Ferrari Hotel Tirana

Kruja was a short day trip out of Tirana. <br><br>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. <br><br>Albanien macht keinen sehr islamischen Eindruck, die ...

... but hardly up to modern standards of convenience. One of the main embarkation points is described by Lonely Planet as 'the muddy spot in front of the train station.' Mustering buses around the central train station is typically Balkan. Of course finding a hostel with no sign is always something of a challenge, but I get there finally, with the help of my laptop perpetually open to web pages I'll need later, fine till my battery poops out ...

...........we were driving past the border at a break-neck speed in a golden old Mercedes with our newest Albanian friends..... our cab driver had left us on the Montenegro side of the border where he negociated with the golden Mercedes people to drive us to the city of Shkoder for 5 euros...........it was a Sunday and there were big white weddings everywhere....... people were looking after their cows......... everywhere looked kind of ...

Wednesday 18th June: Tirana If I was to write down everything I knew about Albania prior to my arrival, I'm not joking, it would have literally fit on the back of a postage stamp. I knew that up until the 1990's Albania had been somewhat isolated from the rest of Europe due to its hard-line communist politics. It was through Michael Palin's "Europe" TV series that I also knew Enver Hoxha, founder of the communist party and Albania's first president, spent colossal amounts of the ...

... of all the traveling. However, that doesn't stop us from admiring and observing them. There are the two always hanging out together, be it sleeping or enjoying the sun. Then there is the one observing us from afar and waiting for us to come down from the little cathedral (this was actually in Ohrid, Macedonia). Of course there is a young and playful one who likes to jump on non-suspecting dogs, giving them a fright. Hahaha, I really like this one, as he ...

... for 10 years in order to buy a semi-automatic washing machine and a black and white television. Wandering around the city was fascinating; old apartment blocks randomly painted every colour of the rainbow, small backstreet's full of old men playing chess, cafes and bars that wouldn't look out of place in central London. The people were happy, welcoming, laid back, and carried an aura of a country that is on its way up, they were always smiling. They acknowledge that ...

... had insisted that every air vents be closed. It was already warm and stuffy in the bus, now this? People pushed them open again, then they were pulled closed again and many of us on the bus started to debate the issue, myself included. I got furious I could easily gotten into a fight with this guy. The small child was in no danger and there was air pressure differences anyways from altitude changes, so their claims were ridiculous ...

... that we had light every time we drove under a street light or a car passed. Inside Tirana it was a bit more easy and I was able to read it. The driver asked us where we wanted out but we had really no idea and rode along toward the final stop. Sill, we tried to orient ourselves by the streets around us, and traffic was thickening and we were slowing down. Looking at the map and reading the hostel's address, and said to Bro to keep an eye out ...

... mais recentes(tb ha muitos!)mas especialmente akeles mercedes tipo banheira, a diesel, q e so chapa!Segundo os albaneses, e mais prestigiante...haja dinheiro!(pelo q me deu a entender a economia albanesa ate vai bastante bem...obras por todo lado, muitas casas novas no interior...surpresa!)A outra, e q o pais ta pejado de bunkers abandonados, souvenir da ditadura comunista..Um s.r chamado Enxea Henvea(ou qq coisa deste genero)era tipo paranoico e pensava q os russos iam invadir a ...