360° grocery haul in Korçë, Albania — every price in lek & USD, plus the secret sauce trick that changed my pasta game forever.
I left Berat’s heat waves behind, caught a bus through Elbasan, and landed back in Korçë — the coolest city in Albania (literally, 14°F cooler and 850m up in the mountains). First night back with a real kitchen, so I did what any self-respecting American expat does: splurged on groceries, showed you every single price, and cooked up a three-sauce pasta situation with a secret weapon I discovered last month at Conad. Cake is just an ice cream delivery device. Pasta is just a sauce delivery device. I will not be taking questions.
🔄 HOW TO WATCH THIS 360° VIDEO:
This was shot on an Insta360 X5 in full 360°. Here’s how to look around:
🖥️ Desktop — click and drag anywhere on the video to pan around my kitchen
📱 Phone/Tablet — just tilt and move your phone around, the gyroscope does the work
🥽 VR Headset — open the YouTube VR app (Meta Quest 2/3/Pro, PICO 4, Apple Vision Pro), search for this video, and you’re fully inside my Albanian kitchen
📦 Google Cardboard — tap the little Cardboard icon in the YouTube app, split screen activates, slide your phone in, and look around
⏱️ CHAPTERS:
0:00 Why I Left Berat (Heat Exhaustion Is Real)
3:26 The Grocery Haul Begins
5:02 Fridge & Freezer Finds
6:52 Fresh Albanian Bread (80 lek!)
7:11 Junk Food Confessions
7:55 Albanian Milk & the Brown Cap Rule
8:50 Gelato & the $1.25 Cream Cake
11:00 Chocolate, Biscotti & Girl Scout Cookie Vibes
11:55 The Imported Stuff
16:42 Wine From Kosovo & Birra Korça Festival
18:06 Spices & Pasta Night Prep
19:32 The Secret Sauce (Passata + Ricotta + Bolognese)
21:17 Cooking Time
25:09 Three Cheeses, Garlic Bread & Salad
29:13 The REAL Secret: Balsamic Crema
30:04 Cheers!
🌍 ABOUT THIS CHANNEL:
I’m Scott — an American renaissance spirit living abroad in Albania since December 2025. This channel is slow travel with substance: philosophy, history, psychology, walking tours, cinematic essays, and the occasional grocery haul where I argue that pasta exists solely as a sauce delivery mechanism. Whether it’s stoicism, critical thinking, or how much a bag of chips costs in the Balkans — if it sparks contemplation or joy, it belongs here.
📌 Thinking about solo travel, life abroad, or moving to Albania? Korçë is one of Europe’s most underrated cities and I’d genuinely consider it home. Americans can stay up to a year visa-free.
🎥 GEAR: Insta360 X5 (360° / 4K / HDR)
Original Music Created with Suno AI
#EuropeTravel #SoloTravel #SlowTravel #Polymath #360Vlog #AlbaniaTravel #AlbaniaVlog #ImmersiveVideo #Korce #Korçë
2 Comments
I escaped Berat's heat waves, moved to the coolest city in Albania, and immediately spent my first day buying junk food and arguing with myself about whether gelato goes in the fridge or freezer. The secret sauce? It's literally just balsamic crema. I know. I built the whole title around a $2 bottle of reduced vinegar. Also, pasta is just a sauce delivery device and cake is just an ice cream delivery device – I have strong opinions and a 360° camera and you can't stop me. Drop your best Albanian grocery hack below, or just tell me I used too much cheese. I have a tendency of being a little… cheesy. 🧀
Wonderful!😊
Choose that place to stay !!
Nice recipe 🤤😁❤