Sweden - Shkodër

Text: Peter Johansson
Editing: Christer Lundstedt
Photos: Christer Lundstedt, Peter Johansson, Roberth Nordin
Videos: Christer Lundstedt, Roberth Nordin

Thursday 17th of April

16.24 The last working day for a while is done this Maundy Thursday. The backpacks are packed with what I might need for this Easter trip. This applies to both the big and the small one. Christer is in Sundsvall and Roberth is probably on his way there right now. Sundsvall will be the first stop and place to sleep. We will sleep one night in Christer's apartment and head to Arlanda airport by train tomorrow morning.

17.07 It has happened again. My kind mother has driven me to Örnsköldsvik's travel center. Here there will be a short wait before I travel south by train.

17.34 My train is now leaving Örnsköldsvik. The journey has begun. There is no snow on the ground outside and the lakes are ice-free. Spring is early here this year. What season applies to where we are going? The trip this Easter goes first to Montenegro. From there we will enter Albania and travel through the country before flying home from the Greek island of Corfu.

19.06 If all goes well and according to plan, Roberth and Christer will be reunited in Sundsvall. Roberth's train should arrive just before 19.00. If everything continues to go as planned, I will also be there within an hour. We will also be accompanied by a friend who was with us on the Easter trip in 2016 when we visited Berlin, Prague and Munich.

Peter leaves Örnsköldsvik.

A cold fog has settled over Sundsvall when Roberth's train from Jämtland arrives.

Roberth and Björn pose while Peter takes pictures.

20.04 I have now arrived in Sundsvall and here I have joined Roberth, Christer and Björn. We are at the Bishops Arms pub in central Sundsvall. The other three gentlemen have been here for almost an hour and have already had a beer each. Now dinner awaits here at the pub. Björn has finally received his bottle of Riga Balzam that was bought for him in August when Christer and I visited Riga on our way home from Mauritius.

21.40 There was good food (entrecote), good drinks and good company. Now we walk up to Christer's apartment to round off the day and sleep before leaving tomorrow. We also wished Björn a happy Easter before we parted ways.

22.31 Most things are ready for a few hours of sleep in Christer's apartment. The cold fog outside makes us long for a warmer climate with sunshine.

Friday 18th of April

06.21 It's Good Friday and two-thirds of the Travel Team has woken up. Christer and I are getting ready for breakfast. Roberth is prioritizing sleep for a while longer. There's a thick fog outside. This is the twelfth time the three of us have traveled together somewhere abroad during Easter. Trips have been made in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Then Roberth and I went in 2009 too, but Christer couldn't participate then due to illness. In 2007 we traveled in March instead.

07.06 Breakfast is over and Roberth is awake again. We'll be on the train in an hour, we hope.

07.21 We are now on our way on foot through a foggy Sundsvall. We are all hoping for better and warmer weather where we are going.

07.59 The three gentlemen are on the same train but in separate seats in different carriages. Christer is in carriage 4, I am in carriage 3 and Roberth in carriage 2. This is what happens when we buy tickets separately.

09.02 The train leaves Hudiksvall. The fog is still there. I have started reading the book Eldstorm by Dag Öhrlund.

10.15 The book is good, like most of the ones I have read by Öhrlund.

In the fog we walk towards Sundsvall railway station.

We have reached Arlanda airport.

Roberth got a very large beer.

We chose different beers.

Lunch at Barino's, Arlanda.

Little Red Riding Hood and her friends will take us to Vienna.

11.30 Once at Arlanda airport, Christer is currently examining his backpack for possible wear and tear. Some damage was discovered when packing yesterday and most of it has been repaired with an effective tape. This is probably the last trip for that bag/backpack.

11.58 We will once again have lunch at the Italian restaurant Barino. We are just about to order our meals.

12.14 Via QR codes on the table we have received menus and managed to order. The beer came quickly and the pizzas are waiting. Roberth got a really large beer. It is important to check what you order.

12.53 With pizzas and beer in our bodies, it is now time to get ready to travel abroad.

13.24 The luggage is checked in all the way to Titograd or as the city is now called, Podgorica. Titograd is still active on in the airport code, however. Baggage drop and security check went well for us. Things went worse for an older gentleman named Reijo. He was nervous, unsure and started arguing with the staff. Two people ahead of us had also forgotten their mobile phones in the plastic boxes at security. One was poor Reijo. Now there will be a coffee stop at Panini Internazionale. The coffee was unexpectedly cheap, a real surprise.

14.33 It will be E10 which will be our gate out of the homeland. We fly via Vienna but to do that we must first board the plane from Austrian Airlines.

15.03 Soon we will board the Austrian Airlines plane. It will be at one of the emergency exits so unfortunately there will be no journal writing during the flight. All cabin luggage must be put away.

AUSTRIA

17.45 We have landed at Vienna Airport, which is located in Schwechat just southeast of the Austrian capital. On the plane, Roberth and I drank coffee from cups with a spout. The coffee was not included. Here at the airport, we are sitting on benches and making a plan for the hours we are waiting here. Roberth has, as usual, bought a pretzel and is happy.

18.24 We are currently sitting at gate F35 and wondering where, when and what we will eat.

18.50 While waiting for a craving that resembles hunger to appear, we are at the Sports Viewing Zone, a few benches where waiting passengers can watch sports on a large TV. Tennis from Munich is being shown here. It is Fabian Marozsan, Hungary, playing against Zizou Bergs from Belgium. It's 6-3, 5-5 and 15-0 in the 11th game of the second set.

On the way on board.

Today we fly with Austrian Airlines.

A few hours of waiting in Vienna.

Roberth found what he was looking for.

We chose a typical Austrian dinner.

Sports Viewing Zone at Vienna Airport.

19.23 After some searching and thinking, we have dinner at Jamie's Italian Vienna. Jamie in the restaurant's name is the famous British chef Jamie Oliver.

20.15 We each got a good Wiener schnitzel and salad as a side dish. The Ottekringer Wiener beer was so-so, more beautiful to look at than fantastic to drink. When paying, we spoke to the waiter who thought we were football fans like all the other Swedes at the airport. Djurgården played Rapid Wien yesterday in the Europa Conference League. He also told us that he had been to Sweden and seen HV71 play ice hockey. Now we are back at the sports TV. Now it is football that is being shown, LASK from Linz playing against WSG Tirol from Innsbruck.

20.54 The passports are scanned and we go to the gate area. It was worse for a man from Kosovo. This may be because he used the scanner for EU passports and Kosovo is not part of the EU.

21.15 We wait at a gate. It is not at the right gate. Why not?, you might ask. Well, it is crowded there. Some young people who are probably going on a plane to Cairo are sitting around us and making as much noise as only teenagers can.

22.15 Now we are about to leave on another flight with Austrian Airlines. The backpacks are going up on the luggage rack. We are again at an emergency exit. However, I am not drinking any coffee on this flight.

MONTENEGRO

23.43 At the small airport Aerodrom Podgorica we are now waiting for our bags and pre-ordered transport.

23.56 Sure, the airport is small, but rarely has it been so quick to go through passport control and get our luggage. That must be a new record. Our hotel has arranged transport from the airport and sure enough, there was a man waiting for us. Christer's last name was misspelled on his sign, but what does that matter? Now we look forward to checking in and getting some sleep.

Saturday 19th of April

00.08 It was quick and easy to get into the city and checking in at Hotel Terminus in Podgorica. Here we will spend the night in room 502, a large room that is more like a small apartment. The hotel is located next to both the train station and bus terminal.

00.22 After moving in, checking out the TV channels and finishing some drinks, it is finally time for bed. Tomorrow we will get to know the capital of Montenegro.

08.18 It is morning again in Podgorica. This is the 42nd European capital we have slept in during our travels. In total, there will be 97 capitals with sleep, that is half of the world's capitals. The sun is shining outside and you can hear airplanes.

09.24 We have had a good and solid breakfast or in the local language doručak. Now we are basically ready for the day. The question is how we dress. We are going to take a look at Podgorica, which has been the capital of Montenegro since the interwar period. First, it was the capital with the name Titograd when Montenegro was part of Yugoslavia. Then it became the capital of the independent nation of Montenegro. The name Podgorica means roughly "below the mountains". There are 136,473 inhabitants here.

10.16 In six hours we will be on the bus that will take us out of the country. The time until then is quite uncertain. However, some actions have been determined. This includes checking out, paying, sightseeing and eating.

Peter in room 502.

Hotel Terminus, Podgorica.

Breakfast at Hotel Terminus.

Time to leave the hotel.

Support for the Palestinian cause.

We walk through a warm and green Podgorica.

10.44 The backpacks are now in storage in the hotel office. We have also paid for our stay here. Now we will see more of Podgorica than we saw when we were here for a bus change during the Easter trip in 2011. At that time we were on our way from Sarajevo and were going on to Kotor on the coast.

10.51 We have left the hotel and are walking through a green and warm Podgorica. Spring has really arrived here. On a house facade we see the message that Montenegro supports Palestine.

11.10 Husain Džavid, a poet from Azerbaijan, has a bust here in the royal park, Kraljev Park. We take a break on a bench and think about the care of the park and our coming day.

11.34 A little further from the park there is an equestrian statue. The man sitting on the horse is King Nikola. He was Prince of Montenegro from 1860-1910 and King of the same kingdom from 1910-1918.

11.41 The water rushes between rocks and cliffs in the Ribnica River. It roars white foam and passes under the old bridge Stari Most Bećir Bega Osmanagića. This is a wonderful oasis in the middle of the city, a natural experience in the middle of the urban jungle. The old bridge here has been here since Roman times.

11.45 We have visited the place where the Ribnica flows into the larger Morača River. The water is at full speed this time of year.

11.56 It is ticking from the pedestrian crossing. A little further away on the other side of the river the Hotel Podgorica towers. A few yellow-flowered bushes can be seen and now it has finally become green.

Break in Kraljev Park.

Statue of King Nikola.

Ribnica has a lot of water this time of year.

Stari Most Bećir Bega Osmanagića, an ancient bridge.

Roberth where two rivers meet.

View of Hotel Podgorica.

12.09 Here at Independence Square (Trg nezavisnosti) there is a little bit of everything but nothing spectacular. What do we do next?

12.19 In the fresh spring breeze we are now drinking coffee at Your Time Podgorica, a café with outdoor tables. The best thing is perhaps that we have access to the internet again.

12.54 After coffee for all three of us and croissants in a delicious form for our companions, we are now ready to see more of the city. The croissants were carried in on a beautiful little stand.

13.26 We wander around a bit aimlessly in the central parts of the city and mostly look around. We hope to find some kind of souvenir shop but they are conspicuous by their absence. Now we are on a bench by a statue of Marko Miljanov. Soon we will find a place to eat our lunches.

13.42 Some restaurants were checked out but they seemed quite simple and boring. The decision was made to return home to the neighborhood around the hotel for food before departure.

14.15 We are at the restaurant Grill Beli. We are quite close to the hotel and also the bus station. Here we hope to eat meat in some form.

14.56 Pljeskavica with and without side dishes and Serbian beer to go with it was a really good meal. Now we will prepare for the bus trip to Albania.

Independence Square (Trg nezavisnosti), Podgorica.

The croissants were beautifully served at Your Time.

Njegoševa Ulica, Podgorica.

The mayor has headquarter in this building.

Today's lunch was pljeskavica at Grill Beli.

On the bus that will take us to Albania.

15.29 When paying for the food, the message came, they don't take cards here, only cash payments. Christer and Roberth remained at the table while I crossed the street and went to the city bus station. Money was withdrawn and soon changed hands. Now we are back at the hotel. Here we have collected our bags. Soon we will be heading for the bus.

15.50 We walked the short distance to the bus station. After paying a station fee, showing our printed tickets and paying a small bag fee, we are on board the small bus from Drita Travel that will take us across the border to Shkodër in Albania. The city is called Skadar here in Montenegro. In front of Christer sits a sad girl on her mother's lap.

16.27 The bus rolls on with us on board. The little girl is now with her father but is still sad. Now she went back to her mother. We will all soon be at the border.

16.35 This time it was a short stay in Montenegro. Now we roll on for passport control and entry into Albania.

ALBANIA

16.42 This was a quick march. A small queue formed outside the bus and the passports were checked efficiently. Our bus continues its journey. We don't believe the stated arrival time of 18.30 at all. We should be there much earlier than that.

17.43 The bus dropped us off at a roundabout in central Shkodër and we walked past a major asphalting project and then on to Hotel Treva. The lift was small and we could not use it three at once with our bags. Now all three of us are in room 302. This is Roberth's first stay in Albania. However, Christer and I made a day trip here from Italy in 2004 and visited the capital Tirana in 2013.

We say goodbye to Montenegro for now.

We have arrived in Shkodër.

Shkodër's city center.

Mother Teresa is important to Albanians.

We found Hotel Treva.

Muza Bistro, tonight's dinner restaurant.

18.49 Since we have two nights here in the room and also a refrigerator, we are going to go out and stock up on something to fill it with. Let's hope that a shop is open. We also need to withdraw money. Even though you can pay with cards here and there, Albania is still a country that appreciates real money (cash) when paying. The currency here is called lek and is tied to the euro.

19.44 It was a rewarding excursion out on the town with some shopping for later tonight. Now we will gather our strength for the upcoming dinner. Shkodër is the largest city in northern Albania and is also called Shkodra or Skadar depending on who you talk to. The population is 88,245.

20.32 We have decided that we are going out to eat. Maybe Google maps will find a suitable alternative for us.

21.07 We have sat down at Muza Bistro's outdoor seating. Muza Bistro is one of many restaurants along Rruga Kolë Idromeno. Unfortunately, the beer we had hoped to order, Puka Beer, was not available. We each chose one of the three main courses the restaurant offered. Roberth eats kebab, Christer sausages and I have chicken.

22.26 It was not possible to pay with cards but cash was available this time. Once home, the lift would not take us up to our floor. It would not let us out either. Were we too heavy? A press of the alarm button caused the door to be opened from the outside by the staff and we came out. We use the stairs instead.

Dinner at Muza Bistro.

The patriot Luigi Gurakuqi is visible in the dark.

Warm days are promised.

Sunday 20th of April

07.55 Good morning! Today is Easter Sunday. Today we are not going to travel by bus or car. Out there a dove is cooing.

08.52 Showered and freshly dressed, we are here at Hotel Treva ready to eat mëngjesi, breakfast. The sun is shining outside. It will be a warm day today.

09.22 It was a really good breakfast buffet in a beautiful room. During the meal, the eager Roberth went out into town and checked if any bike rentals were open even though it was Sunday. He found a good alternative. We are going there soon. First we are going back to the room for a short while.

09.45 When we left the hotel we were asked if we wanted the room cleaned. We did. Roberth led us to the travel agency Anna Tours a short distance from the hotel. Here we will rent bikes. As for cycling, Roberth has been very used to cycling for the past four summers. Christer and I have cycled a little now and then on our trips over the years.

10.15 After paying and pumping, we wobbled out onto the cycle paths. The travel agency owner Anna appeared before departure and offered painted Easter eggs. Roberth, who had just washed oil off his hands, now got red paint on his hands instead.

10.24 We are on our way along the streets of Shkodër, a city filled with cyclists of different ages and speeds. Roberth's cycling routine is noticeable. He quickly disappears. Now we have stopped at a SPAR store. Should we buy some drinks for the road? We might need that on this warm, sunny day.

Beautiful breakfast room at Hotel Treva.

We visit Anna Tours (https://www.anna.tours).

Bikes are selected and prepared.

Peter on a bicycle through Shkodër.

There are bike paths everywhere in bike-friendly Shkodër.

Two cyclists on a Sunday outing.

10.55 With our purchased drinks, we have made it out of the city. Now we are standing on a bridge with a green railing and a wooden roadway. It is called Buna's bridge. Buna is the river that flows under the bridge.

11.14 It was not exactly easy cycling at first. The nice cycle path we had seen on Google Maps is now completely unpaved. You have to cycle on a rough stone material or out in the road among the cars. Christer does not recognize the café where we have now sat down for eleven o'clock coffee. He is not alone in that. We are at Bar Restorant Vataksi. It is beautifully located by the Buna River.

12.06 The coffee was hot and black. There were old men smoking all around us. We are now on our way again. The cycle path is finally paved. Cycling on gravel is terrible. Lake Shkodra, which we cycle by, does not smell good. 14 years ago we were on the Montenegrin side of this large lake when we took the train from Bar to Belgrade. The lake is considered the largest lake in southern Europe.

12.15 We have stopped to photograph Stralaus Freudenberg, a hotel construction project that has now become a strange tourist attraction.

12.19 Upon arrival at the tourist resort of Shirokë we make a stop at a bench. The mountains are lush and an Audi is idling. We will not cycle further than here. This will be the final destination for the day. There is not much interesting further away.

12.45 We continue through the resort by the lake. Some guys are playing football and one just fell on the paving stones. We are now aiming to have lunch soon. It smells like freshly painted. Is it from the bench I am sitting on?

12.53 The bikes were locked together with a chain and we walked towards food. Lunch will be at Restorant Shkodra. We are sitting on their outdoor terrace by the water and have a lake view. The poor waiters carry food and drinks from the restaurant, between passing cars and out to the waiting guests.

Most things are sold here.

Rozafa, a castle built around 350 BC.

The old bridge over the river Buna.

Roberth on an Albanian bicycle tour.

Coffee break at Bar Restaurant Vataksi.

Lake Shkodra.

14.10 We got delicious pizzas, tasty beer, Peja from Kosovo and good coffee in small cups. Now that the bikes are unchained we will cycle home. It has been a lovely cycle trip along the beautiful lake.

14.21 In the middle of the road there are some horses now standing and smelling of their own shit. Car traffic has stopped because of this. However, we cyclists get by smoothly.

14.27 We take a break because the paving of the cycle path is finished and a break is nice. The views are quite nice too. There is no rush to return the bikes either.

15.34 Despite a little trouble at times with Christer's saddle that wanted to sink, we made it back to Shkodër and all the way back to Anna. Once the bikes, locks and even the key on a string had been returned, we went shopping at Unit Market. Here at home they haven't had time to clean as they promised but we're still happy.

17.10 There probably won't be any cleaning, unfortunately, but we have booked a table at a popular restaurant at 8pm tonight. We're going to visit Restorant Fisi.

17.45 I've been thinking that the painting above my bed looks strange. Now I understand why. It's hung upside down.

Finally easy cycling again.

Stralaus Freudenberg, a hotel construction project underway at Lake Shkodra.

We'll be there soon.

Roberth cycles into Shirokë.

Boat excursions are offered in Shirokë.

Lunch at Restorant Shkodra.

18.15 Roberth, who has been out on the town for a while, has returned to the room with a bottle of Albanian wine, Kallmeti.

19.29 The wine was incredibly easy to drink. The birds are singing and we will soon be leaving. We will take out more game before we move towards our booked table.

20.01 We are punctual and are now standing outside Restorant Fisi (https://fisirestaurant.com) waiting for our booked table to become available. The restaurant will offer traditional Albanian food.

20.19 Since it would take a few minutes to get the table available, we took a short walk around the block and came back to sit down. Now there were suddenly two free tables to choose from. On the walk we saw Anna from the bike rental company, again. She greeted us cheerfully. It is a small town here.

22.10 We ordered mixed grilled meat. The portions were not huge but it was good. After paying, we went to the roundabout where we got off the bus yesterday and checked when the buses to Tirana leave. Now we are home again and planning for tomorrow.

22.55 After an evening beer and tomorrow's decisions, we are soon ready to hug the pillows.

From the lunch table we got to see various boat rides.

It is time to cycle back.

Outside the dinner restaurant Fisi.

Not a lot of vegetables with tonight's dinner.

Roberth works overtime as a parking attendant.

VIDEOS

You can see 4 photos from April 17 in this photoalbum.
You can see 29 photos from April 18 in this photoalbum.
You can see 105 photos from April 19 in this photoalbum.
You can see 98 photos from April 20 in this photoalbum.

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