Hotel Victoria Tirana

... 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.

Albanien macht keinen sehr islamischen Eindruck, die ...

Albania is a strange place where strange things happen. For example, under the former dictator, Hoxha, for many years it was the most closed and isolated country in the world, with only one ally: Mao's China (N. Korea has at least 2: China and Russia); and it is the only European country where blood-feud is still practiced.

So I was ready to be surprised. Yet, I still had a very hard time to accept it when, in this Muslim country, I order a plate of meat in a restaurant and discovered ...

... great amusement of everyone else on board- which was a relief, because I was beginning to worry that I was really tired and was the only one who could see her. "Hello" I replied before she said something else in Albanian that had everyone else in stitches. I suspect she'd said something along the lines of "why are you here?" or "sod off you English tosser, this is my gaff". About then the passports were returned to the coach and the girl ...

... is astonishing and one can see the city, the sea and Corfu. Saranda is a small town with nearly 56000 habitants but in the summer it becomes twice or triple. The beaches of Saranda are well known for the crystal sea water and the rocky places. There are many hotels in Saranda varying in qulity and price. 3*** to 5 ***** hotels will help you make your stay in Saranda unforggetable.

... obviously un-Albanian as even cars were stopping in the streets with people leaning out the window staring at me as I passed, never mind the people on the streets. They were so obvious and open about it, I'm thinking that staring must be a national pastime or something. If it was an Olympic sport then for certain Albania would win gold every time. Crossing the Lana River that traverses the city, when I say river I actually mean more of a drainage ditch, I was expecting to find the ...

... who gave me an impromptu 90 minutes Berati castle tour - Genuine smiles everywhere - Ghassi who on his 3 day vacation from Italy gave me a tour of his hometown. The hilly adventure down from the Berati castle to St. Michael church. - Berati's Orthodox church priest Peter specially opening his church and encouraging me to take photos ...

... and that someone is going to demand we "reach for the sky". The highest-ranking officer speaks some English and we explain our exchange dilemma once more. "This is very serious," he declares, while we try to keep a straight face. "These officers will drive you to the exchange office and we will fix the situation immediately." "Uh, okay." We climb into the back of one of the squad cars and race off onto the main road, siren blaring. The other two cars follow ...

... shopping. The air conditioned (ahh) restaurant had a huge menu- with English translations and I ended up getting 'risotto tres', which was a huge plate divided into 3 sections, with a saffron, seafood and vegetable risotto in each part. Was delicious! Great to catch up with the rest of the team too, lots of fun. We went to sleep that night with the constant entertainment of Tonin, his key phrases being 'I love beer. Beer ...

... hall) and they have anyone that can speak english there. The problem is, the timetables aren't ever right and you're better off chancing your luck anyway. Not only did I always reach my destination, it was usually done more efficiently than using public transport in the more developed countries of the region. A hell of a lot more efficiently than trying to do the same in England! And yet, I always had a great sense of achievement, just for the fact that I HAD got to where I ...

Tirana is a city of extreme contrasts. A donkey-drawn cart pulls up along side of a top-of-the-line Mercedes. A muslim cleric sings out the morning prayers as a spandex-clad woman enjoys her morning run. A cow looks up from grazing to notice a major traffic jam downtown.