World Wide Walkies

Gjirokastra, Albania: A City With Two Tales

Thus, quick Argjiro,
Ran with her baby girl,
Swung like a bird in the wind
From the fortress to the abyss,

Rock on rock thus broken,
She fell like a star,
but was not extinguished
Ismail Kadare – excerpt from his poem, She Fell Like A Star, But Was Not Extinguished

Gjirokastra’s skyline is dominated by its enormous castle, also known as ‘The Fortress of Argjiro’. In his 1960 poem, She Fell Like A Star, But Was Not Extinguished, local poet, Ismail Kadare, sheds light on the legend behind the naming of both the fort and the city.

The Road to Gjirokastra, Albania

It is a truth universally acknowledged that when it’s 39°C, a man in possession of a chemical toilet that hasn’t been emptied for a week is in need of a black water disposal point.

Fier, Albania, A Lakeside Layover

“We need to stop talking about it, for Kai’s sake.”

Mark and I were still trying to rationalise the incident. How Kai got out of the truck. How a small pup, normally fearful of other dogs, got close enough to a wild canine behemoth to be bitten and shaken to within seconds of death. Then how, when we sought help at a veterinary pharmacy and asked for antibiotics, they injected Ivercen, an antiparasitic for livestock which is irreversibly lethal in some dogs.

JACQUELINE AND THE POOCHES HILARIOUS TALE, HAS ME YEARNING TO GET BACK ON THE ROAD AGAIN

the library door

Adrian (my fellow Librarian, and husband) and I have recently been planning a long dreamed of trip to Australia. I floated the idea of travelling around Australia in a camper van. After further consideration we came to the realisation that as neither of us are at all good with creepy crawlies, in a country where every creature is trying to kill you, we might have a bit of unexpected drama. We quickly re imagined our itinerary to involve some nice hotels. I suggested that sometime in the future we try a camper van or RV somewhere less dangerous. How hard could it be? I wondered, to be self-sufficient and out in nature in say, Europe or Canada? Which brings us on to this months First book review, its Adventure Caravanning With Dogs : To Hel In A Hound Cart by Jacqueline Lambert and published by Amazon in December 2022

After…

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