Seems like forever since our last entry...where has the time gone and where have we been? Thanks for hanging in there with us...we do have some travels to share...
We're not sure we ever really thought about Albania, let alone thought we'd ever visit. But what a gem of a country. Nestled in the Balkans, it's the small orange country (see map below) on the Adriatic and Ionian coast, north of Greece, east of Italy. It was one of the last countries to fall from communism in 1991 and it's taken this long for word to get out that this is a country very rich with history along with natural beauty with both mountains and beaches, including 2 World Heritage UNESCO sites, and is well worth a visit.
Albania is roughly the size of Maryland, Belgium or Rwanda with about 2
.8 million people. Of those, 430,000 live in Tirana, the inland capital of the country at only 361 feet above sea level. Back in the late 1960s, after many mosques and churches were destroyed, Albania was proclaimed by the then leader, Hoxha, as 'the worlds 1st atheist state' yet today 58% of the country declare themselves Islamic, 17% Christian and 25% non-religious, atheist or other.
We were lucky enough to spend 10 days in the country and 7 of those were in Tirana, where Aly attended a conference. We managed to get out in the evenings and even went on a 2
.5 hour free walking tour of the city one weekend morning. Here are just a few of the sights...
 |
| The city on a crystal clear day |
 |
| Tirana from the Sky-view revolving restaurant |
 |
| a multi colored city |
 |
| with lots of green space in the city as well |
 |
| and wide boulevards |
 |
| with a beautiful carousel at the end of the main street |
 |
| lit up at night |
 |
| traffic blocks on the main boulevard |
 |
| Lake Tirana near city center |
 |
| beautiful walking streets |
 |
| Albanian men catching up... |
 |
| ...and some Albanian women doing the same |
 |
| Presidential Palace |
 |
| Parliament |
 |
| Roman Orthodox church--Resurrection of Christ Orothodox Cathedral |
Skanderbeg Square -- the largest and main plaza in downtown Tirana where the Natural History Museum, Opera, Skanderbeg Monument, Et'hem Bey Mosque, Clock Tower, and the International Hotel of Tirana are all found.
 |
| Clock Tower of Tirana and the 18th century Et'hem Bey Mosque |
 |
| Natural History Museum with a beautiful mosaic featuring Albanians from various times in history |
 |
Skanderbeg Mounument -- George Castriot 1405-1468
Albanian nobleman known as Skanderbeg-- he reigned from 1443-1468 |
 |
| Tanners' Bridge -- an 18th century Ottoman footbridge -- one of the oldest around |
 |
| statue of Mother Theresa - she hails from an Albanian-Indian family |
 |
just 1 of approx 185,000 bunkers found throughout the country dating back from
communist times--this is across the street from our hotel--the Rogner |
Some interesting statues in and around the city...
 |
| Abdyl, Naim and Sami Frasheri -- heros and brothers from the 1800s |
 |
| a woman giving a soldier water |
 |
| children playing leap frog |
 |
| wire man figure off the main street |
Conference is over...a photo of the attendees...
A few of us took a gondola up to the top of the mountain just outside of town...beautiful views of the city where we had a delicious lunch and went on a lovely 2 hour hike.
 |
| Buddy, Aly, Haishu, Doug and Megan out on a hike |
After the conference, we, along with 2 friends, took a trip to the south of the country, visiting the 2 World Heritage sites in Albania and taking advantage of the aqua-marine waters of the sea. Our 1st stop was Gjirokaster--Its old town is a World Heritage site--a well preserved Ottoman town which is overlooked by the Gjirokaster Fortress. The town and Fortress date back to 1336...
 |
| the Fortress overlooking the town |
 |
| the town of Gjirokastra |
 |
| inside the fortress |
 |
| beautiful panorama from the Fortress |
 |
| amazing stonework |
 |
| Megan, Carol and Aly inside the Fortress |
 |
| the old town of Gjirokaster |
 |
| Albanian arts and crafts |
 |
| Albanian enamel bowls |
 |
| lunch on the road--literally |
 |
| lunch for 4--cheese, potato, spinach, meat and bread--all very delicious |
 |
| leaving Gjirokaster with some Albanian humor (check out the sign!) |
From Gjirokaster we continued south and stopped at the 2nd World Heritage Site in Albania, Butrint, the Roman ruins which date all the way back to the 10th to 8th centuries BC. Butrint is located at almost the southern most tip of Albania facing the sea and the Greek island of Corfu.
 |
| more amazing stonework |
 |
| a ferry crossing into Greece |
After driving and visiting the 2 World Heritage Sites, we headed to the coast and spent our last night in Albania in the southern town along what people call the Albanian Riveria in the town of Serande, so close to Greece, you could almost touch it. Beautifully clear warm water, delicious food and wonderful temperatures.
 |
| our hotel beach and umbrellas |
 |
| looking south at the Greek coast line |
 |
| the peach-y colored hotel on the left was ours |
 |
| sunset |
 |
| early morning on the coast |
 |
| Corfu, Greece -- 6 kms from Serande |
 |
| the beautiful town of Serande |
 |
| the steep, twisty road back to Tirana |
 |
| at the top of the coastal range, heading back to Tirana |
Ten days flew by and we left Albania heading for Austria for another bike trip in Europe...that trip will be next...
