May 9 page 38 |
2005 BALKANS TOURBen Oostdam | from Shkodra, ALBANIA to Budva, MONTENEGRO |
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I woke up just after 4 a.m., so well before the muezzin, and replayed the last few days. I was now about halfway through my 5 week-tour.
I was impressed with the hospitality I had been shown and with the decade-long love affair between Valdeta (Sophia Loren)
and Arben (James Bond). On the other hand, I was disappointed by their love of smoking, lack of environmental awareness and complete disinterest in
the Citadel - which they had never visited. I also recalled the dedication of Vladimir in Pogradec, the grace of my pilgrim friend Marcel in Ochrid,
and the wonderful meetings with Kamen in Plovdiv, Irene in Sofia and Nikola in Subotica. Wondered who would be next? I packed my two packs, had a good breakfast, borrowed an umbrella and started my search for the Marubi museum-photogallery recommended in the guide-book which was by far the worst-marked place though definitely worth the effort! This concluded my Shkodra "assignment" and my good friend Firdus arranged for a mini van to pick me up and take me to the border between Albania and Montenegro on the way to the Adriatic Coast. I was sitting next to Simon and Verity, a New Zealand couple already on the way for 5 years (incl. 3 working in London) who had left their car in Italy and ferried across. We drove along the fascinating coast in unexpected rainy weather, so I deferred taking photographs (except those below). |
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