Gjirokaster

June 12, 2018

We awoke to another clear sky this morning, and did our best to make time because it will be a hot one and (news flash) we have a hilly ride ahead. Over breakfast on the roof, I look at the ridge behind Saranda tapering to the south and have a brain stormlet - instead of climbing that steep ten percenter out of town like we did on the way to Himara, we can add a few miles to the day and skirt the ridge entirely. We make a hard day a bit easier - brilliant!

Checking out, we tote the bikes down three flights for the last time. At the bottom, the man at the deck looks up the stairs at me, and says “Scott Anderson? Lance Armstrong!” “No drugs”, I reply with uncharacteristic wit.

After staring at that ridge over breakfast it occurred to me that we should bike a few miles further south and cross the ridge through a lower gap.

One last puff before getting down to work.

It took a minute to figure out the scene here. He’s diving in the shallow water for some type of shellfish, and then cracking it open and eating it raw.

The ride to Gjirokaster has three stages - a flat ten miles (since we’re not crossing that ridge behind town), through the beautiful green basin we’ve stared down at on the ride to and from Himara. Following that we work our way through a series of impressive ridges to Murzina Pass, and then drop down to the Drinos River to close the day with another flat twelve miles.

The first ten miles (actually, now it’s fourteen because we lengthened it to avoid the ridge) go quickly and pleasantly. It’s still quite comfortable out, not too hot.

This is the green basin we rode above on he way to and from Himara. Today we drop down into it and enjoy a few flat miles, a rarity on this tour.

Approaching the end of the basin, we’ll round the ridge ahead on the left and start climbing. That will be the pattern for the next few days, as we advance through a range of ridges.

Hyper modern mosque? We’re nearing Delvine, which is reputed to have an important old mosque, but I don’t think this is it.

Not far from Delvine we come to the end of the flats and a fork in the road, with two options to the pass. In a major brain fart, I’ve mapped us on the route through Delvine because I thought it looked quieter and more scenic. Which it surely is, since as soon as we leave Delvine the pavement ends. A sinking feeling. The turnoff is a few miles back now, and not knowing how long this bad stretch will go, we continue forward rather than backtrack and lengthen the ride.

The bad stretch goes on a ways, as we slowly learn with every bend we round - for 11 miles, when we rejoin the other road. Later, I’ll remap the options and learn that it’s not only unpaved and slower, but it’s two miles longer and adds nine hundred feet of climbing.

Later still, I’ll read our Albania guide and see something I missed before - it describes this road and it’s poor condition. Why buy a travel guide if you’re not going to read the damn thing, I ask myself philosophically.

Easier to squeeze into tight parking spots with one of these numbers. I wish I’d seen him coming soon enough for a better shot though - he’s riding sidesaddle.

Uh, oh. The pavement just past Delvine, and won’t return for 11 hilly, slow miles. But quiet - very quiet.

And steep, at least at first. We pushed for about the first quarter mile before it eased off, and after that we were fine, but slow.

Our route rises through a series of three significant climbs. We’re at the top of the first, and will drop a bit before reaching the second one which angles up the far face.

Going slow gives us time to admire the wonderful vistas, which we’d enjoy more if it weren’t so blasted hot. Did I forget to mention it’s hot?

At the top of the second climb, still off pavement. Hot, and feeling a bit whipped.

Wow though - the views just keep coming.

Into the next gap, hoping we’ll hit pavement before the third and final climb of the day.

Or yet. The last climb is pretty steep, so we’d just as soon have an easier surface to ride on. And some shade would be welcome.

A better view of the road surface. It’s been roughly like this (he, heh) for about ten miles.

Some of the hardest riding but with some of the best scenery of the tour

Rachael has gotten so confident with scenes like this. She just boldly bikes past now. In the past, she would have been cowed a bit. (Heh, heh).

Oh, my gosh what a lovely sight - about a third of the way up we rejoined the paved road. I started getting excited when I heard the sound of car tires on pavement.

But it sure is a beautiful ride, and wonderfully quiet. We pass one bike going the other way, and only a few cars. Once we’re back on the paved road and encounter a bit of traffic, I gain more appreciation for the route chosen. If I came back some day and it weren’t so hot, I might chose the same route again.

After cooling down and hydrating at the summit, we coast down to the Drinos River on a breathtakingly beautiful descent, and then bike the final dozen miles to Gjirokaster. All the way there we have the goal of stopping in at the first cafe or market that offers ice cream, but we don’t find one. Amazingly, we pass about twenty gas stations along the way, the greatest concentration we’ve seen on the tour, spaced at regular intervals. Interesting, but not as refreshing as ice cream would have been.

We arrive at the turnoff to Gjirokaster center, bike rather steeply up to it for about half a mile, and stop at the first cafe that sells ice cream. We decided that had the priority, and the hotel can wait. Afterwards we check at the map, try to figure out where the hotel is in the confusing maze of streets, and then look up. It’s directly across the street from our table at the cafe.

The entire historical core of Gjirokaster is a UNESCO protected site. It looks pretty amazing, as you’ll see tomorrow - we’re here for two nights.

At the summit of Muzina Pass, we stop at a bar, buy drinks, and break out our lunch. Rachael thinks you should be aware that under prolonged 90 degree heat, Emmenthaler will liquify. Still good on crackers though.

From the top of Murzina Pass we enjoy a great, long descent to the Drinos basin. Very beautiful.

The final ten miles to Gjirokaster are a flat ride down the Drinos River. The road itself is pretty uninteresting, but the walls of the valley are spectacular.

The Drinos River originates in Greece and flows northwest into Albania. Looking upvalley from here, the Greek border is only six miles away, and it’s only 25 miles to the Zagori Villages.

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Ride stats today: 42 miles, 3,800’; for the tour, 1,579 miles, 138,400’

Today's ride: 42 miles (68 km)
Total: 1,493 miles (2,403 km)

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Kim JohnsonHi Scott and Rachel, First of all, this is Kim, Rachel and Patricks's cat/housesitter and it looks like our paths will be crossing in Boise the first week of August. Second, thanks for these blogs as I've referenced yours a number of times.

I leaving Gjirokaster tomorrow and A) I know not to take the route through Devine that you took, and B) I know to add a few miles to miss the last hill into Saranda. Got any other tips for me on this stretch of road? I'm not a strong hill climber so kind of dreading tomorrow. Although, it looks like I am approaching and will have more of a descent than you guys had. Anyways, I look forward to meeting you both!
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9 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Kim JohnsonHi, Kim. You’re in Djirokaster! Such an exceptional place. If you’re not dropping through Delvine, you must be taking th SH99 through Bistrica? It looks like that would be an improvement alright, as long as the traffic isn’t bad. SH99 looks paved from the satellite view, and the climbing is easier too. There’s just the one long climb instead of a series of three to grind you down. Hopefully it won’t be too hot.

Other than what’s written in the post though, I don’t remember anything specific. I’ll be interested to hear about your experience when we meet up. It’s a fast changing country and is probably a lot changed since we were there five years ago.
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9 months ago