Places
-
Beautiful Lake Skadar
To enter Virpazar, in Montenegro, you just turn off the main road, cross a railway line and you’re already there. A man stopped me at the entrance to the village. He asked me if it was my…
-
The best view in all of Montenegro
In February 2016, my trip to Montenegro with my son Gianluca was marred by rain for most of our time there. A bit more than a year later, coming back home from Albania via Podgorica airport, I was looking…
-
Kruje Castle
Going up the ramp towards Kruje Castle, one can view a panorama of the town. I noted with regret that the ‘development’ scourge has also claimed Albania for a victim… A few paces further up, the ramp…
-
Rozafa Castle, Shkoder
Legend has it that Rozafa Castle in Shkoder, Albania, was built on top of the body of a woman called Rosafa. I wouldn’t be much surprised if this were actually to be true. People throughout history have…
-
Little did I know
In Albania, some things are approximate. Time schedules are approximate. Maps are approximate and therefore also addresses. I carefully re-programmed my faithful GPS to include the Balkans so I could find my way around when I got…
-
The best and the not so good of Albania
The route from Shkoder, where I was staying, to Komani Lake, reputedly one of the most beautiful areas in Europe, took me to rural parts of northern Albania, through a mountainous area surrounding the river Drin. The…
-
Waiting for the sun
There’s an expression in Italian that I like so much (among many others). It’s l’attimo fuggente – that split second chance to take an opportunity or lose it forever. That’s what I was waiting for late this…
-
The south coast of Snæfellsnes
The south coast of Snæfellsnes is where we saw Iceland at its spectacular best. Búðir A lava field leads to a golden sandy beach, at the edge of which you will find a hotel, a black chapel, and various…
-
The north coastline of Snæfellsnes
Unless I go back there, I will always associate the northern coast of Snæfellsnes peninsula with high winds and generally bad weather. On both occasions that we went exploring thereabouts we were practically forced by sleet and…
Subscribe
Subscribe to get my latest stories in your inbox.