Too Square to be Hip
A narcissist's guide to travel and culture
I must admit, I was not particularly excited to visit Tirana, the capital city of Albania. I was however curious about it. I had decided to visit after hearing of ex-mayor Edi Rama’s art project to turn the drab communist concrete city into a multicoloured painted wonderland. Furthermore, I had heard good things from other …
Berat is a central Albanian town with a big reputation. Often referred to as “The City of a Thousand Windows” or alternatively “The City of Two Thousand Steps”, the city is one of the best preserved examples of Ottoman Era military architecture, an honour it gladly shares with its sister city of Gjirokaster to the …
Epirus, a harsh mountainous region stretching from Berat in Albania into the heartland of northern Greece at Ioannina, is a territory that has captured to imagination of adventurous types for centuries. In ancient times, these mystical highlands played host to a Greek oracle, as famous as the one at Delphi, and a proud mountain people …
This post outlines what a typical walk though the Butrint Archaeological park is like. In roman times, this former roman colony was a leading urban center in the coastal Balkans, before undergoing a long and slow decline. During the years of communist government, the Albanian dictator, Enver Hoxha closed the site off, along with the …
Sarandë [Saranda] is a beautiful, yet small, city located at the southern tip of Albania. Known for its beaches and dark blue waters, it has become somewhat of a magnet for tourism in recent years. The city receives over 300 days of sun annually and, as such, it should be no surprise that the city …
The new friends I had met on the Greek island of Corfu, Deano and Charlie, dropped me off at the port in the Old Town of Corfu from our hostel, The Pink Palace located in the village of Agios Gordios. The hostel is a 40m ride to the city, but this distance can be bridged …
Albania is a strange country and one that is only just starting to unlock its tourism potential. At the time of my visit it was still relatively unknown to the western traveller, occasionally piquing the interest of backpackers seeking to get off the beaten track. Yet, with alternative attractions such as a capital city completely …
