I was absolutely wiped this morning after a few long days and poor sleeps so had a “rest” morning, lol. A surprisingly good hotel breakfast buffet (a nice change) and some hand laundry, blog writing, and picture editing took up my morning.  I finally ventured out with the intention of seeing something but ended up … Continue reading Montenegro/Albania: Day 18

Ohrid/North Macedonia  I have two free days in Tirana before my flight back to Venice so today I chose to take an organized day trip to North Macedonia. It’s gonna be a long day but why not take the opportunity to see another country? 6:45am pickup outside my hotel and by 7:20am we were finally … Continue reading Montenegro/Albania: Day 17

Berat  > Tirana We stayed in a hacienda looking hotel on the outskirts of Berat. A rooster was confused and started crowing at 3:12am. Other roosters, a frog, sheep and a dog made their morning sounds an hour or two later so it was a short sleep last night. Luckily nothing is scheduled today but … Continue reading Montenegro/Albania: Day 16

Gjirokastër > Berat Usual routine: morning walk then a 9am departure for Berat. It’s a 3 hour drive so we had our coffee pit stop along the way. Rural and fertile, it’s the most productive region in Albania Ted bought us a treat for the bus… during Communism there were no sweets at all except … Continue reading Montenegro/Albania: Day 15

Gjirokastër A 9:45am start left me time to hit the laundromat in the morning and consequently drape my room in wet clothing for the day 🙂 Our tour today was a walk up (literally) to the Old Town where we strolled through the “bazaar” on our way to the castle. The castle is a big, … Continue reading Montenegro/Albania: Day 14

Vlorë > Gjirokastër 9:30am start = another early morning seaside walk. Very pleasant. Today’s itinerary involves driving south along the Albanian Riviera today to Butrint with a few stops along the way. Gorgeous coastline both barren and also filled with condos, hotels, seaside promenades and beach clubs. Lots of investments and lots of boondoggles too. … Continue reading Montenegro/Albania: Day 13

Vlorë Leisurely start to the day so I had time for another morning walk, this time along Vlorë’s long waterfront. A simple day today: drive 30 minutes, meet a local guide to hike up to their farm for lunch, with an optional further walk up to an abandoned village. Everyone getting organized Kelly getting all … Continue reading Montenegro/Albania: Day 12

Tirana > Vlorë We had a late start today so did a nice 4 mile walk through town and into a park about 30 minutes away. I must say, my first impressions of Tirana are it’s a great, vibrant, hip city. Maybe it was the glow of yesterday’s beautiful afternoon and today’s picture-perfect early Sunday … Continue reading Montenegro/Albania: Day 11

Shkodër > Tirana On the road again! A 2 hour drive after breakfast brought us to Kruje. Lower Kruje - several bakeries and bars named after Bush as he was the 1st US President to visit Albania (2007) Krujë sits at the base of the coastal mountains In 1405 Skanderbeg defended Krujë from the Ottomans … Continue reading Montenegro/Albania: Day 10

Shkodër A rainy day caused a slight change in our sightseeing schedule. Just around the corner from our hotel we first visited St. Stephen’s Cathedral. 200 years old, became a gym during the communist years when religion was outlawed Next visited a Venetian mask museum. Venice has outsourced its production to Albania. I didn’t bother … Continue reading Montenegro/Albania: Day 9