Days 64 and 65: Levan to Vlorë, then a Rest Day in Vlorë

August 07, 2026

Days 64 and 65: Levan to Vlorë, then a Rest Day in Vlorë

My last night in Levan was terrible. There was no AC so it was very hot in the room with only one small fan. Someone rang the doorbell at midnight for some reason. And there was firework at 1 AM. I don’t know what they were celebrating, but at least it was short lived.

Soon after I started my ride the next morning, it started to rain. My weather app didn’t even forecast rain. I pulled aside to a cafe and had a cup of Albanian coffee, which is served in a shot glass, similar to an espresso.

A local Albanian guy and I started chatting. He was very kind, like many Albanian people. We didn’t talk too much, but he was impressed by my bike tour. In the end, he ended up paying for my coffee. What a generous guy!

I only had to ride 16 miles to Vlorë from Levan and I was glad for that. As I got closer to town, the view was magnificent when I cruised down the hill. There are mountains on the sides and the town is tucked right in the valley where the Ionian Sea and the Adriatic Sea meet. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any photos since I was going downhill so fast.

I arrived at Nana Hostel at 7:30 AM. My clothes were damp from the rain. The owner of the hostel, who is an old lady named Nana, did my laundry. She was so bossy to the other guests and refused to keep the AC on for long so she can save money. She also didn’t provide shampoo to any guests. Not that I needed any. I found her to be the highlight of my stay in Vlorë.

I didn’t do much yesterday afternoon and only rode my bike to get dinner at an Asian restaurant called Nishiki. It’s a mom-and-pop restaurant and the food was so good.

This morning, I rode my bike to the bus station to ask about a bus to Himarë since I don’t want to ride my bike up a giant hill from Vlorë to Himarë tomorrow. The guy assured me that there’s a bus at 7 AM that can take my bike. I hope he’s right.

I did all my Vlorë sightseeing in the morning. There isn’t too much to see. I saw the Independence Monument then rode my bike to Lungomare Beach. The temperature gets hotter later in the day so I came back to the hostel around 10:30.

I spent rest of the morning and most of the afternoon coding a website that will combine my web development portfolio with my photography portfolio and adding a blogging feature. When I’m done bike touring Europe, I will start blogging my next adventure using that website since it doesn’t rely on Google services and might work in China if I decide to go there.

Right now, I feel I’m done cycling. I might even take the bus from Himarë to Sarandë, then take the ferry to Corfu, Greece. It’s just too hot and I only ride about 30 miles max per day. I just want to go back home and get some things done on my to-do list. And for some weird reason, I have a feeling that I might get stopped by ICE at the Philadelphia Airport and be detained and deported. My mind thinks too much sometimes.