Finally with tears in his eyes I sit here and start my last entry. there are still a few days (3) left, but we will spend the airport to hitchhike in thessaloniki and there, depending on how long it will take a little more umherzusitzen.
in Tirana in the evening we went to the hostel stuff went to a coffee shop. because of the smoking ban in pubs recently introducet it must be one with outdoor seating, so we end up, without meaning to, adjacent to the building in which the illustrious mr. mothods president's visit is coming soon. under the watchful eyes I start to Bush's people from the hostel holes over Albania in the belly to ask. actually seems to be a rather embattled albania his country. already the story is a little pathetic. after the national hero Skanderbeg (held the mountains) around to Albania in 1400 was made independent, also came the same 25 years later, after his death, the Ottomans occupied land and the young. the years and then stayed the same times 500th only for the time of the first world war could Albanian unabhaengikeitsbewegung prevail and freed the land from the occupiers. Albania remained strangely also spared from the chaos of war ww1.
in the second world war, however, less than 20 years after independence, the Italian fascists occupied the land. they remained until shortly before the end of the war, when they were defeated by the Communist partisans. but it still went no rest in the little country. because with the communists came Enver Hoxha, which is swung open promptly at dictatorial. Then followed a time that is similar to Stalinist dictatorship much. He first ran higher kill all party cadres, in which he saw a danger. Then he covered the country with his terror, read countless critic of the system to lock up wirtschsfatete and down the country. In 1961 he broke with the Russians, after Khrushchev exposed Stalin in 1956 as a criminal. hoxha now more oriented to the teaching of Mao. this connection, however, he gave in 1978 on, when Mao Zedong died. Now he drove the country into political isolation. He felt the only real exestierende communist state to be the earth. character was his groesenwahns the statement to the weltoeffentlichkeit, Albania was the first atheist state in the world (1967).
hoxha began with the time, I think at times a bit too paranoid to suffer. Anyway, he saw his country surrounded by enemies and soi he read at strategic points 600 000 build mini bunker. The country should overland transport uneinehmbar be.
died in 1985 came even as hoxha still no peace in the country. the Communist line was continued stubborn. There was still food Keum, some only rationed. in 1990 came from communism. 5100 people died in the years of dictatorship in the political prisons.
today Albania is a very weak economically developed country. but the people from the hostel in the forward-looking optimism. someday this will all develop. this will still take its time, I think. Albania has so far only a trade agreement with Macedonia. The Albanians laughs and erklaehrt: because we can then buy tomatoes from the Macedonians, we have ourselves in abundance.
whether what changes the Bush visit, I ask. no, it's all about the accession of Albania into NATO. it has no illusions. Bush no longer has friends in the world, so he remembers to Albania, the hostel staff laugh. mmhh. Bush knows whether that will be visiting to take place in the former Enver Hoxha museum?
The next day we make our limit on the direction of Macedonia. before we look at the still nationnalmuseum Albania.
we take the Access point Albania does have a railway network. However, this is rather curious. initially only about 6 connections are offered. then the time is sitting in the train pretty much disproportionately on track. we need for 40 miles 4 hours (really now!) but is otherwise still a experience. For example, not much value placed on windows. the whole train has almost none. if you have to be raining down pull the blinds. which are, strangely, still all there. even the toilet is denkwuedig. not so dirty, not just exist. One feels as if you piss in the open at the window. I great finds.
18 clock we come in Elbasan. this city beats Skod city in the race for the ugliest in europe by a mile!. It is terrible here. we look not too long and make us the same bus station in direction. is then more of a taxi stand, where the waiting taxi drivers familiar with their exorbitant prices for us. nothin 'is. We use strategy "sit down and, according to German talk" to. it works mostly. This time also, and we are in a short time by a hilsbereiten rebellious people surrounded. murmeld of what a carpool. well, I believe him, not that there is just this one, but we go anyway. after he dragged us 45 minutes by the city and has already wib care for physical and life gets, we get another taxi stand out. where does a friend of Maxine (our leadership) aha. oh well. we are exasperated, and finally get into the taxi. Oh, I can not really tell. It's embarrassing. tasaechlich we pay 30 euro. Instead we drive but also 1 1 I almost can congratulate our good bargain. save you money we have. jaja. we give it (our destination, a tiny border town on Lake Ohrid) promptly Froehlich lin further. restaurant (fresh fish from the lake) and warm cozy bed in the hotel.
have on the next day we still in 1400 lek (about 14 €) and want to stay 2 days in Albania. So we scramble on a mountain and camp there with lake view. for food There ausm campfire potatoes, bread and butter (which I initially thought it would be cheese). fits already, we are lazy and mend the holes in the travel fund. besides, I still get the sunburn of my life. marched down the mountain the border, and throws up a suspicious look to us. But coming up but he will not, he prefers to play with a dog. anyway, we are the people from the village before strange. We keep disappearing in the direction of the mountains of Macedonia and then dive back in to village. In the end we are evil mazodinische (tomatoes are high in the price level are I've heard) smugglers. after seeing several people have thrown behind cinematic look suspicious, I put myself in the local pub. that always helps. so now. in the evening in the village, everyone knows that we are just a few daft tourists who camp at the lake. a sigh goes by the farmers. the tomato crop is not threatened.
after 2 days we make on the direction of Ohrid. is surprisingly quick and easy, and as we are sitting at 3 on the local campsite. alone, the season has not started yet. Ohrid is of course very nice. old town with its castle and old church. we do the touristic program, the rest of the time we get spoiled on see.ich me friends with the caretaker of the campground. which is very old and drunk all day. again and again he tried to persuade me to beer. already at 9 clock in the morning. person shall effect I have given in and drink a bottle with him. He's kind of funny, laughs all the time and can in Russian. then we visit some German, who has a internetcaffee. is so unspeakably stupid, I do not need him here describe further. only one thing: he feels connected with Hitler, as Alexander the Great here comes from Macedonia. soso.
well, today we go eat, then I probably will visit my new friends again and have a drink with him.
otherwise, but the wars already. the holiday was definitely really nice. I was pleasantly surprised by many (especially Bosnia), at times even a little depressed (the war). overall a great experience, which of course without the many people who have helped us become road would be possible.
in any case, I come again! had
I hope you have a bissl fun of my scribblings, which I'll share photos inside when I'm home again. which are namely from my LIEBLINGSnachbern (yes, now let me reveal your machinations!) of the other has a few great blogs (necessarily were purely a look! set). So
denne
up your world trip would
