Should I Stay or Should I Go?
It’s Christmas Eve and I’m in Albania. There’s a nice tree put up by the city. Shops have little Christmas displays and the Greek Orthodox Church hung lights. But the bakeries steal the …
Singing to Little Girls in Albanian Markets
There’s a corner market about 50 meters from the guesthouse where I’m staying in Saranda, Albania. Only it’s not really a market—just a little shop in a family’s house and when you ring …
You Can Take a Picture with My Gun
Most days pass in Albania like a dream. I enjoy a double espresso along the seafront. Then I write. Later I take a nap. A long nap. And if I’m feeling really lazy, …
Mastering the Art of Slow Travel
Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the …
Why I’m Living in Saranda, Albania
Albania is a country within sight of Italy, which is less known than the interior of America. — Edward Gibbon Let’s face it, Albania isn’t on most people’s list of must-see destinations. Some …