Pilgrimage from Bilishti to Near Kotas 30/04/08

Once again we were off to a bit of a slow start, it is hard to get moving while it is so cold! The walk into Bilishti goes quickly and it isn’t long before we are in a little restaurant for breakfast.

Once again a customer has to translate for us and we order chicken soup, which he tells us is €1 for two plates. The soup is the strongest tasting chicken soup I think I have ever eaten, I’m sure it’s made out of rooster ;)

I go to pay suddenly the owner speaks enough English to say “€4!”

“What, €4!!! For the soup???”

I give him €2…

I never had any trouble at restaurants last time I was in Albania and either the people on this side of the country are a bit dodgy, or more likely, when they find out I don’t have any Albanian money and want to pay in Euros (which I always check is possible before ordering) the price doubles :)

Another customer sees I am having a problem and comes to find out what’s wrong. After I explain he gets back my €2 and pays for the soup himself with Albanian money (which I’m sure was the equivalent of less than a Euro!). The owner doesn’t look impressed…

After this the guy shows us an internet café and I finally get to catch up on all my crap. This has been the first internet stop we have had since day one!

By the time we get moving it is 2pm. We come to an intersection of the highway and this four-wheel drive pulls up and blocks the road. A guy jumps out and yells…

“Stop, stop! Plastic!” Pointing to the hills

Glancing in the direction he is pointing I get the idea. There is a quarry on the side of the road so I quickly set up my camera :)

The Greek border is only 8kms away so it isn’t long before we are saying our “goodbyes” to the bunkers of Albania and “hellos” to the warm rolling hills of Greece. It is exciting to once again be walking into the unknown. I have never been to Greece…

Stopping at the first shop we come across we go to stock up on chocolate. Funnily enough, we soon discover our last Euro was just spent 8kms before in Albania! We have British Pounds, US Dollars, Macedonian Somethings, as well as a few other strange currencies, Visa, Mastercard and American Express but still can’t purchase anything! And here we were thinking we were back in civilization ;) There isn’t even anywhere to change money. Looks like we are going hungry until we hit a town. Luckily I am still carrying a little cheese, some stale bread and Sabine still has some nuts. It could be worse…

We still don’t have a map and when we get to an intersection there is a sign…

Florina – 45
Kostoria – 25

Florina is to the north and the direction we want to head but the option of walking 45kms without any food or Euros really doesn’t appeal…south it is.

I’m starting to feel like we have a bit of a zig-zag thing going on…