Writer. Creative Leader.
The road to Athens is a three-lane, shoulderless highway. Cars drive seemingly unaware of painted lanes, careen to close gaps in traffic and avoid collisions by mere milliseconds. Scooters weave through what little extra space exists between vehicles. There isn’t enough room to ride alongside on our bicycles, but we do it anyway because it’s …
Several minutes pass and no one seems to notice our presence at the Albania-Greece border. We root through our bags looking for food to kill time, but it doesn’t take long to realize we’re out of provisions. More time ticks by, eating into the late-afternoon daylight that’s essential to finding a spot to pitch our …
A tranquil first sight after crossing the border from Macedonia. Justin in the slipstream. Two of the roughly 700,000 bunkers built in Albania during its communist rule from 1945-1990. Patiently waiting for a bite. A roadside stand takes on an autumn theme with colorful squash offerings. Nearly all houses use their surrounding land for cultivation. Here, onions have been recently harvested …
“WELCOME TO MACEDONIA!” booms a young man with outstretched arms. He’s flanked by his friends and they snicker when they hear his loud, playful introduction and see our comical-looking touring bikes roll across the border from Kosovo. We wave and pedal further into the slightly-larger-than-Vermont country, stopping a bit down the road for pizza and …
Nights spent in country: 3 Currency: Euro Religion: Predominately Muslim Kosovo was a beautiful country. Filled with beautiful people. There was an outward affection for America and Americans, as evidenced by the friendly greetings we received once we revealed our U.S. citizenship. This is likely due to America’s involvement in helping Kosovo gain independence from …
A look at where we slept while in Kosovo! *** In our room in Gjakove, we dined on Kosovo’s finest snack food and prayed our soaking wet clothes would dry by the next morning. *** In Prizren, our view from the hotel window so incredible, we almost didn’t want to leave the celebratory room we splurged on. *** …
The clouds are heavy, gray and moving fast, but I can’t stay in the small room we rented in Bajram Curri any longer. The sewer gas wafting from the bathroom drain is overwhelming, there’s mouse poop on the bed and the aggressive 16-year-old kid running the “hotel” is getting on my nerves. We pack up …
“STOP!” A small voice calls from deep within Albania’s wild Alps. I slow my pedaling. “PLEASE stop,” it begs. I hit my brakes. A young boy runs into view from a long dirt path tripping over his flip flops. Two younger boys follow shortly behind. They can’t stop grinning as they stare at Justin and me. “Hello,” I smile back. “How are you?” “Very good, thank …
It’s not quite sunrise yet but I’m awake as the first cars pass our tent, pitched at dusk the night before and shielded from the road by just a few trees. I squeeze my eyes shut and will myself to sleep, at least until the sun illuminates our life’s possessions, which have been whittled down to …
1. Stray cats were everywhere. This filthy kitty was booted out of the supermarket just before I took this picture. 2. Yachts were a common sight. This happens to be the second largest yacht in the world which belongs to the 50th richest person in the world. According to Wikipedia, it has two helicopter pads, two pools, a disco hall, three launch …