Blogs from East, Albania, Europe

Der erste Tag, an dem ich weder Regenjacke noch wärmende Jacke angezogen habe. Hervorragend. 420 km sind eigentlich nicht viel, aber dazwischen war eine Fähre und 3 Grenzen und fast nur Landstraßen. Das dauert dann von 8.00 bis 18.00 mit kleiner Mittagspause. Kroatien, Montenegro und Albanien waren heute dran. In Albanien war dann schon ein deutlich anderer Fahrstil. Und was bedeuten die runden Verkehsschilder mit rotem Rand, in der Mitte steht eine Zahl. Z.B. 60 oder 20 oder auch 10. Am Tempo ändert sich aber nichts.... Ich fahr in solchen Ländern langsam aber stur und zeige an, wo ich hin will. Das klappt gut so lange ich nicht umschaue. Da packt mich regelmäßig das Grausen und ich verliere allen Mut. Also nicht umschauen..... Das Hotel kostet 30 Euro. Ausnahmsweise bin ich abgestiegen, wo auch Globebusters sind. ... read more

Albania 2018. Day 5 Korçë to a hut somewhere in the desert the south of Erseke. 70km. 1200 ascent. Last nights meal was very good and followed a similar pattern to previous nights. Did I mention the cheese in previous blogs. No? Well there was lots of it. And do you know what I am intolerant too? Yes, you have guessed it - CHEESE. However, the red wine was good and I am looking forward to my feather pillow. Breakfast was a good mixture of eggs, sausage, cold meats and loads of cakes, which put Michael into extacy. The first few kilometres out of town was a gentle climb on a dirt road under upgrade. There were the usual sights of donkeys grazing at the roadside complete with their heavy wooden saddled, which they never seem ... read more

Albania 2018 Day 4. Pogradec to Korce 63km, 600m ascent. Luckily the weather forecast was wrong yet again and we awoke to glorious sunshine after another great meal last night. We started with the usual comprehensive salad and cheese, of course since I cannot eat cheese. Roast vegetables and the specialty Koran fish, which is only found in the nearby lake of Ohrid. I don’t know if should say this but quite a few of the group are now drinking red wine. At 8.30 we set off to ride along the lake to Macedonia to visit the St Nahum Temple. First of all we had to tackle the border police and get our passports stamped as we left Albania. Thinking I was then in Macedonia I rode around the corner only to be confronted by another ... read more

No, obviously I'm not in Albania but I can't blog without listing location but a hiccup in the program vs iPhone makes ut challenging! So Albania it is. I survived a Saturday night in Killarney, from the chocker blocked pubs to the techno nightclub my hotel room was so conveniently placed above it was a good night! Mind you the pints of Guiness and Smithwicks I'm sure helped me vibrate my way to sleep gently (thump.thump.woowoo). Yesterday I was feeling a wee bit like a caged bird who needed to stretch her wings when the perfect opportunity showed itself . After a quaint morning of cool villages, (Adare) cobblestone streets and lovely views, we arrived in Killarney and I had a free afternoon. So after standing in a doorway during a torrential downpour for half hour ... read more

We are in an Albanian internet cafe right now, hoping to catch a bus or furgon (minibus that follows a mysterious route around the country and leaves when full) back to Gjirokastra to our Peace Corps host. Peace Corps does all the couchsurfing in Albania! We've been lucky to enter their network; there is at least one in every city and if they like you they will send you to their friend in the next city. We spent the day in Butrint, an ancient settlement. There are mosaics and fountains from 800 and 400 BC, and early Christian ruins on top of that. I had no idea we would see so many Roman ruins! We have spent the past 2 nights in Gjirokastra, birthplace of Enver Hoxha, Communist ruler of Albania who shut it from the ... read more