We bought The Beast to escape Brexit and travel to Mongolia. Since that trip requires us to drive through Russia, which had just started its ‘Special Operation’ (war) in Ukraine, we opted for a Plan B… The Balkans, which is conveniently outside Schengen to facilitate our 90-day Shengen Shuffle.
Cover shot – The Beast on the beach near Vlorë, Albania.
To read about the first part of our trip, check out the page from B to A (Britain to Albania).
Overlanding in Albania – Bari to Durrës
We weren’t sure what to expect in Albania. At the end of WWII, Albania became Europe’s equivalent to North Korea; a secretive, closed and isolationist country. Albania spent four decades under the iron grip of paranoid extremist ruler Enver Hoxha. As a communist state, Hoxha aligned Albania first with Russia, then with China, but broke…
Albania: Riots In Tirana & Getting A Go Anywhere Truck Stuck. Again…
Our first morning in Albania, and it was all drama before breakfast. The headline read: Clashes between rival fans and Albanian police in Tirana on the eve of the UEFA final left 19 police officers injured, while 80 fans were sent back to Italy for riotous behaviour.
Albania Overland – Bashtovë Fortress and Beautiful Berat
On our last night at Buona Vila, we shared whisky, raki, and stories. Like so many countries we’d been warned not to visit, Albania was already revealing itself as a jewel. Lido, Spartak, and Ayesha had welcomed us like family at their wonderful beachside retreat, and we were reluctant to leave, but such is the…
Berat, Albania – A Tale of Two Brothers & A Stroll Through ‘The City of 1000 Windows’
In central Albania, nestled between mountains with the Osum river running through its historic centre, Berat is justifiably seen as one of the country’s most beautiful towns. It is UNESCO listed, and the legend of its founding is a Tale of Two Brothers, Tomorr and Shpirag, who might have been giants, and were inseparable –…
Dalan Beach, Vlorë, Albania – Paradise Lost
Every day, humans take five billion photos. According to one source, we have created 12.4 trillion throughout history, but what is the most important photograph ever taken? Is it the blurred and indistinct ‘View from the Window at Le Gras’, the earliest surviving photographic image, created by Frenchman Nicéphore Niépce in 1826? The first man…
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…
A Taste of Things To Come…
A little later in our trip
Welcome To Kosovo – Creative Writing Showcase
I am delighted that ‘Welcome to Kosovo’, a snippet from our very recent travels (about a week ago!) has been featured on author Robert Fear’s ‘Fred’s Blog’ Creative Writing Showcase. Please click the link below to read my piece on this somewhat lesser-known destination.…
World Wide Walkies 