🇦🇱 Settling In To Sarande
Our first weeks of September 2022, in Sarande, Albania
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Our first weeks of September (2022) in Sarande, Albania
Welcome back to Throwback Thursday
Deana published this article on her Medium blog in the fall of 2022. Few people read those early articles, as we were still very new to writing and promoting ourselves.
In September 2024 we will be moving back into our apartment in Sarande for at least a month. We can't wait to return and rekindle our friendships! And there are multiple sights to see that we missed the first time. Like the Blue Eye!
We hope this article and the following Thursdays in August will whet your appetite for what's to come! ~ JL
Two weeks…
Two weeks is what it took for us to notice the fruit trees lining the street by our apartment. We both were like, “What the heck? How did we miss those?” They turned out to be mandarin oranges and pomegranates. Who knew, right?
But think about it. We only knew the absolute basics of getting here. Ya know, things like which cell phone services to use, where to find the nearest bank to get money, and… where the local expats hang out so we could ask all the important questions we had from the people who spoke English. (Help! We’re lost! lol)
That was a total godsend as we needed clarification on the drinking water situation here.
So we opened up our maps apps and just wandered around. We checked out the markets the expats recommended, coffee shops (we’ll chat about that in a minute), the local farmer’s market, and started to figure out what we really needed to make life feel more settled.
And even though our apartment said it was fully furnished there were still things we had to buy to help with cooking (a cutting board) and not falling on our butts stepping out of the shower (bath mat).
We walked…and we walked…and we walked even more… because we chose not to drive anywhere. We decided our health would be so much better walking (did I mention Sarande is built on a hill?).
And our health has definitely improved!
We still don’t drive. We’ve taken a taxi once or twice, but no driving. We’re very settled on that decision.
Now about that coffee…
Coffee in Albania is… different.
Obviously, we expected that. You can buy espresso shots, filter coffee (American-style brewed coffee) a cappuccino, latte, etc. but no syrups. Sugar yes, but no flavors.
Here’s the deal though; the roast is meh. We’ve tried them all, even a local roaster and it just doesn’t work for us. We even tried Turkish coffee, which Jeff enjoys, but I think is like drinking coffee-flavored sand.
No thanks.
Honestly, we had to settle for straight espresso shots or Nescafe instant Gold because…coffee…and, well…coffee.
Food and Water
The wonderful thing about being here in Sarande is you will never go hungry.
As I mentioned in my last story, there are small local markets with fresh fruits and vegetables on nearly every block, making it super easy to go every couple of days.
We are looking for a water filter pitcher. In the meantime, we are grateful the stores are so close because we have to buy and haul gallons of drinking water to the apartment.
And there are plenty of good restaurants that cost a pittance for a healthy meal.
All in all, we’re settling in, making new friends, and slowing wayyy down. So far so good!!
Now off to karaoke.
That’s it for this week’s Throwback!
Next week, we’ll continue the Sarande Saga with stories about karaoke (good!), coffee (bad!!), and our second favorite restaurant.
Thanks for Zigzagging Along with Deana & Jeff!
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