Back in Albania and curse you Rick Stein

Our GPS is not always helpful.  For example, driving from the north down towards the coast to Vlore, it took us along a dreadful bumpy road from the town of Fier to Vlore as the new highway had not been loaded into it.  It also, finds little short cuts which results in roads such as this.  I also want to mention that the roads in Albania are generally very good.  Sometimes, surprisingly, you still get a horse and cart on a main arterial road.  There is a high rise building on your right and a horse and cart on the road.

But going along the little bumpy road we came across this wonderful mural.

We had our usual picnic lunch. Sometimes we are lucky enough to find a table but not often.

I have to say that I have come to curse Rick Stein.  I watched his cooking series From Venice to Istanbul with interest. Afterwards, knowing we were coming to travel around Albania I looked at his itinerary on the internet and took careful notes of where he dined, as much as I was able.  I realise his was a cooking show to advertise his book From Venice to Istanbul rather than be a tourists’ guide to restaurants but trying to find some of the restaurants he visited has cause us much anguish. 

We arrived in the town of Lezhe today after a longish drive from Montenegro and a long wait at the border.  We intended to eat at Mrizi Zanave Restaurant which turned out not to be in the town of Lezhe but some 25 kms out of town in the Lezhe district.  We drove along winding rural roads for what seemed like ages but we finally found it.  It is a very stylish Agrotourism sort of establishment where accommodation is available along with the dining experience and rated as the best restaurant in the country.  Unfortunately for us, they were fully booked accommodation wise.  While they could provide dinner from 6:00pm onwards, we would have had to drive all the way back to the town of Lezhe in the dark afterwards.  So we drove back to town hungry and tired and took a hotel room but the dining room was closed.  The owners took pity on us and they cooked us a meal from scratch which consisted of beautifully tender pork chops, French fries, grilled capsicums, salad and fetta cheese.  We enjoyed the meal immensely and I am giving up on Rick Stein.

It may not have been the highest rated restaurant in Albania but the food tasted bloody good.

Vlore on the coast at last.  Lonely Planet describes the coastal drive for the next 125 kms as far as Saranda as easily one of the most spectacular in Eastern Europe and shouldn't be missed by any visitor to Albania.  We are looking forward to it.  Certainly our apartment for the night here in Vlore is fantastic.  Here is the view from the apartment and then the inside.

Andrew coming up the rocky stairs from the "hotel beach" which is really just a pile of rocks.

And this is the view from just around the corner towards where we head tomorrow.