Sheraton Tirana Hotel And Towers

... army to various victories against the Turkish empire. <br>On the road from the bus station (stop) there is a street of wooden shops (that ironically looks very turkish and was selling predominantly turkish goods!).

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.<br><br>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 ...

... leaps to attention when the parade of police officers begins outside. Once all the cars in the chasing pack have arrived and everyone has emptied out onto the footpath, there must be about a dozen cops milling around, including a young lady officer who speaks English. We explain our situation once more to her and she also nods seriously. The collective investigative skills of the Tirana police force determine that the Western Union office is in fact closed for ...

... down the road for a bit in search of water, and I got out my book :) Only took 40 mins. As we descended, the weather got hotter and muggier- I'd forgotten what it was like in Tirana! All very tired and hot when we got back, we were overjoyed to hear there was a tiny bit of water, so we all had v.short but v.welcome showers before heading downstairs for church. Most of the church was made up of the teenagers who had come ...

... relieved a bus wasn't going in my direction! Fortunately, within a few minutes a regular bus only half full appeared, going to Tirana! It seemed like the uncertainty of the day had come to an end. Well, nearly. What with it being a hot and sunny sunday, and the bus heading along the coast, there was no shortage of people wanting to get on. It was soon full, yet that didn't stop the driver from letting more people on. When some rather elderly types got on and unbelievably, no-one ...

... our progress. All hope seemed lost (there was no way they were going to let us inside--this was obviously a no-go zone!). But...we were told... We could stay overnight at this Monastery...and...for FREE! We had called ahead...made reservations...they should be expecting us... A stern-faced Italian Soldier met us upon approach, demanding "documents" (Passport). The "negotiations" began (obviously, it was unusual for someone to receive permission to stay ...