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Category: Albania

Berat & Ksamil

Berat & Ksamil

After the physically and intellectually demanding start to our time in Albania, our last two stops were all about relaxing. From Tirana we hopped on a bus to Berat. I think I’ve mentioned a few times now that public transportation got a lot more…interesting once we left the EU. As we traveled south through the Balkans we said goodbye to bullet trains, online schedules and ticket machines and hello to rickety buses and hand written tickets. Tirana, despite being the…

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Tirana

Tirana

From Shkoder we hopped on a bus to Albania’s capital, Tirana. Albania is a rural country and Tirana, in addition to being the capital, is by-far its largest city. Though visibly less modern than many European capitals, it still felt like a major urban center with wide boulevards, glass office towers and large civic buildings. There isn’t a ton of sightseeing to do in Tirana but it was a great stop to learn more about Albania’s fascinating and tumultuous history….

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Welcome to Albania Part 2: Hiking the Accursed Mountains

Welcome to Albania Part 2: Hiking the Accursed Mountains

Getting (near) to Theth After a few low-key days in Shkoder it was time to set out on the adventure that had brought us there in the first place. At the crack of dawn we left our hostel and climbed into the van to Theth with several other would-be hikers. The ride was long and winding, though our driver had no problem tearing around hairpin turns on the edge of cliffs. We made one brief stop at a roadside cafe…

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Welcome to Albania Part 1: Shkoder

Welcome to Albania Part 1: Shkoder

Greetings loyal readers! I know it has been a long time since my last blog post. Things have been a little hectic the last few months. Between applying for jobs, going to interviews and then ultimately deciding to move to Pittsburgh for Dan’s dream job, life has been busy and unpredictable. All of this craziness has left me physically, mentally and emotionally drained. Unfortunately, my blogging motivation has seriously suffered as a result. However, it’s still very important to me…

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