Adventures in Albania!

July 5, 2024

After enjoying a delicious breakfast of “Hemenex” (eggs and bacon), we drove through Kosovo and into the gorgeous town of Valbone — our first stop in Albania. We settled into our hotel nestled at the bottom of a bowl surrounded by staggeringly high mountain peaks. We jumped right into an adventure through the canyon surrounding us. A short hike led us to what we unanimously declared the best lunch so far, featuring roasted peppers and the best tzatziki we’d ever had. After a few more miles of trekking, we picked up a soccer ball and some ice cream while taking in the magnificent views around us. Upon our arrival back at our accommodations, the hotel owner’s seven-year-old son was obsessed with us, especially Hunter, who dove right into playing soccer with him. Dinner at the hotel brought our group together in a magical way. We dined at a white-tablecloth table on the terrace outside our hotel, surrounded by 360-degree views of the mountains. Some said the view reminded them of the grand Tetons, a compliment to what feels like a hidden gem we’ve discovered here in Albania. Our night ended with a walk into the foothills of the mountains and a Moonup in a grassy meadow. The stars were mesmerizing; Willie B spotted a shooting star, and we all marveled at the night sky.

Our biggest day of trekking began with an early breakfast, providing plenty of fuel for the day. McCord and Reita were our “leaders” for the day, and what a big day it was to lead by example. It was Maggie’s first hike ever, and we reassured her it was like a really long walk. We started at a good pace, but despite getting an early start, the intense heat of the high altitude sun hit us quickly. Man, it was hot, but our group were real troopers. The stunning 360-degree views of the high limestone peaks inspired us onward. Ela pushed herself hard on the uphill switchbacks, commenting that while she was used to the Texas heat, the hills presented a new challenge. Abby maintained a steady pace with a positive attitude, while Chandler found his calling as a group leader, his positivity spurring us on during tough moments. As we neared the top, Trent climbed a boulder for an unbelievable photo. Next came our most challenging section yet: a steep incline with numerous switchbacks, followed by a narrow section with a slight drop to our left. This group exhibited excellent self-leadership, knowing when to take breaks and inspiring each other to keep going, even when the going got tough. After the grueling stretch, we reached the summit! The group enjoyed lunch on the saddle at the top of the mountain pass between Valbona and Theth, surrounded by adorable wild dogs and picturesque views in every direction. Don’t worry; we took plenty of photos and videos. Once we had enjoyed the fruits of our hard work at the summit, we began our descent. Chris and Molly surprised the group with a break at a refuge nestled on the hillside during our descent, complete with ice-cold Coca-Colas. Our final stop was a dip in the creek towards the bottom to cool off. Finally, we arrived and immediately relaxed at our new accommodations in Theth. McCord, Molly, Corbitt, Chandler, Maggie, Ela, Reita, Abby, and Trent only needed a quick second to settle in before enjoying a post-hike soccer game on the field in front of our hostel. Hunter, Monde, and Willie B enjoyed a well-deserved nap.

For our third day of trekking, we woke up to a big breakfast before embarking on a morning hike to the Blue Eye. Despite the heat, conversation flowed along the trail, and positivity remained high. We reached the Blue Eye, a stunning turquoise water enclave surrounded by waterfalls and wooden bridges. Willie B was the first to brave the 40-degree water, followed by the rest of the guys, Reita, and Abby. We then climbed a long, steep staircase and were surprised to find a restaurant seemingly in the middle of nowhere. We enjoyed a filling lunch of pasta, meat, and salad and found a warmer swimming area nearby. Capturing the moment, we took pictures of the beautiful scenery and jumped off a walking bridge into the cool, deep water. Hunter continued to revel in his newfound love for chilly water, jumping in as much as the rest of the group combined! A total of 13 jumps from the bridge — so crazy! Given the continued hot conditions, weariness from the prior big day, and a special birthday (shoutout to Ela), Molly and Chris surprised us with a shuttle back to our hostel. We celebrated Ela’s birthday with a big fruit platter adorned with candles, singing songs, and handwritten birthday letters from the rest of the group at dinner. The chicken risotto for dinner was delicious, an excellent way to cap off our day.

We enjoyed our last morning in the mountains, soaking up the breathtaking views before driving to Tirana. The road took us over the mountains and through rural Albania, passing many small towns. We stopped to explore a little, and Trent boldly tried local Albanian snacks from a gas station. They were good! Back on the road and exhausted from hiking, most of us took a long nap during the ride. Maggie won the song game with a classic song that no one guessed was hers. We arrived at our hostel in Tirana, Albania’s capital, and immediately spotted some fellow Americans, which was exciting. We explored the town, enjoying Neapolitan-style Italian pizza at a cafe. Our group devoured seven pizzas in ten minutes, with McCord consuming the most slices. We shopped around for a few hours in search of white linen outfits for Athens; we all wanted to match on our last night together. Ela bought three pounds of local candy to share with the group — it was so good! A cloudy day made our city exploration pleasant, giving us a much-needed break from the heat. We visited a six-story shopping mall. Back at the hostel, we hung out on the rooftop porch, soaking up the sunset over Tirana. For dinner, we treated ourselves to cheeseburgers at Tony’s American restaurant.

We left early the next morning for Saranda, our beach destination. Another long car ride filled with naps and our favorite game — the song game! We arrived at our hotel by the water. We enjoyed our beachside balconies, dropped our bags, and explored the town. The warm water and rocky sand beaches were stunning. Hunter and Trent spent so long soaking in the Mediterranean that we weren’t sure if they would ever leave! We gathered on a dock for group jumps, and Willy B tested his vocal cords — his superpower is making everyone in our group crack up laughing. After a sweet treat in town, we returned to our balconies to relax. Dinner offered our first opportunity to enjoy fresh Mediterranean seafood. Chandler, Willy B, Hunter, and McCord entertained us with a game of “Gentlemen,” while Corbitt and Willy B enjoyed a half-and-half dish of fried shrimp and calamari, making the whole table jealous. Trent tried the seafood risotto! We ran into another Moondance group, which was a welcome surprise. The town came alive here at night once the weather cooled down! During the day, it was a sleepy town, but come nightfall, the streets filled with vendors and all sorts of street performers — parrots, falcons, and more! Abby showed off her Irish dancing skills, learned from YouTube, dancing along to the street music. It was so good! We ended the night with a Moonup and more bonding at the hotel, eager to cross over into Greece the next day!

The next morning, we woke up early for breakfast, enjoying fresh fruit, eggs, and croissants. We packed our bags and headed to the ferry, going through Albanian exit customs before boarding. We played a quick game of Mafia before settling in for the ride. We’ve arrived safely in Greece and can’t wait to share more from our travels!

Thank you’s!

Willie b: what up everyone having a blast in Greece right now can’t wait to see everyone when I get home! Sign me up for the fishing tournament this next weekend. I’ll catch yall in a few 💸🫡💥

McCord: thank you mom and dad I’m having a great time ! Can’t wait to see y’all when I get home!

Hunter: Thank you mom and dad! I’m having the best trip ever. Happy Birthday miller!

Trent: thanks mom and dad I’m having so much fun. Thank y’all so much for sending me here. Can’t wait to tell y’all all about it.

Chandler: thanks dad and Olivia sorry if I’m a mess when I come home

Abby: Hey Fam!! Thank you so much for this opportunity mom! I can’t wait to celebrate you. 🏔️🎂

Ela: thank you so much mom and dad for sending me on this trip! I can’t wait to see y’all! I’m having a blast !!! 🙂

Corbitt: thanks mom and dad I’m having a blast ! 🙂 can’t wait to see Dandie and y’all soon 😉

Maggie: Thanks mom! I’m having so much fun! See you soon😃

Reita: thank you mom and dad!! This has been the best trip and I’m so glad I have gotten to experience this! Don’t worry I’ve taken plenty of pics!!

Update from Mediterranean!

July 1, 2024

Hi to all from the Balkans! We landed safely and were immediately captivated by the stunning Croatian coastline and cliffsides. After an hour, we passed into Montenegro, our second country of the trip. The views of the remaining sunlight on the water were breathtaking. We stopped for our first dinner at a restaurant called Panorama, where Hunter discovered that the “burger” was actually a sausage! We continued our drive and crossed into Bosnia, making it country number three on day one. So cool! We arrived later in the night at our riverfront accommodations, with two tiny A-frames: one for the boys and one for the girls. Everyone was exhausted from a long travel day and thrilled to finally get to bed and begin our first activity. Our first day of rafting had an early start, and we were amazed by how gorgeous our new home looked in the daylight. The full group was finally together for a meal after some travel complications, and the eggs were AMAZING. Ella and Corbitt enjoyed an orange for breakfast while surrounded by cats in all directions. It was here the nickname “Swaggie” was born. One crew rode in a unique conversation-pit seating style car and Chandler took a good snooze. Abby, Ela, Corbitt, and Reita were curious to begin learning some basic Montenegrin. Navigating the narrow roads in the national park was a thrilling experience, and we were in awe of the crystal-clear water. We had lunch alongside the river and braced for the rapids. Our rafting adventure saw us split into two boats: Molly, Reita, McCord, Maggie, Chandler, and Willy B in one, and Monde, Trent, Hunter, Ela, Abby, and Corbitt in the other. We spotted a mountain goat, a bear, and some trout. Abby creatively named every waterfall we passed, and we heard everything from Chocolate Wafer Falls to Claw Falls. The guides were fascinated by our southern accents -led by Maggie- and had the raft cracking up. The water was so cold that we had to wear full wetsuits! Monde’s boat had the famous free-styling rapper Corbitt. After some calmer rapids, we arrived at an old family farm that’s been in the family for 300 years, complete with cats and kittens, chickens, and a trout pond. The boys stayed in a guest house while the girls had their own tiny homes. We enjoyed a traditional Montenegrin meal of trout, bread, tomato, cucumber, soup, burek, and ustipak. The day ended beautifully with the Moonup over the fruit tree orchard, overlooking the stunning limestone canyon. Hunter and Abby were our first “LoDs” of the trip. On our second day of rafting, we started with a delicious breakfast before heading back onto the river. After a few rapids, we pulled off to the side of the river and took a half-mile walk through the woods to a massive rock cave dwelling. The water was FREEZING (around 7 degrees celsius!!), yet we all bravely jumped into it. Hunter impressed us all by staying in the cold water longer than anyone else, gaining the name “ice man”. The rapids were more thrilling today; Molly’s boat played wavelength while Monde’s got in a heated debate about which gatorade flavor is best. Jet lag hit hard, but Willy B and McCord managed to nap on the raft. We learned how to surf rapids by standing on the raft as we entered the calmer waters. Next stop- an exhilarating cliff jump into the river! The whole group showed bravery, jumping off the large rock into the cold water. We celebrated the end of the day’s rafting with a delicious lunch of grilled chicken and potatoes back at our first accommodation – our favorite meal of the trip so far. We then enjoyed some deserved free time where we napped, showered, played cards by the river, and kicked around the hacky sack. Abby shared her friendship bracelet supplies with the group, and Hunter and Trent read by the water. The place we stayed had kittens everywhere, and Willy B named them Martha, Creamy, and Eddie. We ended the day with a yummy pasta Bolognese dinner and a magical moon up by the river. Our third and final day of rafting permitted a bit of sleeping in, which was a welcome change. The bread here is life-changing – so yummy! We changed up the boats today, and right off the bat, Monde jumped off his boat and flipped McCord off into the water – it was war! We had the chance to jump off our biggest cliff yet into the river, which this group -especially Maggie- loves. One side of the river is Montenegro while the other is Bosnia, and after jumping off the cliff we all swam over to Bosnia. We barely made our way down the river because we kept jumping on each other’s boats and pushing each other off! We pulled over on the Bosnia side for a mini hike to a waterfall with 4-degree Celsius water. This group strangely loves cold water, so we naturally all stuck our heads under the waterfall and enjoyed the freeing experience of standing under the falls. Clouds started filling the sky as we returned to the water, and we rushed to finish our rafting section. Today was thrilling; an 11/10 as quoted by the group, exceeding all of our expectations. We hopped into our ride back to get our bags- a fleet of Defenders, and moved campsites to a stunning house with a wall of windows pointing towards a breathtaking view. We feel so lucky and grateful for this trip so far and the continued unbelievable landscapes from our accommodations. This experience has been truly unforgettable. We left our rafting home and headed for the Montenegrin mountains. Before our travels, we began with a delicious breakfast as we said goodbye to Camp Grab. We loaded up in our Mercedes bus, and Hunter, our master cartographer, showed the group our route. We stopped in the capital of Montenegro for some lunch and shopping, where we loaded up on snacks for trekking, both familiar sprite and pringles and Montenegrin sweets. The song game was a hit during the car ride – everyone put a song in a hat anonymously, and the group tried to guess who played which song. We heard everything from Tyler Childers to “Roses” by Outkast. In the late afternoon, we arrived in the mountain village of Rozaje, and immediately needed some movement. The group hiked up the hill above where our sleeping huts were for the night, and found a beautiful view of rolling hills filled with tall evergreens. We watched the fog fall from the sky as the sun set from the hilltop. To close out our day of travel, we enjoyed an excellent dinner in the log cabin ski lodge esc restaurant at the base and set off to bed to rest up for our travels through Kosovo into Albania.

Till next time, Molly & Monde

Shout Outs

• Reita: I finally made it! Rafting was so fun; the views were amazing, the water is so clear, everyone is so nice, there’s no traffic here. Thank you for sending me on this trip.
• Chandler: I’m only taking pictures without people in the disposable, and I’m really enjoying my first Moondance. Love y’all; thank you for letting me do this.
• Trent: Thank y’all so much! I’m having a blast; hopefully, no one had bad injuries this time.
• Corbitt: Sup guys! Found my new future calling… hairstylist 🤫.
• Maggie: Hey y’all, I’m having so much fun! Can’t wait to see y’all.
• McCord: Hey Mom and Dad, thank y’all so much. See y’all soon.
• Willy B: Hey everyone, I hope all is well. I’m having the best time in Montenegro, meeting some great new people. Can’t wait for the rest of the trip 💪🫵😎.
• Ela: Hey Mom and Dad, I’m having a blast. It’s so pretty here. I love and miss y’all!
• Hunter: Hey everybody! Hope y’all are doing well. I’m having so much fun. Can’t wait for the rest of the trip. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity.
• Abby: Hey guys! I’m having so much fun in Montenegro; the water is so nice, better than the Kentucky River. Thanks for doing my housing stuff, Mom. Love y’all.
• Monde: Hi family! I have a new place for us to come check out. Sending lots of love from Albania.
• Molly: Miss you, Wil! We have to come back here; non-negotiable. Thanks for everything; I’m so lucky to be here.

Safe Arrival in Dubrovnik!

June 24, 2024

Hello Mediterranean Families!

All students have landed safely in Dubrovnik and they are on their way to Montenegro! The trip is off to a great start and we can’t wait to share more updates from their adventure!

-Moondance HQ