Albania 2007

In 2007 I traveled to Albania to visit my sister, who was working in Berat, Albania. We spent time in Berat, getting to know the town and her friends. We also traveled to to the seaside towns of Vlore and Dhermï. I plan on writing a longer summary of the trip.

Berat, Albania

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Berat

Bar, Berat, Albania

Dinner at Fitore's with James

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Lunch at the Kaceli House: Zaku and Terry

Outside of Katie's door

The Xhiro

Berat, Albania

Castle

Mount Tomori

Vlore

Road to Dhermi

Dhermi from above

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Plazh

Plazh

Drawing on the beach

Bunkers in Dhermi

Dhermi

Bus

Cobo Vineyard

Heat so intense that it had a name: the Vap

The whole town walking The Xiro

Termites so loud I couldn't sleep

The best chicken I have ever eaten

The loudest beach disco in the whole world

Lakes that no one swims in

Raki in 1 liter water bottles

Being the only tourist at a medieval castle

Taxi ride down coast to Dhermï

Honey sold on the side of the road

Televisions always on in the background at high volumes

Albanian folk songs

Bumper cars

Shim shim bocur

A telephone line being pilfered out of the window of a government building, Tiranë

Chickens on the loose

Needing my kid sister to help me cross the street (go there, you'll see)

Bunkers everywhere & houses being built around them

Pizza

Being stared at/feeling really really tall

Dishwasher who gave us an English copy of Kafka

Trying to figure out how to get the umbrella fixed in the rock on the beach

Wild dogs rolling on the ground playing with corncobs

Furgon ride with animals and starting to itch from unseen bugs

The relief of nightfall

A late, cool night on the roof of a hotel

Dinner on a rooftop deck, singing

Sparkling lights and hills of Berat

Courtyards

Drinking untold amounts of wine and never getting drunk

Dinner in apartments high above Berat

A dog that was scared of my camera

No one believed in fans or air circulation

Houses with lots of small rooms that didn't seem to be living rooms or bedrooms

Barek

Mosquitoes, no screens

Katie eating a watermelon

Celine Dion in the furgon ride home