Amazing Albania

Not that I had a perfectly planned itinerary, but Albania was actually not on the list of places I intended to go. However, with Greek railway system all closed down due to the economical crisis and me wanting to see coastal Croatia, where there are no trains, the best option was to travel by different buses through Albania. 

And I must tell you I am really content I did. This anonymous country is actually a lot more modern than I expected (free WiFi in EVERY café & bar), very beautiful and I have never encountered a more polite and friendly hospitable people. 

I soon learnt that what I had read about it being a code of honor for the Albanians always taking care of guests and strangers, is actually true. They are so eager to help you out that it can sometimes become a problem - if they e.g. don't know the directions you're asking for, they would rather pretend they do and find out along the way than admit that they can't help you... But mostly you will be helped out and supported by more than one person, all of them eager to talk no matter what level of English/other languages they speak.

The Pyramide, more or less the only full building left from the communist era

Albania is liberatingly free from international franchise stores and restaurants, and almost anything you will find is genuine and dirt cheap. Waiters, bus drivers and other people working within the service sector take the concept of service minded to a whole new level. I don't actually think I have been greeted and welcomed as warmly anywhere before.

After overworking my broken foot a little bit in Greece, and then spending fourteen hours sitting up on a night bus, my foot was swollen like a football arriving in Tirana and therefore my first day I mostly stayed in the hostel. Which was a nice and colorful place, with very friendly and knowledgable staff and some really nice other travelers from all around the world staying. It was nice to talk to people and hang out again, after quite lonely times in Austria, Budapest and Greece.

The next day I rented a bike for the ridiculously low price of 0,50 €/hour. That way I could see most of Tirana without having to strain my foot very much. Even though Tirana is quite a big city with heavy traffic, the speed of cars and buses was not too scary and after a while I learnt how to navigate according to the lack of traffic rules - just taking it slow, exercising the balance between cautiousness and decisiveness, and so I had a wonderful day in the sun.

More or less the only mosque left in Tirana.There is also one cathedral -
all other religious buildings have been torn down and close to
75 % of the population claims to be non-religious.

After my sightseeing tour I took the elevator up to the Skybar in the city's fanciest hotel and had a beer (presumably the most expensive one in all of Albania, 2 € for a pint), to get a glimpse of this ever-changing lively city from above.

In the evening the hostel owner took us all to a traditional Albanian restaurants where he knew the staff, and I was forced by politeness to try som Raki...

Leaving the capital, I took the bus to smaller but likewise nice and colorful town Shkodër further North, where I spent a few hours walking around, having lunch and a luxurious ice-cream to celebrate my first visit to this beautiful country.

Albania has wonderful landscapes, interesting cities, a warm climate and a stunning coastline. It is as cheap as Asia - but don't wait too long to go there to enjoy it, because within ten or fifteen years this hidden pearl is gonna be the new Croatia. Remember where you first heard it...

The most famous Albanian, Mother Theresa

From Shkodër I took another bus to cross the border to yet one for me unfamiliar country, namely the rocky Montenegro, where I spent a few days in two different places along the coast. How my Balkan adventures continue, I will let you know next.

Paros - a paradise

It is highly possible I am more or less the last Swede, at least in my generation, not to have been to Greece before. But now I have! After Athens, which did not impress me much, I found the holiday paradise of islands that most people I know are familiar with. And I do understand why - Paros fulfilled all my expectations of a seaside holiday. It is of course busier and more crowded in the high season, but mid April was not a bad time to come. Actually I found it great with such a peaceful and quiet week after my encounter with the packed and

noisy capital.

I rented a little studio by the Logaras beach on the East side of the island. From my large terrace I had a nice view down to the sea and up the hilly little mountains the other direction. The very old and very active Greek lady who lived in the main house saw to that I got fresh towels and a clean room every day, and she brought me both fresh eggs from her chickens in the garden, home-picked oranges and the remainder of her own Greek Easter cake.

On the other side of the road there were sheep walking around the large field, and I heard birds from morning to sunset. A five minute walk, down on the beach, there were cafés and restaurants, run by Greek families whose friends and relatives came there to hang out and dance, lacking tourists apart from me. When I did not have the energy for cooking in my little kitchenette, I just walked over there and enjoyed the savoury Greek food, like grilled aubergine with feta cheese. Yummy!

Staying for a whole week under those circumstances was a good treat for my travel weariness, that had come into full bloom in Athens. I spent my days working on the terrace in the morning, then going for a walk to nearby village Piso Livadi, sitting on a rock somewhere by the sea and just enjoying life in the sun.

Unluckily, I began my stay on Paros by breaking my pinky toe. This happened on a Sunday, and since I had know idea where to find a doctor (and knowing they do absolutely nothing about a broken pinky toe), I myself pulled the toe back into position and put my foot in the chilly water for an hour. Some sms comfort and advice from medically educated friends also made me feel like there was not too much to worry about.

I did two little excursions - one afternoon spent in the main "town" Paroikia, which before the season has kicked in is a quite empty place, and one full day on foot (which turned out to be a very bad idea with a broken toe) all the way to the old fishing village Naoussa on the island's Northern coast.

For me, who had never in real life seen the simplistic yet elegant architecture of Byzantine Greece, the whole experience was truly breathtaking. I felt so silently happy and at peace around those basic but beautiful buildings, as I did in the varied and exciting landscape, with both rocks and sandy beaches, large wild moors with dry weedy bushes and colorful flowers peeking out.

This is the first place I feel truly sad to leave. I could easily have spent the rest of my time away here, had it not been for the fact that I had already bought a ticket back and a bus ticket from Athens to Albania. But I am convinced I will come back to the Greek archipelago as soon as I get the chance!

Ambivalent about Athens

I have never been to Greece before, and I must say I was slightly in chock after my first hour of encounter with its capital. It was almost like a new continent to me - I had forgotten how busy and loud and dirty and chaotic overpopulated cities can be.
But, after having arrived midnight and woken up to a sunny day, I decided to get the best out of it.

For a walk in greenery and peacefulness, I made my way to the National Gardens, where you could clearly see the slight decay of Greece's grace. The gardens were not very well taken care of and every location making them nice for gatherings was closed. But there was a central pond with a little island, inhabited by approximately a hundred turtles!





As always completely fascinated with animals, I hung out there for a while... There were also goats and rabbits and birds in the park, but still rather poor compared to Bandängen at home.

Then I spent the last hours of the afternoon seeing that Acropolis (with surrounding sites) which is apparently the most visited European site for travelers. I was a little bit ambivalent - the Ancient Period is not my favourite historic era, but as I did not seem to like Athens very much anyway, I might not come back so maybe I should take the opportunity... If nothing else would have convinced me, it is quite a top view from up there.

So of course I went up to see the cultural cradle in which we all rock by the hand of history in our part of the world. Thousands of years ago and all those brave Roman heroes and all those temples they built, so grossly huge. Yep, now I've seen them, and they are really big. That's all I have to say about it. I still don't find it very interesting (sorry, all my antique-history-loving friends).

The coolest thing though, and most well-preserved, was the Dionysos Theatre. That I am really happy to have seen!

Old-school phone booths

The Athenians were very nice, though. Almost everywhere I was greeted with a smile and a willingness to help. Small talk with the guy selling you your morning coffee is nice when you're a single traveler, and getting a Greek friend is even nicer.








I got mine on recommendation from a mutual friend in Italy. He took me for a coffee on a windy off-season beach in southern Athens on my second day.











As the other days in Athens actually went through very cold and dull weather, and I caught a severe cold and did not feel like running around much, it was very nice to have a walk and dinner with him again the last evening in the old part of the city, Plaka.

I am now in what my friend referred to as the real Greece - on one of those idyllic islands.
And yes, I now have fallen completely for Greece....