Sat.May 7
(continued)
page 33

2005 BALKANS TOUR

Ben Oostdam

SHKODRA

The bus seemed strangely quiet after Valdete and her family disembarked precipitously. Their last minute injunction to the conductor to show me Hotel Rozafa proved easy: it was close to the final stop. Goodbye to the fine driver and conductor, rapid check in at the reception by a Law student, Firdus Mystia who spoke English fluently and was very helpful. I climbed 3 or 4 sets of stairs to my nice room-with-a-view (below top right)


After an hour's rest and sounds of turtle doves, mosques and traffic, I explored the neighborhood for a while. An outdoor shoes salesman told me he had been an agronomist before the '90's war and thanked us Americans for ridding Albania of their foes. I had a light dinner in the garden of a former British Missionary post (above top right), then changed 20 euros for 2,500 leks on a street corner. Finally, I chatted with Firdus and went to bed.
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