Hotel Stela Tirana

... von Envar Hodscha jedenfalls ist heute eine Disco, Envar Hodscha, d** Albanien 40 Jahre lang regi**t hat, ist heute in einem namenlosen Grab auf einem gewoehnlichen Friedhof begraben. Seine Statue ist ebenfalls z**truemm**t, auf dem Zentralplatz steht nur noch die Statue von Skand**beg, dem nationalen Helden.

Albanien geho**te auch zum ottomanischen Reich, ab** ein Alban**, d** von den Ottomanen in Byzanz ausgebildet wurde, hat einen Aufstand ausg ...

... the way.. Then she picked me up after her work and braught me into her amazing flat. It was just unbelieveable! We had a lot of great chats and laughs and after preparing a big bowl of fruit salad we went out with some friends of them.

So, my plan to be in Greece did not work out, but it turned out better. Unexpectet changes are what makes this journey so special, and i really enjoyed the fortune to have met this people in Tirane!!!!

... One Euro." I passed him the one Euro coin I had in my pocket for this purpose and considered pointing out, childishly, that I didn't have to pay to get into Serbia. I didn't think he'd find it funny, although I don't really think he'd find anything funny apart from Norman Wisdom DVDs and beheading Serbs. I went back to the bus and sat back down before a little girl approached me, stared at me for a while and finally muttered "Hello" to ...

Saranda is a city south of Albania and in front of Corfu Island. The city has a story af many centuries dating back to 4-th and 3-rd century BC. The ruins of the old city can be seen at Butrint, which is 15 minutes from Saranda by car. Saranda has monuments and castles which are worth seeing. The Castle of Lekursi is at the top of the hill adjacent the city. From there the panoramic ...

... I, a wide boulevard and one of the main streets in the centre of Tirana, in search of my hostel. I was staying in one of Tirana's only hostels, the 'Tirana backpacker hostel' on Rr Elbasanit. I had printed a map of its location so I was confident it would not be long before I was getting out of these now sticky clothes and into a nice shower. Walking down the street I was garnering quite a lot of attention. It might have been the big backpack strapped to my shoulders or maybe I just ...

... of their way to help us translate - Starova family taking me in after Hotel Tomi was full. Who knew the guy sipping coffee at the same restaurant would come to my rescue? And to refuse any payment for it after two days. - The Berati internet café guy who allowed me to download his slew of MP3 songs, from Albanian, Greek, Turkish, and Spanish ...

... and several of them make calls on their cell phones. Suddenly, three police cars come tearing around the corner, sirens wailing. We figure that there must be some serious emergency in Tirana and that the group of policemen will be called away to deal with it. Instead, the cars screech to a halt right in front of us and another seven or eight police officers burst out, like circus clowns out of a Mini. We feel like we are on one of those reality shows, like ...

... with us, and 3 or 4 adults. It's quite small, and very young, but I'm sure Stephen's really making a difference in Pascaqan. We sang Albanian songs, but with a projector (and therefore words) it seemed real easy! Last night in Tirana, so went out as a team for dinner. We didn't get there til gone 9pm, but most of the shops were still open and the streets were packed- I guess it's too hot the rest of the day to do your ...

... it. So, the "interesting and rewarding" part. Despite all the discomfort and uncertainty of the journey that day especially, and throughout my time in Albania, getting from place to place has always been a bit more of an adventure than elsewhere in Europe. Yet every time, it has worked, and I've ended up exactly where I intended, despite the lack of anything resembling accurate information. In fact, it is possible to get timetables, if by some chance you happen upon the Bashkia ...

While Gjirokaster got the brunt of the damage during countrywide rioting in 1997, it remains a museum quality town. Deemed the town of a thousand stairs, Gjirokaster climbs up the Gjere mountain and offers beautiful views of the Drino river valley. Its 4th century fortress dominates the skyline. Taking a design cue from this massive structure, a majority of the homes were built like mini-fortresses to protect families from the blood feuds that were common before the 20th century.