Two sets of heavy steel enforced concrete doors closed off the tunnel descending into the bunker. The kids and I leaned back and put some muscle into pulling the inner door. It creaked slowly shut. Air raid sirens blared and the lights went out as the walls seemed to shutter with explosions on the surface.Continue reading “A Nuclear Bunker Hideout and $10000 Vaccine”
Category Archives: Albania
An Avalanche of Errors
Although they are exceedingly cautious for young adventurers, my kids will follow me off a cliff if my water landing is smooth enough. All to often though, my running jump ends in a belly flop and I’m left wondering if I should follow their leads instead. It’s common to feel a bit of self-doubt whenContinue reading “An Avalanche of Errors”
The Albanian Napolean
Visiting Albania is like walking over a fossil bed; there is so much history that one does not even realize is there hidden below each step. The region was lost in a remote corner of the Ottoman Empire for centuries, isolated because of its mountainous terrain and mostly off limits, a blank section on theContinue reading “The Albanian Napolean”
Update: Police and Masks in Albania
I stopped wearing a face mask or even carrying one with me. For the past couple of months, my mask was the snorkel mask I wore almost everyday while exploring the fascinating underwater scenery on Albania’s Ionian coast. Until yesterday, I almost forgot about the pandemic completely. My family and I left the United StatesContinue reading “Update: Police and Masks in Albania”
The Kingdom of Isolation
Are the police friend or foe? The answer to this really depends on who you are and where you are. If you are a foreigner in Cambodia, the police are about as friendly as leeches. They will do anything to suck your wallet dry. In Jordan, on the other hand, they will go out ofContinue reading “The Kingdom of Isolation”
The Five Mysteries of Himara
Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, details the glory and futility of war as the city of Troy is besieged and eventually destroyed. It also describes a strange creature, a fire-breathing lion goddess with a goat’s head protruding from her back and a serpent’s head for a tail: the Chimera. This is the mythical creature forContinue reading “The Five Mysteries of Himara”
Albanian Animals
Everywhere my daughter goes, she makes friends. In Albania, these are mostly animal friends because there’s nothing she loves better than furry animals, and furry animals are everywhere in Albania. I love wildlife and there is plenty of wildlife in Albania too. We have seen waterbirds here such as flamingos, pelicans and cormorants as wellContinue reading “Albanian Animals”
Midnight School by the Beach
It’s a typical weekday in Himara. The sky is sunny and the water is calm and clear. We walk across town to a gyros shop for lunch. I wash the gyros down with a cold beer and then wash the beer down with a makiato while the kids have some ice cream. Then it’s timeContinue reading “Midnight School by the Beach”
Cyclones and Electrical Storms on the Mediterranean
I heard a wailing in the distance as I switched off the patio lights for the night. The lights in the sky were off as well as cloud cover left the town in darkness. The sea was black and calm and there was an eerie stillness in the air, a sense that something was notContinue reading “Cyclones and Electrical Storms on the Mediterranean”
Tomb Raiders of Apollonia
Named for Apollo, the god of sun, light, music and poetry, the long lost city of Apollonia of Illyria was once, like Dyracchium to the north, one of the most important Mediterranean economic centers of the ancient world. Unlike Dyracchium, Apollonia today is little more than ruins spread across a couple hundred acres of overgrownContinue reading “Tomb Raiders of Apollonia”
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