After a 16 hour journey by plane and a 1 hour journey by car, we made it to our new home in Shëngjin, Albania at about 7pm on July 1. It had been hot that day - 37C / 99F - and we had no air conditioner, (but it cooled down enough to sleep). We didn’t care, we were hot, exhausted, and so happy.

Valentino was a trooper during the long flight.

Trying to Establish a Daily Routine

Coffee

Albania has the most amazing coffee. We start each day with coffee from the place across the street. Given that Shëngjin is a tourist area, the receipt shows the cost in Lek (Albanian currency), the Swiss Franc, Euros, the British pound, and US dollars.

Meals:

We usually eat one meal out per day, and then keep fruits or vegetables at home to supplement. There is a method to the madness. The cost of eating out is incredibly reasonable even during the high season. About half what it would cost in the US. The food is very healthy. All food is farm to table. There is no corporate farming here.

(Expats have reported a reduction in their inflammation induced illnesses. I am hoping to experience the same.)

Getting out to go for coffee or food, encourages us to walk even on the days we aren’t feeling it. However, they have made the area so walkable, that it’s truly a joy.

Taken when we were here in April. There are a lot more vacationers now.

Air Conditioning

The young couple from whom we bought the apartment had intended to use the place as a vacation home. But it didn’t work out that way. So the place was furnished, but no air conditioning or heating had been installed. Given that it was so hot on the day we arrived, it was the first order of business.

The purchasing process was such a different experience than in America. The sales woman didn’t try to upsell us, instead she asked the size of our place, and explained that the less expensive brand would be just fine for our small space. Then she apologized for not being able to have it installed the same day. I had expected it to be several days! It was installed the following day.

(We also purchased a television a couple of days later in a neighboring town, and the experience was much the same. We were asked what size and features we wanted and we were shown TVs that fit our requirements. Again, no attempt to upsell.)

What a low-key experience!

Language

Most of the younger people speak English. It’s taught in school. We often try to utilize our few Albanian words, and it seems appreciated by most Albanians, but we have also been told by the waitstaff to just speak English. Ha!

We will begin an Albanian language class in September. I’m looking forward to it.

Residency

We are working with a lawyer on our residency permits. There are several ways to achieve residency. You can come as a digital nomad; you can start a business; you can come as a retiree, and finally, you can buy property. We could qualify as retirees, but since we have purchased property, that is the path we are utilizing.