August is the busiest time in Albania and lots of Albanians living overseas return for their summer holidays so accommodation is difficult to get. We couldn't book any accommodation online so we arrived by bus and waited for the touts to find us. It was really hot here so we wanted a place with air-conditioning. The first tout took us to a place that was pretty cramped and up an unsealed street on a hill above the town. We headed back closer to the town and asked at a hotel. They phoned someone and we ended following him back to Lili Hotel. The hotel had a lovely balcony overlooking the street and with a glimpse of the sea. In the hall was a refrigerator for all the guests to use and below was a cafe.
Some cafes appear to be men only places. They spend hours drinking rakia (fruit wine) and Turkish style coffee: thick, 'dusty', and sweet without milk and served in a tiny cup, accompanied by a large glass of water. The cafes don't serve food and we wonder how they make any money as most customers sit for hours fiddling with their 'worry beads' and chatting. The trendier cafes do serve some food and there are usually families eating ice creams and drinking soft drinks at these, especially after work.
It is common to see newly constructed buildings with some kind of toy tacked to the front of the building. We have seen yellow haired plastic dolls, Santa bears, monkeys, and this teddy bear was tied to the reinforcing steel of a new shop. It had a garland of garlic around its neck. We have also see the garlic tied to the mirror in some taxis. Beside the teddy bear was the horned-skull of a goat as well.
Saranda is a popular place for Albanians to visit. The sea is a beautiful colour but unfortunately, everyone leaves their litter where ever they are even if there are bins nearby and it ends up in the sea. In the evening they stroll along the waterfront promenade and dine in the dozens of outdoor restaurants. During the day they lie on the beach from 8am to about 4pm working on their tans. Across the bay from Saranda is Corfu in Greece with ferries taking the holiday makers to and fro.
Albania has 290 days of sunshine a year!
