Europe
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Belgium
To see the previous parts of this trip – https://lynntowin.ca/rwanda/ Brussels I made a stop in Brussels to break up the otherwise 30+ hour trip home from Africa. The flight was notably staffed with very tall handsome men. Belgians are among the tallest people in the world, with the average man clocking in at just under six feet tall. We made a stop in Nairobi, where unfortunately the staff changed while cleaners came in. I arrived in Brussels about 7:45, then stood in a customs line that did not move for around two hours. Once at the front, I could see that the automated entry machines were out of order.…
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Back to Albania
Tirana The next morning we set off to the Albanian border nearby. The building there was pink, painted with flowers, which seemed a little odd. We passed many small bunkers, some of the thousands built during the reign of the paranoid Enver Hoxha. Along the way were towns with factory buildings, abandoned after the fall of communism in 1991. One small town decorated its crumbling factories by painting thousands of ladybugs on them. We passed through the city of Elbasan, once contender for capital city. A highway was built through the city and has somehow turned into a free-for-all, with kilometre long traffic jams paralyzing the roads for hours at…
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Macedonia
Lake Ohrid town Finally our stop at the most beautiful lake in the Balkans, Lake Ohrid. This is a holiday spot for locals, but it’s now October, so not too busy. Lake Ohrid is one of the oldest and deepest lakes in the world. It’s an ancient settlement that is a UNESCO heritage site. It is also famous for being home to 366 churches, one for each day of the year. Most are no longer operational. Macedonia has been more expensive than Albania or Kosovo, and Lake Ohrid is the most expensive place in Macedonia. But it’s still very affordable. In the town, we walked along the cobbled streets to…
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Macedonia
Lake Matka We took a morning trip to Lake Matka, another scenic artificial lake. The dam and hydroelectric power plant were built in this deep canyon in 1938. The sides on the canyon are lined with several caves, and a few medieval monasteries. We took a boat ride to the Vrelo cave. You walk up to the entrance, then down once inside, to see one of the deepest underwater lakes in the world. After exploring the cave a bit we got back on the boat to cross the lake, then scrambled up to a path along the cliffs leading us back to our starting place. Once back at the start,…
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Kosovo to Macedonia
Prizren Still staying in Prizren, we set off the next afternoon for a rustic wine tasting a short drive out of the city. By rustic, I mean standing in a small dark cellar. We tried generous samples of whites, roses, and reds, accompanied by sumptuous charcuterie boards including goat, sheep, and cow cheeses. We all agreed the whites were really good, the rest were inoffensive – that’s what Australians call good but not great wine apparently. Also included was raki tasting. Raki is the traditional drink of many countries in eastern Europe, and is a by-product of the wine making process. The grape skins and other fruits are used, and…
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Kosovo
Gjakova We left Peja for a stop in Gjakova, one of the oldest cities in Kosovo. It dates back to the 15th century. The town center, flattened in the Kosovo War 25 years ago, has been restored to its traditional style. There is a beautiful mosque here, built in the 16th century. The imam there spoke to us about the mosque, and islamic traditions and history. Nearby, we went for a short visit to a sufi tekke, or lodge for practitioners of the religion. Sufis seem to be a mystic branch of islam, related to the famed “whirling dervishes” based in Turkey. We entered the prayer building, filled with strange…
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Adventures in Kosovo
Via Ferrata On the way to Peja, our tour leader asked if anyone wanted to do a via ferrata that afternoon. I knew nothing about via ferrata other than pictures I had seen where it looks like you’re hanging off a cliff. A few people decided to go, and said “oh come on Lynn” so I signed up also. (Our tour leader Dusan found a sheet of paper, wrote “Release Form” on it, and asked us to sign underneath). I find it hard to turn down an adventure, and how hard can it be? Well, as I found out, via ferrata, which means “iron road” in Italian, is a climbing…
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Entering Kosovo
To stamp or not to stamp your passport in Kosovo We left Albania in driving rain that had continued through the night. It cleared up gradually as we got to the border of Kosovo. It’s fun to look at all the passport stamps you get, but that is due to change. With the new passports with electronic chips, facial recognition and digital stamps will take over soon, at least at airports. For now though, why wouldn’t you get a stamp from Kosovo? Kosovo is one of the newest countries in the world, declaring itself an independent country in 2004. Before that, it had most recently been under control of Serbia.…
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The Accursed Mountains
Lake Koman We started out in the early morning, driving along winding roads to Lake Koman. This massive reservoir was created in the 1980s under the communist government, when a hydroelectric power station was built. At the lake, we got off to wait for our boat driver. This was a popular place, as it’s the only way to get to the remote mountains in the north. The boat ride is advertised as one of the most beautiful boat rides you will ever take – emerald water merging with the cliff walls on the sides of the lake. The mountains surrounding the lake are almost uninhabited. Strangely, the lake is very…
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Shkoder, northern Albania
Heading out of Tirana I met my 11 travel companions and tour leader in Tirana. They are all very well-travelled, and include three people who will hit their 100th country on this trip! (In case you’re wondering, I don’t know what my country count is, but I think it’s between 50 and 60.) (Update – I made a list and it looks like 82!) Travelers from UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, USA, and Canada are in the group. Our tour leader is a guy from Serbia who seems to always be happy. We all went out for dinner to a big touristy place with local food and singing by locals…