Hotel Restaurant Baron 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 ...

... to dump all over my Tirana fun. <br><br>On the ride to Shkodra the bus driver was playing a mix of folk music and American hip hop. If those old folks on that bus only knew what was playing. As we rolled we were treated to "Back that ass up and press it on me. Ride it from head to toe." Its just funny to see a woman with a black headscarf bumping her head to the beat.<br><br>Shkodra is like a mini Tirana and a fascinating place to watch Albanian life. It is ...

... conversation, I imagine I would have got more out of him if I claimed I was German, but he didn't seem to speak English. Eventually, their caffeine fix sorted, my fellow passengers filed back onto the bus- almost being decimated by a second bus pulling in next to ours. I followed and fell to sleep as the music began again. Another jarring wake up call. I woke up and found the bus somewhere in the mountains, the bright lights of a border ...

... n'est pas construite de la meme facon... je peux dire que les gens en albanie sont plus chaleureux, plus accueillants et plus curieux, du moins ceux et celles que je rencontre... tout le monde veut savoir d'ou je viens et quand je reponds, les autres autour questionnent la personne qui a recu la reponse... aujourd'hui il a fait soleil et il a fait chaud... j'ai pris l'autobus berat-tirana; on a mis ...

... at the station I was gasping with the thirst, starving, and covered in my own sweat. A kebab, chips, can of coke, and train ticket to Tirana later, all for the cost of Eur2, I was sitting relaxed in the station reading the last of my novel and awaiting the arrival of the train. The novel wasn't even that good but it needed a group of kids shouting "Tirana, Tirana" at me before I noticed the train had arrived. Making my way towards the carriages I turned back to see a line of kids all ...

... s no running water and the electric heaters don't work. And it's rather dark in the evenings since the sun sets around 4:30pm. All of this adds up to a slew of fun times shivering in the candlelight waiting for the power to turn back on. On my second day in Tirana, I attempted to visit the National Art Gallery. When I arrived around 4:15pm, I discovered that it was closed from 3-5pm. No problem - I could easily return 45 ...

... along Tirana's main street, I realise we don't have any Albanian money. Maybe they don't even use money here and prefer the traditional barter system: "How much is the room?" "That will be three goats, or two weeks' labour, or your second born child. Male only if you want an en suite bathroom." Fortunately a Western Union bureau de change comes into view. The Slovaks wait outside and consult their guidebook while Jane and I go inside. The 12,907 ...

... God loves them all! There were some really good ones, and you could see how much they appreciated having something to do, and having something to take pride in. Even better, Kaye comes down at the end with an armful of books: the story of Joseph in Albanian and 'colour the New Testament', which apparently she'd had for ages and was waiting to give them out! The kids loved them and crowded round her trying to get one, before running to sit down and studiously pour over it. After a bit ...

31st day of travelling. Now are 3450km gone. Confusion on the border to Albania. No signs what to do, and what they want. Finally I managed to get a visa and enterd. Tirana is quite boring. Nothing realy to see. Countinue to Lake Ohrid on the border to Macedonia.

Kosovo! Wow! How to describe such a scene? Let's see... First--The Background--Skip to SECTION 2 if you prefer no background! Part One SECTION 1--BACKGROUND Kosovo is not a country. Kosovo is a UN-Administered Region--UN Peacekeepers are divided into 5 Administrative Districts (with each district presided over by different members of the multi-national force). As a result, the Districts are known in a general sense as...The Italian Sector, The French Sector, The ...