Samos isn’t one of the larger Greek islands, but it is one of the most easterly, with Turkey sitting just across the water. It’s a very green island and has managed to retain much of its identity and Greek charm. For the moment at least, it appears to have stayed off the radar of theContinue reading "Beyond the Beaches of Samos"
Three of Us in Greece
We try not to book flights that leave too early or too late, but on this occasion there wasn’t much choice. The car arrived just after 4am and we’d only driven about two minutes from the house when we had to pull over because Mum wasn’t feeling well. Although it would have been a pain,Continue reading "Three of Us in Greece"
Putting a Stake in the Ground
We’ve been back in the UK for about a month, which has literally flown by, largely because I’ve dedicated most of that time to finally putting a stake in the ground and declaring the book that has taken me around two years to complete finished. Well, in my eyes anyway. I still need to findContinue reading "Putting a Stake in the Ground"
The Mountains Without Snow
We’d arrived under the cover of darkness, so pushing the button hidden amongst the rather complicated lighting controls the following morning provided the big reveal. We were looking out across the side of a beautifully green mountain, with a few chalets scattered along the lower slopes, replaced further up by fir trees that looked asContinue reading "The Mountains Without Snow"
Tirana to St Anton
After just under three hours, the bus from Pogradec pulled into Tirana bus station shortly after 1pm. We knew it was going to be hot. I’d been watching the weather for a while and we’d even extended our stay by the lake for an extra night to limit our time in the city. It wasContinue reading "Tirana to St Anton"
Life by the Lake
Pogradec has a completely different vibe. Life is slower and, at least where we are, much quieter. It’s cooler too, topping out at around 30 degrees during the day and dropping into the mid-teens at night. We’ve come for the lake, and it doesn’t disappoint. Lake Ohrid is the deepest lake in the Balkans, theContinue reading "Life by the Lake"
The Bus to Pogradec
As I mentioned in an earlier post, buses in Albania are something of a dark art, and Vlorë was no exception. Armed with what could only be described as a treasure map, we decided we needed to establish two things. Firstly, where the buses actually left from and secondly, whether there really was a 7amContinue reading "The Bus to Pogradec"
A Thousand Windows
The minibus, complete with air conditioning thankfully, arrived just after 8:15am to take us off for another day of exploring. Our first stop was St Mary’s Monastery, which sits on Zvërnec Island, surrounded by the Narta Lagoon. Apparently, it is stunning in spring when the lagoon is home to all sorts of waterbirds and flamingos.Continue reading "A Thousand Windows"
Finding our feet in Vlore
Public transport here is something of a dark art. In fact, it would probably be easier to say there isn’t really a public transport system at all. Instead, there’s a network of buses in every conceivable shape and size and, if you’re lucky, one might even have air conditioning. The timetables are, at best, aContinue reading "Finding our feet in Vlore"
Swimming our way up the coast
Our guide from Gjirokaster had very kindly found us a reasonably priced transfer to our next destination, Himare. Our host was also kind enough to allow us a late checkout, which gave us time for one final swim and the chance to say goodbye to Barbara and Mendu, who had given up on fishing forContinue reading "Swimming our way up the coast"
