Blogs from Albania, Europe - page 19

Gelato flavour of the day - Blueberry (quality has gone downhill in Albania,this one not true to colour or flavour) We had read there were train services between Durres and Tirana, 38km away and although they could be unreliable for being on time they would at least take us to a point in the city that we could get ourselves back to when it was time to head home after some sightseeing. The buses we had read were another thing and although there was likely to be one bus station in Durres, the departure points in Tirana changed often, or so said the guide books. This was because there was a long ongoing dispute for business between the buses which we think are ‘Johnny come lately’ compared to the furgons who were probably as close to ... read more

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Leaving Pogradec, and moving away from the Macedonian border on Lake Ohrid, our bus headed southwards, bound for a sleepy village on verge of tourism called Voskapoja. It is clear this place is geared for tourists, as it has rubbish bins! On the way, we had a diversion to the local animal fair – donkeys, sheep, cattle - all being exchanged and tended to. The sound of ‘moos’ and ‘baas’ was universal, and it was enjoyable seeing the capped and side saddling shepherds so proud of their fleet. This well groomed area of agriculture and the people are known for a hard work ethic, in such trying and cold wintery conditions. They exist on their land and whatever they can make of it, without subsidies or government support. That’s Albania! Voskapoja is known for 2 famous ... read more

Resumo: Um pouco de frustacao; Escolha certa tomada; Alegria e Criatividade de volta; Estou bem. Sempre digo e repito: A vida eh feita de escolhas. Obviamente devem existir muitas excecoes, mas na maioria do caso eh verdade. No meu, por exemplo, eh fato. A minha vida eh a soma das minhas escolhas/decisoes. Sai de Tirana para voltar a Saranda (Sul da Albania), onde eu tive o melhor trabalho volutario ate entao (vide post antigo). Voltei pelo fato de conseguir aqui acomodacao "na faixa". Ok, iria trabalhar no periodo da manha como "faxineira" do hostel, sobrando assim a tarde e a noite para ficar com as criancas do orfanato. O que seria a melhor semana da Albania transformou-se em uma semana um pouco frustante e emocionalmente desgastante. Obviamente as altas expectativas atrapalharam um pouco. 1) No orfanato ... read more

Yes that is how our journey into Tirana began. We thought we were prepared leaving Ohrid, we got up early caught the bus to neighbouring town Struga where we would find the bus station that would take us to Tirana. We learnt the worlds for bus station to Tirana and had told our bus driver who found someone on the bus who said he would take us some of the as It was now apparently a bit of a walk out of town. Well the small walk ended up being a lot longer. The man who walked us to the bus station took us to what looked like a main road and said “bus station” whilst pointing down the road. We had been told a ten minute walk so we decided to follow his directions. After ... read more