Adventures in Gjirokastër | Part 3
Stone City Hostel in Gjirokastër was a great base for exploring southern Albania. Each day I explored more of the city or went out to towns like Tepelenë and Përmet, or the nearby village of Lazarat. At night, I would meet new travelers in the hostel, often going out to dinner, and making plans together for the following day.
The First Adventure
One day, four of us joined a local tour guide on his first tour of the year. Because he was testing a new format and capturing some photos and videos for his Instagram, he didn’t charge for his time.
At our first stop, we climbed a fence and explored an abandoned communist-era hospital, built into the earth.
There are no signs or plaques. We just put on our headlamps and walk past bats and animal bones as we navigate the dark rooms and tunnels.
Next, we got onto a boat and toured a section of the Vjosa River, stopping at my first “blue eye”. It’s a spring where crystal clear water surfaces from deep underground. I jumped from the cliff into the frigid water.
After getting back on dry land, we ate dinner at a restaurant on the river, and then headed back to the hostel.
Community
In the days following, I started to build a rhythm. I would meet new people in the hostel around dinner time, finalize our plans over breakfast, and then go explore some new places during the day.
This pattern drew into question the goals of this trip. I had planned to use my tent for a week at a time, alone, staying in hostels only as necessary. Today, it’s obvious to me that community is a core part of a life that is sustainable, but back then I was struggling with this idea.
Everything changed one morning. I was all packed up and ready to check out of the hostel and move on. By chance, at the last minute, I had a conversation with Mateus. He saw that I wasn’t too happy about leaving and offered to go on a hike with me. It changed my perspective in an instant. I thought I was so sure about leaving, but Mateus’s offer exposed my need for connection.
The truth is, I could tell his offer was out of pity. Being a volunteer at the hostel, he’d done these hikes before. But his offer was enough to give me the realization I needed. It also reminded me that two German girls had been discussing a hike the night before at dinner. So I walked over to their room and shyly asked if I could join. Of course, the answer was yes.
All it took was for me to realize it was something I needed, and then to ask for it. Having grown up without a community that met my needs, I had internalized that this was something I needed to be able to go without. On the contrary, what I began to learn about human connection is that it’s just like any of our other needs—for food, water, and shelter—and we don’t need to leave it up to chance.
To be continued in Part 4…