Jun 10, 2017 - Tirana

Breakfast at the hotel and a few pictures taken from the roof top of my hotel it is off to get my bus ticket to Prizren, Kosovo will be leaving at 6:00 am in the morning. Then off to explore the city of Tirana, this is the capital city for Albania, the main square is blocked off for a remodel and is to open today in the afternoon with a party. A stop for some lunch a Greek salad, then back to my room and let it cool down a bit. worked on pictures and my blog about up to date on both. After a bit of rest I head out just walking around the...

Jun 9, 2017 - Tirana, Albania

Was not as early of a start this morning the bus left Kotor at 8:30 for a 6 hour trip down the coast to Budva, Petrovac then headed to Podgorica the last city in Montenegro, then across the border into Albania. About a 30 minute wait at the border to check passports checked the on to Shkoder for a short bathroom and lunch break, back on the bus to Tirana passing by the Mother Tessa airport. Then on into Tirana getting into a bit traffic jam roads for three lanes of cars but at least 5 cars driving there (glad I was not driving) LOL Got to...

Mar 31, 2016 - Bus to Tirana

3/31 Woke up after 12 hour + 'nap' to Mare complaining about the Greek passport stamp being close to invisible. Bon looked at her and made the very astute observation, "Well, they've used up all their red ink on more important things!" The stamp was using a red ink pad, ha! Love it! Bus left right on time, 8:30 a.m.. The route out of Athens was accompanied by lots of road construction/expansion. In fact, all the way to, and some miles past the huge, beautiful Rion-Antirion bridge Info on Rio-Antirion Bridge...... ___ crossing the Rio...

Nov 18, 2014 - Change of Plans

The plan for today was to roam the cobblestone roads of Gjirokaster again. It didn't work out that way. The day started normally. I first explored the Gjirokaster Castle that looms over the town. It turned out to be a curious mix of Ottoman, World War II, and Communist Era artifacts. It's no wonder why there would be a castle here. High up at the top of the hill, it provides a commanding view of the entire valley. The earliest archaeological evidence points to an iron age settlement in the 7th century BC. By the 13th century AD, there was...

Nov 17, 2014 - Wandering the lanes of Gjirokaster

A town like Gjirokaster shouldn't be a quick stop on a tour bus. It isn't like Disney World where you rush from one attraction to the next. Indeed, there are very few “attractions” available here. It's best to wander its streets and absorb its unique history. My reservation for this hotel listed that breakfast was included. So, I walked into the dining room to see what I might find. The owners motioned for me to sit at any table. I sat and waited. Soon, dish after dish came out of the kitchen. First several slices of warm bread and rolls,...

Nov 16, 2014 - Getting to Gjirokaster

I love to visit UNESCO sites. In case you're not familiar with it, UNESCO is the United Nations, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Countries nominate special places for designation in the official UNESCO list. I've visited many UNESCO sites all over the world, including The Great Wall of China, The Pyramids of Giza (Egypt), Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado), Yosemite National Park (California), Venice (Italy), Angkor Archaeological Park (Cambodia), Victoria Falls (Zambia), Acropolis (Greece), Vatican City, Iguazu National...

Oct 21, 2014 - Albania

Who would have guessed the coast of Albania was just off the coast of Corfu? We decided to take a fast boat ride over to Saranda and then a coach tour to a Roman site in Butrint about 20km from the port. Of course going to Albania meant passport control that turned out to be a cursory glance, except Vivian had no stamp to enter Greece as we never saw a customs or passport control since we left Gatwick!! After some hesitation they stamped the passport and we were on our way. The Roman site was designated a world Heritage site by UNESCO in...

Oct 9, 2014 - Over the mountains and thru the woods to Montenegro

Day 4! After breakfast this morning, we "packed up" (I say this facetiously as we have nothing to "pack") and left the hotel at 9am. As we departed Tirana...down the boulevard again...it was yet another sunny beautiful day. Today, we will be putting some miles on the bus as we have to travel north through the rest of Albania and into Montenegro. Our first stop, Shkodra, about 1.5 hours north of Tirana, is one of Albania's oldest cities and an important cultural center. Our goal was to see the ruins for the Rozafa castle altho it is really a...

Oct 8, 2014 - Tirana, a castle and still no suitcases

What a gorgeous day in Albania today! Even our guide, Kristejan (Christian) says it's unusually nice at 72F. Last week, it was rainy and 60's so to have it be sunny and warm is a treat for them. We started off today with a 7:15 am wake up call; breakfast buffet at the hotel and our first tour at 9am. Of course, the first thing we did this morning was to check and see if our suitcases had arrived overnight--nope. There are 3 more flights from Rome expected during the day so we just hope that one of them will bring us our bags. Gate 1 Tours...

Jul 26, 2014 - Making connections

And so to my last day in Albania. Heading down to my first breakfast here and I'm presented with a croissant and basket of bread, alongside the usual jam and juice. Two bites in and a hot pancake appears, plus cucumber, tomatoes, cheese. Halfway through the pancake and yet another plate lands on my table, bearing huge slices of melon. I was only after a few slices of bread - stop bringing me more food! Breakfast having taken slightly longer than anticipated I set off towards Skënderbeg Square and the National History Museum. Three hours...

Jul 25, 2014 - All change please

I know the city's awake from the symphony of car horns floating up the hillside and in through my window. I'm only half awake myself though, and struggling to fully leave sleep behind. I need to get up, because I've got to get myself to Tirana today. But I don't yet know how I'm going to achieve that, and as a result I'm reluctant to leave the comfort of my bed behind. After breakfast the hotel owner leads me down the hill to find someone who speaks English and can interpret for us. With the help of two of his friends, they explain that...

Jul 24, 2014 - Reality check

I'm at the top of the mountain which is home to Berat castle. Below me in the valley lies the new town; ageing apartment blocks gaze back at me and the sounds of traffic drift up to me on the breeze. The sound of horns mostly. Across from the new town, on the opposing bank of the river, lies farmland and scatterings of smaller homes and buildings. Not the great stretches of mammoth fields like at home, but the smaller, higgeldy piggeldy patchwork I noticed during my furgon ride yesterday. More attractive, but I suppose less efficient? Like...