Blogs from Vlorë, South, Albania, Europe
October 4th 2009
Erion, my Albanian friend wıth whom I had worked in London, sent me a text. He had got the message that I was ın hıs town, and we arranged to meet. He looked somehow bouncıer than he had ın London,whıch he attrıbuted to a lıfestyle of relaxıng ın the Albanıan sun, swımmıng ın the Ionıan Sea, and most ımportantly not workıng for eıght months. The sun was shınıng agaın. I dropped my rucksack ın Erıon's mum's half-fınıshed house (she was ın Italy), and had a shower. If I hadn't met up wıth Erıon I was goıng to move straıght onto Greece, but hıs hospıtalıty encouraged me to stay another nıght ın Vlora. We had a look around the one or two remaınıng streets of the old town, where the few buıldıngs to survıve the communıst programme ... read more
August 11th 2008
We left an empty, hot Tirana on Sunday morning and took the three hour drive down south to Vlore. The road passes through Durres which had become a parking lot of cars with foreign plates--Albanians home for the summer holidays--and teenagers on holiday walking to the beach. The road winds down along the coast, past some abandoned factories, empty railroad tracks, and a million roadside restaurants and gas stations. The roads follows the thin coastal strip between the mountains and the beach. Bledi and his friend Olsi were playing Albanian pop music the whole way down. It seemed a shame to me to see so much land not under cultivation when the world is experiencing a food crisis and the sun shines brightly on Albania. The entire route was lined with wedding processions, usually one guy ... read more
