Adriatic Apartments Durres

Kruja was a short day trip out of Tirana.

There is a well preserved fortress that has now been converted into a museum on Albania history of Skanderberg - a prominent Albania figure in 14th century who lead ...

... und von ein** B**gstadt aus den Ottomanen ein kleines Reich abgetrotzt. In 25 Schlachten mit den Ottomanen ging ** als Sieg** h**vor und sein Reich wurde **st 26 Jahre nach seinem Tod von den Ottomanen besiegt (in 1479). Die Alban** sehen sich als Rett** des Abendlandes, waren die Ottomanen doch zu ihr** sta**ksten Zeit in Schlachten mit Skand**b**g beschaeftigt statt die Truppen gen Wien zu schicken.

Albanien macht keinen sehr islamischen Eindruck, die ...

... in Albania though...anything goes. When it came to the Greek side of the border my obvious non-Albanian look was of a distinct advantage because I was called forth first and with my European Union passport was through immigration with a wink and a smile while the Albanian contingent faced much greater scrutiny. As I stood waiting for everyone else I saw the most unusual sight. It began with a skinny sick looking dog sneakily making his way across from Albania into Greece. As I stood ...

... the bed and the bathroom. When she wasn't doing that she was sleeping, something Meg doesn't need to be sick to excel at. Me? Well, I did my best to make sure she took on water all the while reassuring her that she'll be fine in the morning (of course, I'd no idea if she would or not). I also spent some time working on this Travelogue and even got a lesson from the patient on the ins and outs of solitaire (yep, forever more there will be an interesting ...

... 1 per passport... seemingly it's a local tax but to us it looked like pocket change to the very unofficial 'officials' doing the officiating. We're just lucky we had €2 as we'd spent most of our remaining €'s on cappuccinos in the ferry bar minutes before leaving the ferry. · No Italy Speaking of cappuccinos, the cappuccinos we were treated to in our hotel just after checking in were okay, but nothing like the ones across the water in Italy. Upon ...

... historically everyone was trying to get power over everyone else, as in most cultures, but Albanians perhaps use less subtle ways. There have been several prophecies over Kruje over the years, and some believe it to be the keyhole to the Western Balkans. Trev in particular believes that if Kruje becomes Christian, the rest of Albania and the Western Balkans will follow. Interestingly, Turkey is the only place Albanians can go without a visa ...

... three hours. I was hoping to go down to Durrėsi on the coast as well, but I decided against it by the time I got back to the furgon rank. Getting there would require a change of furgons down the road a ways and on top of that I would have to wait for the damned minibuses to fill up - something that takes longer and longer to happen as the day progresses. Instead I just hopped one bound for Tirana again and then had another walk around before ...

... of Epirus nova. It was the birthplace of the emperor Anastasius I in circa 430. Some time later that century, Dyrrachium was struck by a powerful earthquake which destroyed the city's defences. Anastasius I rebuilt and strengthened the city walls, thus creating the strongest fortifications in the western Balkans. The 12m (36ft)-high walls were so thick that ...

... it was more of a colosseum. We've seen enough to know what we're talking about and both agreed it was a colosseum not amphitheatre. More like the shape of the one in Rome but only small in comparison. Pretty ruined but still good. There were some old mosaics and a chapel too and we climbed all over the place. There were some chickens to keep us company as well. That was the main attraction so picked up our bags and headed out. Getting the mini bus to Tirana was ...

... the site believe they have only unearthed 12 per cent of the treasures lying beneath the soil, entangled in the roots of the forest or under water. ..The Albanians call themselves Schipotar and their country Schiperia, from the word Schipon, meaning 'Eagle'. The eagle is the symbol on their flag, which was taken from the national hero Scanderbeg, an Austrian who held several Albanian towns from the Turks in the 14th Century and hence 'saved' Christian Europe ...