And so I reached my final checkpoint before the grand finale in Tirana. This was not a staffed location: all we needed to do to prove we’d got here was take a selfie, then collect a receipt from a local business. I made the smart choice of purchasing a hefty portion of lemon sorbet; and the foolish choice of getting cash from an ATM, which came with a €5 fee.


Unlike Graz, there was no way I could afford to stay at this checkpoint hotel, with rates starting at around €700. Nor did I linger in Rimini; 30 degree heat is simply not for me, beach or not. Besides, I had somewhere else to be.