You’re not Albanian if you don’t have a Nokia phone, a Samsung TV and a Mercedes-Benz. – local saying If Dante wrote The Divine Comedy today, the first circle of Hell would be reserved for Albanian drivers. While Italians can’t keep within the lanes, Chinese cabbies don’t know how to read and Mexicans run red … More Where old Mercedes go to die
The part of the Adriatic Coast belonging to Montenegro is the purest part of the Mediterranean. – Jacques Cousteau In April Robie and I visited the tiny, mountainous country of Montenegro. We stayed in the port city of Kotor and reveled in the towering cliffs that plunged dramatically into the bay, enjoyed a boat trip … More Green doors (and cats) of Kotor, Montenegro
The next great European war will probably come out of some damned fool thing in the Balkans. – Otto von Bismarck If you’ve followed my travel book reviews so far, you may have noticed something disturbing. One reader did. After posting the last review of Peter Mayle’s Toujours Provence, I received a note asking why … More Albania: A Narrative of Recent Travels
Life is a combination of magic and pasta. – Federico Fellini When Robie and I set out from Albania to enjoy a week-long getaway in Italy, we were looking forward to exploring the baroque architecture of Lecce in the southern region of Puglia. But when March showers left us taking grey, overcast pictures of the … More When it rains in Lecce, eat pasta … and cheese
It was a strange city, and seemed to have been cast up in the valley one winter’s night like some prehistoric creature that was now clawing its way up the mountainside. – Chronicle of Stone by Ismail Kadare, born in Gjirokastër, 1936 While staying in one country for seven months seems counterproductive to our mission to … More Gallery of Gjirokastër, Albania
It’s your road and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you. – Anonymous I didn’t know much about the Camino de Santiago before attending school at the University of Salamanca. To prepare for the semester in Spain, I read Michener’s tome Iberia, a book that details … More A chance encounter on the Camino
Every sip of sangria is a taste of summer, no matter the season. – Anonymous Some of the best food finds are discovered in the least likely places. When traveling Robie and I eat mostly local fare. But sometimes trying food we know and love halfway around the globe gives new life to the … More Sangria, a healthy little fruit salad
Albania, Albania, you border on the Adriatic. – Coach in Cheers When we told my parents we were headed to Albania, my mom had to use an atlas to figure out where it was. So for anyone else who only knows the country from the Cheers song played to the tune of “When the saints … More Where’s Albania?
You have good days, you have bad days. But you never have a boring day. – John Kennedy “Is it always so cold here?” I asked the Albanian taxi driver as he took us to our new apartment. “This? No, this is only for today. And tomorrow. Maybe the day after. But next week will … More The one with the miserable day
The human animal differs from the lesser primates in his passion for lists. – H. Allen Smith After nearly three months on Ikaria during the off-season, we’ve compiled Reid & Robie’s Top 10 things to do when the island’s not packed with sunseekers. But first, an Honorable Mention: Keeping track of our neighbor’s herd was … More Ikaria Top 10
Reid & Robie 