Day 147 – EU – Albania [Fushe-Kruje to Golem]

18/07/20

39.5km

  From Fushe-Kruje (Albania) to Golem (Albania)

Europe

A different run today – rainy and grey start and seeing a glimpse of the not-so-nice side of the country

I was glad it was drizzling this morning as I left. The temperatures were cool, I knew that heat would not be an issue today.

I started out on the main road for about 9km, which was surprisingly quiet – but it was Saturday, so that explains. I then ran on a country road to cut towards the coast. I was quite looking forward to running near the Adriatic again.

Well… Days cannot all be good I guess. Today was a rough landing in some ways. The past 3 days of running through Albania, I have been blown away at how beautiful the country is, pristine and so very well preserved.

As I approached Tirana today, the capital, and more urban and populated areas in general, the landscapes and settings changed dramatically. I ran through some very poor villages that looked like shanty towns. Dirty pungent water running by the side of the streets, by the houses. Fly tipping everywhere, by the side of every road. It seems garbage collection is almost nonexistent. Garbage is either burnt, in piles, by the roadside. Or simply thrown randomly throughout the countryside.

I noticed some scavengers along the way too. People scouting through trash, trying their luck amidst piles of rubbish. Lots of stray dogs as well, malnourished, scaredly running away as I approached.

I did not feel like taking pictures. It just did not seem like the right thing to do.

Anyhow, today was a tough reality check, after what seems like a dreamy 3 days in the country until now. I knew that Albania was not a particularly wealthy country and was facing a lot of issues internally. Well I guess today was an eye opener – and certainly the proximity to the capital city explains a lot too.

I am staying by the sea in Golem, which is a rather nice place considering. And I will spend a rest day there tomorrow before hitting the road again on Monday – towards the Greek border.

Check my daily run GPS data on or

Here is the map of today’s run: