Hotel Kalemi Gjirokaster

... in te draaien. Daar liggen we dan in een prachtige baai, met het oog op een kleine nederzetting van restaurantjes en winkeltjes, waar we onze uitgeputte voorraden weer wat aanlengen. Opnieuw zijn we omringd door eilanden en baaien, Griekenland zoals we hadden verwacht. We vieren onze aankomst met een Grieks etentje en uitzicht op de baai waar onze Alure trouw dobbert.


De volgende ...

... started to swim it was not to bad. After doing some swimming we decided to walk back to Saranda which took around 3 hours or so but was really nice along the coast. I felt pretty stiff after having a good walk and it was nice to get some excerises along with the swimming. I am looking forward to getting back in the gym and showing matt and gary how to play football when I am back in the UK. I managed to grab some veg and potatos to cook in the ...

Well I finally made it to Sarande! I was suppose to catch the 8am bus to get to Sarande but I didnt set my alarm clock correctly so I actually woke up at 8 rather than being on the bus at 8! I was awoke in the middle of the night by the Candian guy and Kiwi guy carrying the hostel owner into his bed in my room it was a classic, Scott the hostel owner a really nice guy from Newcastle. So anyway back to the bus I was told there was another one at 9:30 so I strolled ...

... camping out but none of them seem to want the seat nearest the door, that is until they have to climb through a maze of sleeping bodies to get out to the toilet. Bad luck, it's mine now. I can't say it was a pleasant journey the boat vibrated like a truck on the rumble strips of the hard shoulder and then once on its way took on an action that I can only describe as a forward corkscrew motion, interspersed with rumble strip vibrations.

encore une fois bonjour... il pleut encore mais il fait moins froid... hier soir je suis retourne au festival des musiques populaires... c'etait meilleur que la veille, moins amateur et une audience plus adulte...j'etais en jeans, t-shirt et coupe-vent... cependant a mon arrivee, comme je n'ai probablement pas l'air ou n'ai pas les attitudes d'un albanais, un officiel m'a demande a la porte:" italia?"... l'albanie faisant ...

bonjour tout le monde... mon sejour ici est rafraichissant, pas tant par la pluie qui s'en ve et revient mais a cause des conversations interessantes et du festival culturel... hier soir je suis alle ecouter des chansons polyphoniques- genre musique corse- et voir quelques danses folkloriques... la region ici est tres influencee par la culture grecque; la minorite grecque forme 35 pour cent de la population de la ville... le couple qui possede le petit hotel ou j'habite est ...

bonjour tout le monde...apres une bien courte nuit car l'autobus partait a 6 heures, j'ai reussi a m'y rendre sans avoir de bleus nulle part... amelioration...le voyage se faisait dans les montagnes, dans des petites routes tournoyantes a l'extreme... pas de place pour rencontrer, pas de garde-fous, plein de monde autour de moi qui etaient malades... quant a moi, je suis parti avec un estomac deja a l'envers et j'ai ete oblige de faire arreter l'autobus ...

Driving inland towards Greece, we passed the 'Blue Eye Spring', a natural blue spring of unknown depth which looks like the iris of an eye, which pumps out water at an unbelievable rate. Another top picnic spot, and then on to Gjirokastra for a wander, a spooky, dark looking slate grey village perched on a hill (not unlike a set from a vampire movie). On to the survey ...

... inland towards Gjirokaster where they were headed as well. Since I had no more spare tubes left and had only my puncture kit which would not be ideal for road-side fixing, I decided to change my route and head towards Gjirokaster. The ride was not too long but it did include a relatively long climb as I passed trough the coastal hills towards the inland plateau. Stopping for some shelter from the rain in a broken down house along the way, I met two Albanian guys who ...

... him for a 'nip'. NONE of this was said in English.....it was all body language.

Dennis and I did as instructed, and joined him. He poured us wine that he had made, and then opened a can of 'tuna salad' for us to eat. He was the sweetest, cutest little old man I've ever met. We all sat there 'talking'....and laughing for the next hour. Language wasn't important....kindness was.

Finally, we said farewell to our newfound ...