July was crunchy hot. So we turned on the irrigation to water the trees and the garden and headed north a few times this month. First up was Theth. The valley of Theth sits high in the southern end of the Malesi e Madhe region of Albania. We've been near Theth a few times but finally crossed over and snaked our way down to the Theth valley. The road is new so the pavement was great but it's a bit narrow. So why here, you may ask? It has family owned guesthouses, rivers, waterfalls, blue eye spring, and many mountain trails. A popular hike is from Theth to Valbona or vice versus. It's a long day hike connecting the two small valleys with amazing views. We've not completed the trek but it's not off the list. If you go to youtube and type in Theth or Valbona there are hundreds of videos of hikers making this trek. We visited the blue eye but overall agreed it was a bit to crowded.
Cross at the top before the switchbacks on the way down between Boge and Theth.
And this last week we made two trips north to Vermosh and Lepushe. The drive there is MAGICAL. It never gets old. The trip is about an hour and half. When you climb up from our valley you pass through the village of Rapshe and stop a scenic lookout. It over looks a canyon with a beautiful a river snaking between the Albanian Alps. You literally drive down parallel with the river as you wind your way through stunning small villages. If you come through in early spring or late fall the waterfalls are countless. Including one we've admired from the road and finally stopped to get a closer look. We've nicknamed the spring fed waterfall the Crying Giant.
In Vermosh the hike of choice was summiting Mount Jeshnic, a grazing valley high in the Albanian Alps. A steep hike with incredible views and lots of shade to rest and take it all in. His family stayed at the Peraj Guesthouse. It's family run and they served farm to table AMAZING meals. It has four little cabins, areas for camping, RVs, and even a few rooms in the guesthouse. We met several travelers from Germany and Netherlands. All who were very impressed by Albania.
And a few days later we made the drive back up to Lepushe. Art, our nephew and four of our nephew's friends hiked to summit Mount Vajush. We completed this hike two years ago and I decided to sit this one out. I stayed back at the guesthouse Bujtina Lepushe. I worked on my fourth book in the Ember in Time series and enjoyed the beautiful views and cooler weather. Art and my nephew captured some incredible footage of their hike.
Back here at the homestead. We are sauced out! After a week of picking, chopping, cooking and canning we have 47 jars of sauce. We made several varieties but my favorite was heavy on the garlic and basil.
We are still picking tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, a second round of mountain tea, yellow pod beans, watermelons and even picked a pumpkin (10.7 kg) yesterday. We pulled the last of the bush beans and will be picking the chick peas later this week.
We have figs, grapes, and thana (cornelius cherries) are ripening daily.
And yesterday we picked the last of the pears.
And the apples, sugar plums, pomegranates, oranges, lemons, quince and persimmons are still progressing nicely.
The orchard had a second round of growth in the last month. We have three different varieties: davedishe, hicanzar, and wonderful. And the hicanzar (a Turkish variety) are pretty full with new fruits. Compared to the other two varieties that peaked with less than five fruits.
And Art and I did a mini excursion at the beginning of the month to the south of France and Barcelona, Spain. We enjoyed exploring Nice, Monaco, Cannes, Marseille, and Barcelona. And Barcelona has topped my list of my favorite European city. It was extremely easy to get around, cost was reasonable for food, hotels, and it has something for everyone. The sea, beautiful parks, amazing architecture, vibrant live music, beaches, and the food all so good! Highly recommend second to our little corner of the world. A few shots of our walks around.
Hello August...we hope you are cool.