During our round trips through Albania, I could not help noticing that there are still a lot of socialist realistic monuments, bas-reliefs and sculptures to be found in every corner of the country. One of the finest examples of socialist realism is the huge mosaic called ‘The Albanians’ that decorates the façade of the National […]
Shkodra
5 WEEKEND TRIPS TO NORTH ALBANIA
Although Montenegro is a wonderful country, many expats and inhabitants of Podgorica have been asking me how and where to spend a nice weekend in North Albania. No wonder, the distance to the Božaj/Hani i Hotit border is 20 km only. Although the border crossing is still under reconstruction at the moment, new control points […]
ALBANIA BY CAMPER
Apart from Montenegro, there is another country in the Balkans that is very interesting and attractive for adventurous camper tourists: Albania. During the last decade, many good camping sites have been opened in all parts of Albania. Parking lots or camper sites in front of hotels, restaurants or gas stations are another possibility. But maybe […]
7 THINGS YOU SHOULD NOT MISS IN SHKODRA
I visited Shkodra for the first time in the nineties of the last century. At that time, after the death of dictator Enver Hoxha, it was a rather dirty, poor and neglected town with numerous dilapidated communist buildings. There were only a few cars around, but the streets were full of bicycles and horse or […]
A DAY TRIP AROUND SKADAR LAKE
Do you have an adventurous spirit? Can you cope with narrow, winding and steep roads, without protection rails? And are you sure that you don’t have fear of heights? If yes, it will be a fascinating experience to make a day trip around Skadar Lake. Starting from Podgorica, this tour is 157 km long, but… […]
CHRISTMAS IN SHKODRA
There are many places where Catholics and Protestants can celebrate Christmas, but Podgorica is certainly not the most attractive one. Most inhabitants belong to the Orthodox church, which means that their Christmas is celebrated two weeks later, on January 7th. That is the reason why we have spent most Christmas holidays abroad so far. But […]
ALBANIA, SHKODRA: A BIKING TOUR TO URA E MESIT (MES BRIDGE)
Enjoying the Indian summer, we spent a relaxed weekend in Lake Shkodra Resort (a perfect place to spend a few days and only 55 km or one hour driving from Podgorica!) with our friends from the Netherlands. The weather was sunny and it was a good opportunity to hire bicycles and make a biking tour […]
ALBANIA: LAKE SHKODRA RESORT – A PLACE TO BE
At just an hour’s drive from Podgorica we found a peaceful oasis on the shores of Skadar Lake: Lake Shkodra Resort, a perfect place to spend a weekend with our camper. In Montenegro it is very difficult to find a suitable campsite, in particular during the summer season, but on the other side of the […]
THE ROZAFA CASTLE IN SHKODRA, ALBANIA
On our day trip to Shkodra (see also Day trip to Shkodra), we also visited the Archeological Park with the Rozafa Castle, which is situated on a 130 m high rocky hill near the town. This castle is, first of all, an important archeological and historical monument, but it also offers magnificent panoramas on the Buna and […]
A DAY TRIP TO SHKODRA
The reconstruction of the road from Podgorica to Božaj (Albanian border) was recently finished, which shortened travel time to Shkodra. Indeed, the Albanian section is still problematic, as road works continue, but nowadays you won’t need more than an hour or so to reach Shkodra from Podgorica (62 km). Of course, most Montenegrin people […]