From Copacabana to Catalina, from Magog to Melbourne, from Seattle to São Paulo, we have covered and traveled the world to cover open water swimmers and events of all distances and types. Special Olympics races in Athens, masters swims in Tokyo, charity swims in the Caribbean, mass participation swims in Rio de Janeiro.

But Albania has not been on our beaten path.

The road to Albania from Montenegro was along a steeply windy road without painted lines. After the border, there was an impossibly long of cars backed up at least 3 hours going in the opposite direction headed out of Albania. Between the cars, people were walking cows down the street and asking for money from the passengers. With discarded garbage discarded in whichever direction, the contrast with its neighbors was stark.

Drive throughout Southern California and fast food restaurants and donut shops dot the landscape. Car washes – or lavazh – and wedding places were seemingly Albania’s answer to California’s love of hamburgers and muffins.

For some reason, the sight of many Mercedes Benz cars traveling along paved roads that inexplicably transformed into dirt roads was a curious mix of high technology and a lack of public services. Even in the capital city of Tirana, roads would turn into dirt with potholes and horses as well as cows pulling wagons of various sorts.

Outside the capital, there was more greenery like Montenegro up in the hills. On the Albania side on the Macedonian border, leaving the country was more quickly accomplished than on the Albania – Montenegro side.

The history of this part of the world, not something commonly taught in American schools, was fascinating to learn, especially as we cruised across countries that were only previously known as foreign places on a map.

Copyright © 2014 by World Open Water Swimming Association