Life in Serbia is so pleasant that we are considering staying here even though it was initially just meant to be a quarantine stop on the way to the European Union. Although I miss being by the sea, life along the Danube means nature is always nearby. Besides that, the food here is terrific andContinue reading “The Promised Land”
Tag Archives: travel
Three Hundred Years of Quarantine
Social distancing along the border market is enforced by two rows of palisades separating buyer from seller. Money is disinfected in vinegar and guards patrol in order to observe that no physical contact take place. This is the scene at the Sava River as described by the famous Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen in hisContinue reading “Three Hundred Years of Quarantine”
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”
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”
Nothing to Fier but Fier Itself
I’ve had my share of adventures driving on foreign roads, including quite a few recently in Albania. But I had to face the most terrifying thing of all recently in the central Albanian city of Fier: scratching the rental car. From narrow, winding roads to wild, out of control roundabouts, there are plenty of hazardsContinue reading “Nothing to Fier but Fier Itself”
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