Hotel Edva Vlore

... br>Tirana hat leider keinen Busbahnhof , Busse fahren von allen moeglichen Stellen in der Stadt ab. Habe aber den Bus nach Berat erfolgreich gefunden, musste nur 45min auf die Abfahrt warten und die Fahrt dauerte dann 2h. Die Strasse fuehrte zunaechst nach Durres, der Hafenstadt Albaniens, bevor es wieder ins Landesinnere ging. Der Strand sah nicht besonders schoen aus, allerdings habe ich im Moment auch keinen Sonnenschein mehr. Obwohl ...

... impressive but still interesting. It is not of the scale of the castles I had seen in Croatia and Western Europe. We stop for a drink at a restaurant just inside the walls. The owner tries to convince us to have his sample of native dishes. An older German couple is there and says it is outstanding. The girls want to eat. The meal was excellent but he brings us extra dishes and charges us for them. We have to run to get back for ...

... and 2 other French girls the next morning. It was a lengthy trip but the scenery on the way up was well worth it. It reminded me a little of Canada, with deep aqua blue lakes and huge mountains covered in forest, all be them much drier and significantly hotter. Once we go to the rafting headquarters we were hurried along by the leaders and driven to the top of the river. Like cows we were huddled onto rafts and with 12 We were instructed in Montenegrin and before we knew it we ...

... people, this country must have the highest rate of bunker per capita. Today these almost indestructible things have no military value anymore (did they ever have any?), but the local youths put them into good uses: they are very popular destinations for dating, and the joke is that it gives the term safe sex a totally new meaning.

As soon as I left Tirana, the weather has changed from sunny and hot to unseasonably wet and cool, which was a great relief for me.

... the locals were. They loved Scott, and therefore, loved us too. The kids outside the hostel would come and look for us to play with everyday, and the people in the area would wave and talk to us even though they knew we couldn't understand them.

Berat is a really fun place, and I think Scott was wise to choose it as a place is an up and coming hotspot on the Eastern Europe Gringo Trail.

... The Government has given priority to fix those roads and there have been very much improvements in last years i.e. 2007, 2008. Vlora can be reached by sea, every day or twice a day one can take the ferryboat from Brinidisi, Italy to Vlora in a kind sail for nearly 5 hours. It can be reached also by Yachts, there is a Yacht Italian Port in Orikum operating since 2006. At the end the National road ...

... the conversation. Well, her finding the guy ended up providing a unique experience for the group of us. The other two - Arron and Catherine - appeared shortly after we'd had a good look around, and the guy invited all of us over to his house for a brief visit. Once there, we were treated to a plate of fresh cucumbers and olives, liberally soaked in delicious, homemade olive oil. And to wash it all down with: a little glass of homemade raki (a strong local spirit ...

... part of the Roman province of Macedonia, later being incorporated into the province of Epirus. In the civil war between Pompey and Julius Caesar it supported the latter, but fell to Marcus Iunius Brutus in 48 BC. The later Roman emperor Augustus studied in Apollonia in 44 BC under the tutelage of Athenodorus of Tarsus; it was there that he received news of Caesar's murder. Apollonia flourished under Roman rule ...

... of flowers, plants, houses, etc. The 'Bachelors' were the young shop-assistants (in practice generally unmarried), whom the merchants in Berat used as their own private militia. The Sultan's Mosque (Xhamia e Mbretit), the oldest in the town built in the reign of Bayazid II (1481 - 1512), is notable for its fine ceiling. The Leaden Mosque (Xhamia e Plumbit), built in 1555 and so called from the covering of its cupola. This mosque is the centre of the town. The ...

... being able to just go out in the evenings and just meander up and down the town square, passing the huge ex communist parade areas, now run down and only hinting at the magnificance of what once went on. Buying coke and just sitting out chatting and talking - the southern europeans have definately got their evening 'promenading' sorted out.