Tag: Albania
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The villa of King Zog at Durres … disintegrating dreams
This was a haunting place. Built by King Zog, short–lived king of Albania in the 30s, as a place for receptions and as a summer retreat he only enjoyed it for a year before he was deposed. Walking through the derelict rooms echoes of the interwar years whispered of cocktails, jazz, parties, intrigue and politics.…
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Durres … a seaside town and Albanian politics
I arrived in Durres this morning having ditched bus and train travel … there are no trains and after six weeks the buses with a rucksack were too complicated … so a cheap taxi! Durres is a port city and with its spacious city square and palm trees seems, at first sight, more cosmopolitan than…
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Tirana … old and new
The contrast between Ohrid and here couldn’t be greater. Ohrid: charm, the lake, calm. Tirana: noisy, intense, and impenetrable. A city of crumbling buildings against the modern civic area of Government departments where new high rises go up apace … there is some good modern architecture. My arrival was not without trauma. My hostel no…
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A walk through Shkoder to Rozafa Castle
Well where shall I start. I rather like it here. Shkoder is definitely a city of contrasts. This morning I woke to the sound of a cockerel from some garden nearby and then breakfasted in the garden on fried eggs, a type of spicy sausage, coffee, fruit juice, delicious bread and jam … all for…
Escape to myself 