After a large breakfast at the guest house, we headed off on our day hike to Theth. It took about 2 hours of walking to get to the official trailhead. Once on the trail, it was a fantastic hike. There were some steep sections, but nothing too hard. Our favorite part of this hike, about 11 miles in total, was the cafes along the way. After the first uphill stretch, we stumbled upon the first cafe. We grabbed the most delicious Turkish coffee we've had yet (referenced as Albanian coffee here) & rightfully so as the price was rather steep. While there, we got a small glimpse into local culture via the horse guide's brief stopover. Many folks seem to send their full roller bags via horseback while they hike rather than go the route of downsizing for a couple of days & carrying it themselves (yes, we judge). The guides for the horses were typically older & the horses looked well cared after. This particular guide tied up his horses & chatted with the cafe owner while having water, coffee, and a glass of raki; raki at about 11 am :).

Continuing from that stop, we trudged up & over the mountain pass enjoying the views. A bit into the descent, we stopped at the next cafe for more Albanian coffee (not as good as the first) and an amazing sweet dish that we can't even begin to think how to describe. It truly hit the spot. We gave the cafe's cute dog a few pets and then traipsed down the rest of the trail. The remainder of the path was loose gravel & wasn't the most enjoyable nor speedy descent. We walked through town for about half an hour until we reached our guest house for the next two nights. We grabbed beers & ate grapes that Kyle describes as the first grapes he's had that make sense of the artificial grape flavor. They were fantastic. We had a super hot shower, a lovely dinner served family style, and met some cool people from Spain, Argentina, Germany, & Australia. 

The next day, we did another 10-mile hike out to the waterfall & ended at a lunch spot. We had intentions of making it to the blue eye, but it was quite hot & the trail up to that point had been just a gravel road. We were over it, so headed back to town & stopped at another guest house for wine, beer, and byrek before heading home. Similarly to the night before, we enjoyed a family-style dinner & met a smattering of new people.

Reading:

• Kyle: Nothing
• Kelsey: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Listening To:

• Kyle: Nothing
• Kelsey: Nada