Although in Germany summer is a season that leaves much to be desired, in many other parts of Europe, especially south of it, the current temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius. Fortunately, many southern countries lie next to the sea and offer hidden bays behind mountains surrounded by crystal turquoise water, which although quiet and shining, is kept under control on both sides by small isolated, but rather arrogant cliffs.
Such landscapes are found in southern France, in Sardinia, Corsica and southern Albania where the road from the capital city to the south is often a goal in itself. The breathtaking views offered after going through the Llogara Pass is the reward, like an extra bonbon that travelers enjoy with much desire while taking their time.
Some 400 km of coastline, hidden places and big cities, beaches with international electronic music festivals such as “Turtle Fest” that was just held in Drimadhe, tourist villages for family visitors and hippie beaches for the luckier Albanian youngsters are situated in Jale. And all of these places are packed with holidaymakers these hot August days.
There are groups of Albanian youngsters, French and German backpackers, Italian and Spanish families with small babies. Everything is a kind mix of people spending their holidays next to the sea in the middle of Europe.
Often built on the foot of cliffs, restaurants offer a diversity of food for every kind of taste. Service is polite, multilingual and full of self-confidence. Most of the staff are students who get very modest wages during the summer holidays like Ilirian who works as a seasonal waiter at a hotel in Drimadhe.
“I study veterinary medicine in Tirana. I decided to work here for the summer months,” says the 20-year-old.
Evi, who works as a receptions but studies German linguistics in Tirana, says “it is not a decision that takes a lot of time to make.”
“Having in mid the Tirana heat wave, I’d better come and work here,” she smiles.
Of course both of them are right. The spectacular view of deep blue and often twinkling sea that the hotel’s restaurant terrace offers and where Ilirian and his colleague serve the holidaymakers, is often welcome bonus for everybody.
Even international media have for several years now discovered the still virgin southern beauty which until a few years ago was reserved only to Albanians as a hidden treasure on the back of proud mountains which seem to hardly tolerate on narrow roads. And it’s exactly about this treasure that Lonely Planet , National Geographic and even New York Times write about and encourage their readers to head there with the promise that what they will find when they reach there will be the greatest reward every individual tourist escaping overcrowded places can get.
And this promise does not seem exaggerated at all when you are there in the middle of Europe, surrounded by woods, mountains and the sea merging with sky on the horizon and the sky that preserves exactly the same shade to the sea color gently touching it, and quiet people resting in a friendly atmosphere next to each other.
Such landscapes are found in Southern France, in in Sardinia, Corsica and southern Albania where I found all the above in one, spending the holidays of my dreams.
(Article by Sonila Sand originally published on Deutsche Welle in the local Albanian service, translation by Tirana Times)
