.