Albania Stories


Ionian Coast

Approaching the Ionian Coast from the north is dramatic to put it mildly. You wind up slowly, higher and higher into the mountains, all the while thinking "hey, the beach is at sea level what the hell are we doing?" There is some confusion when you look at your watch, knowing that you are due to arrive in twenty minutes yet the road continues to climb. ...


Ottoman Houses Have Style

The Balkans should rue the day that concrete was invented. Thanks to cheap vertical construction methods, austere wooden Ottoman homes became impractical to build and maintain and cities became ugly. Nothing scars a sweeping vista of olive groves and plane trees like a wreck of an unfinished concrete block with it's ridiculous steel cords shooting fut...


Expectation Management

Politicians, businessmen and anyone setting someone up on a blind date can learn a lot from Tirana, Albania on the subject of expectation management. Who would not prefer a pleasant surprise over disappointment? Masochists, that is who! (By the way, I can not find the apostrophe on this keyboard, sorry for the lack of contractions). Tirana is a m...


My first time in Albania

Well, I'll edit this over the next couple of weeks as I get the chance, but having recently got back from Albania it seemed unfair that such a beautiful country was without an entry. Flying out of London Heathrow at an ungodly hour of the morning (I left home at 4.30am) the team of us felt excited about going to Albania. For some of the group (Eric, ...