When we got to Saranda in November 2022, we were warned, “how different” the town would be in off-season compared to the summer season. In winter a good percentage of restaurants would be closed, and we would virtually have the town to ourselves, and very few things would be busy. And everyone talked about how different summer was, with crowds, heat, and higher prices.

They were so right! BUT, it was nothing like what I imagined.

We’ve been living in Tirana for almost two months now, committed to another three months here, so decided to pick up some things we left behind two plus years ago. They were left with a friend in Saranda, and it included a lot of kitchen and home items, some clothing, and other things we mostly forgot about! It was time for me to take a road/bus trip to retrieve them. During the last week of July, probably pretty damn close to the high point of the high season. And I was expecting chaos; bedlam, bumper to bumper traffic, and hordes on the beach.

So I was pleasantly surprised that I got some of that, but not nearly what I figured!

The temps were high during the 18 hours I spent there, and the beaches were busy, but nothing like beaches I saw in other parts of Europe. In Spain, Portugal, and many others, it was wall to wall umbrellas and noise, but the main Saranda beach had a minimum of that. And car traffic? Just the typical, including people double-parking, honking, and trying to find a parking space. Nighttime traffic was much worse however, as the revelers came out to play. Walking traffic was like a non-stop ant trail going from one end of town to the others, and since there was a great selection of restaurants, they were all busy. It was a nice change from what I remembered since I saw the hustle and bustle of summer at the beach, but it was within reason. One of the bars down the street from where I stayed was open to 0500, and when I awoke at that time the morning I left, I saw many just walking home…

I barely remember doing that in my twenties!!

Overall, the five hour bus ride between Saranda and Tirana was pretty pleasant, with half being traffic-y, and the other half quite beautiful going through canyons and mountains, with lots of green scenery. A nice pit stop at the halfway point, and for roughly $20 USD, it’s a manageable trip.

Sometimes we imagine things being so much worse, but in this case, it was so much better. Just like many of our life’s fears