I spent 4 days with my two aunts and cousin in Himare, Albania. This is one of the points on what is often called "The Albanian Riviera". It is a true wonder of the world, I think. All the beaches are less than a 20 minute drive so it's very easy to explore a different beach each day. Jale (pictured here) is one of my favorites. You can swim up to a large rock and jump off. When you turn around to look at the beach behind you, it is overshadowed by the tall mountains behind it. There is nothing more special than swimming in the Ionian sea and looking up at beautiful mountains.

Dhermi is a paradise. We found that the best place to eat in this secluded oasis along the stretch of Albanian coastline that straddles the Adriatic and Ionian Seas was the restaurant of the Hotel Lućiano. On their rickety deck hanging along a rocky outcropping above the water, you can get pizzas fresh out of their wood burning oven, massive greek salads topped with fresh local feta, and the usual offerings of pseudo-italian fare, all for the equivalent of a few American dollars. But the most impressive meals are those pulled out of the water by night divers while you wait. Fish were dumped onto the floor of the restaurant, still flopping, and for a few extra bucks we were able to hand select our freshly caught meal while we enjoyed a carafe of Albanian white wine at our oceanfront table.

This place is in the middle of nowhere in Southern Albania. There is no bus stop. You just have to motion to the driver to pull over at the side of the road when you see a promising looking dirt trail. You take that trail off the main road, all the time assuming that you couldn't possibly be in the right place. And then, almost inexplicably, there is a sign for the Blue Eye and a guard, sitting in a booth along the road. He'll collect a few coins from you, and then you keep walking. If you're lucky, a truck driver or local tourist will pick you up along the stretch of windy, dusty road that weaves along the side of a body of water that gets ever clearer as you move along. At the end of the trek, you'll find the clearest, bluest water you've ever seen, and if you're lucky you'll be able to eat on the little floating deck they've installed in the river that flows out of the Eye. The restaurant serves heaping plates of lamb ribs, grilled over charcoal and big bottles of cold Albanian beer, all for a few dollars. A short walk up a dirt path from the restaurant lies the main destination: a coldwater spring of unknown depth and unbelievable color that bubbles up into a green little grotto. It's often too cold and fast for a swim, but it's refreshing to put your feet into and beautiful to hang around. There is also a small hotel for people who want to spend the night or can't manage to catch a bus onward before nightfall.

Gjirokastër, also known as Gjirokastra, is an inland city in Southern Albania with a beautiful old town unlike anything I've ever seen in Europe. It was oppressively hot when we were there but we still made the trek up to the castle that's existed for centuries, though is perhaps best known as one of Ali Pasha's fortresses. Unlike many castles in Europe, this one is open for you to fully explore. Pitch black passageways, filled with spiderwebs and even snakes are completely open for the visitor to walk through. Some ruined areas are filled with grass and flowers and walking around on an empty day, you can feel like you're discovering a structure lost in time. Adding to the mystique is an American Air Force, rumored to have been a spyplane brought down by the Communist regime, as well as a number of large weapons seized from the Germans during WWII. And maybe best of all, there's the view.

Hikers and climbers are just beginning to discover the Albanian Alps. A (wide) dirt road leads up from the valley to Valbona but the government is planning to pave it, which will bring untold numbers of daytrippers to this pristine place. For now, though, it's a hikers' paradise. There's no one around, there are plenty of trails, and the mountainfaces are still waiting to be discovered by climbers. I didn't climb but former NYC bookshop owner Catherine Bohne, who moved to Albania and works at the Rilindja Lodge, spends much of her time marking the trails and making sure everything is signposted. The lodge itself is cozy and recently built, although there is plenty of room for tents outside. The food is good and hearty - I especially recommend trout, which is farmed in a pool right on the premises. One popular circuit is to get to Komani, take the ferry across the lake to Fierza, come up to Valbona for a night, hike the entire day to the beautiful village of Theti over the mountain (take a guide), and ride back to Tirana or Shkoder from there. You need at least three days for this circuit. Or you can take a 'furgon' (minibus) from Valbona to Bajram Curri back to Tirana. You'll have to cross into Kosovo though - it's the fastest way back.

As old markets go, this is now one of my favorites. Its completely contained along one short stretch of a cobblestone, pedestrian-only walkway. Wooden storefronts all have shade casting awnings that make it very comfortable to meander even on a hot summer day. The town is well known enough to draw visitors, but not so famous that the crowds are overwhelming. The shopkeepers are friendly in a genuinely helpful way, without the expected manipulations to purchase. The products are an eclectic mix of typical trinkets, handmade crafts and communist era relics. I spent a leisurely few hours of pressure-free strolling. I bought a cattle bell collar (can’t visit Albania without memorizing that sound), a few handmade wool rugs and seriously considered a WWII soldier’s brass belt buckle. About halfway down the street there is a shop (most of them are unnamed) that sells wall hangings and carpets of all colors and sizes. Within the tiny space is an actual full-sized loom where the proprietress will demonstrate her skills for you. Another shop touts “folk art” and contains some rather risqué paintings. The olive wood shop has beautifully carved wares but for very high prices. Unexpected were the numerous old musical instruments being sold throughout the market. I didn’t get a chance to learn if there is a story behind this. But I rather enjoyed imagining the possible explanations for what seemed like a full ghostly orchestra.

I am a sucker for an elected offical who had a career in the arts, and after my brief trip to Albania I have become a huge fan of Edi Rama. Rama, Tirana's artist-mayor, has helped Tirana start to lay claim to the title of "Most Colorful City in the World". Now thanks to his "Return to Identity" program, people are starting to forget the grey, repressive left-overs of the former brutal old regime and starting to build parks, small gardens and paint some of the most colorful buildings you will ever see.

As hectic as the city of Tirane may be outside, especially in traffic, I found a quiet haven in the Hotel Mondial inside. I haven't felt so spoiled in a long, long time. From the moment we entered, carrying sleeping kids, the staff knew our names and jumped to open doors. At one point, when I entered one of the bars after dinner hours, tired, a waiter asked what I would like--something from the kitchen? fast food, perhaps?--and I think he would have left the hotel to search for me if I had asked. Every request was granted, and wonderful recommendations were made. The room was quiet, clean, and spacious--with two balconies (perfect for watching the wheels go by). Our kids loved the caged birds on the landing. I loved feeling at home.

Looking for a European locale as a possible retirement area, we traveled to Albania. A one hour flight from Rome, we landed at Tirana airport, rented a car and made our way to Lake Ohrid and the town of Pogradeci.. There we had a lakeside lunch and sat looking at this beautiful Lake Ohrid which shares its waters with Albania and Macedonia. We just might retire there.

While my husband and I finished our meal, our kids hopped around nearby cages, giggling as squirrels danced up and down tree branches inside. Chickens, geese, and cats wandered the grounds. After dinner we inspected the other animals--swans, goats, and bears (caged!). I'm not sure that I like animals in cages. But after oodles of driving and hectic traffic, an idyllic restaurant and zoo was a welcome combination. The wait staff dressed traditionally, in crisp costume with colorful waist bands. Indoors, the atmosphere was elegant. Outdoors, the tables were rugged. The service was superb. We ate delicious food. The drink list was worthy of a celebration. http://www.sofraeariut.com/index.html

It looks innocent enough. This road to the citadel in Berat has been ascended by thousands of others over the centuries. And while climbing UP the hill, towards the amazing castle and its collection of churches, mosques, museums and active homes, it seems long and graceful. Our first clue should have been when the tires of our car started spinning. We chalked it up to the weak engine, found a parking space and decided to hoof it. Not all of us made it to the top, but those who did explored it well. And then the time came to head back down. That’s when the road showed its true colors. The eons of wear and tear on the stones have polished them to a shiny smoothness. Combine that with the just-right pitch of the path, and you’ve got yourself a seriously slippery slope. Gravity was not a force for good on this occasion. My 40-something knees and calves did not appreciate the decision I had made that morning to wear loose sandals. Attempts to walk alongside the road were met with thistles, so rather than inch my way down cautiously I eventually chose to let my feet go au naturel and was able to quicken the pace a bit. The aches and pains did have a positive side effect though. I paused a lot during the descent and really did take the time to soak in the panorama of the valley below. A cold beverage at the base of the hill also helped my feet to forgive me.

People often forget that Albania has an equally gorgeous Mediterranean coastline as Greece. Hop over to these beaches to experience similar waters with less crowd. With no one around for miles and miles, we were able to camp on this beach and sleep under the stars.

Though the country's former dictator, Enver Hoxha, died nearly 30 years ago, the Albanian landscape is still dotted with the 700,000+ bunkers that he ordered to be constructed. They're on beaches, in the countryside, in urban areas and even cemeteries. They were built over the course of twenty years because the isolationist dictator was paranoid that his former Communist allies or NATO enemies might someday invade. The bunkers were never used for their intended purpose, but today some have been converted into cafés, hostels, even wine cellars. For nearly twenty years, our Albanian guesthouse host, Zef, reluctantly built these bunkers. He estimates he built 200 of them, earning approximately 2 Euro per month for his efforts. We stayed at Zef's family homestay for just under one week, enjoying its home-cooked meals, authentic semi-urban surroundings, and the homestay's rugged beauty. Ironically, one of Zef's bunkers is less than a 3-minute walk from the family home. He proudly took us there to show his bunker, and participated in a candid interview with us, talking about what life was like during the country's challenging Communist chapter. See the full interview with Zef here: http://triciaannemitchell.com/2013/04/28/albanian-bunkers-travel-tourism/

Driving from Greece into Albania on a road trip whim, we found ourselves in the town of Gjirokastra, having been enchanted by a large hillside fort seen from the main road. A winding drive up into town leads to the base of the dominating Gjirokastra Castle, deemed a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2005. It's worth making the hike to the top to explore this castle's dark, gun-filled corridors, unintentional secret gardens from overgrowth creeping into the ruins, and rather gobsmacking vistas from the top. It also affords a good view down onto the unique slate roofs of the town's houses -- shimmery in a bit of sun and architecturally interesting in their own right. The top of the castle once served as a communist prison, and by chatting to a few of the local guards, we were able to get a personal tour inside -- normally off limits to tourists. Make some friends and enjoy an astounding discovery in an equally intriguing country!

At the isolated beach of Dhermi deckchairs seemed the only ones willing to take in the sunset. Not a soul to be seen, just a few bottles remaining that hadn’t yet been cleared away, bathing in the orange tinged light of another Adriatic day.

This is only one of the 'out-of-the-blue' images that regularly pop up as you're exploring Tirana. Apparently one of the former mayors of the city was an artist himself. In the post-communist era he actively encouraged the use of brightly colored paint on structures within the city limits and even commissioned work to be done randomly throughout the city. This wall was one of the more obvious ones. I found so many in side alleys, small streets, door frames and on buildings that were tucked away from the main thoroughfares. The imagery tends to be on the surreal side: swan shepherds, flaming graffiti tags, film noire characters offering smoking warnings, handfuls of vegetation...... Tirana is an incredibly walkable city and I really enjoyed snapping pics of the colorful surprises I would frequently find as I wandered.

As mosques go, it’s a rather typical one. It’s really the name that catches the imagination. When I first read about it in the guide book I had visions of young handsome men gathering around its doorways, intensely discussing manly-men topics, dressed to the 9’s and all to the heart’s delight of throngs of girls who hovered in the distance, whispering and giggling amongst themselves as to who was the most eligible. The reality didn’t match my fantasy, but it was still an interesting spot to stop and people watch. The name comes from days-of-old when the youthful merchants' assistants would favor this particular mosque over the others in town. No crowds of any kind gather there these days but it is located next to a burger shop that does seem to attract a youthful clientele. The best vantage point to observe its street life is from just across the road, on the sidewalk/promenade that runs alongside the river that winds through the middle of town. You’ll have the shops and the mosque to one side and, as you look down into the riverbed, you can watch the occasional fisherman. The river has carved its way through the middle of the city and the steep window-filled homes crawl up the banks on either side. There’s a bridge crossing the river that seems to be the favored location for wedding photos. Sit here long enough and you’re sure to see a young couple taking the proverbial plunge.

While in the Balkans recently, the final stop on my journey was Shkodra, a town bordering Montenegro. With a castle above and lake below it prides itself as being a little more Balkan-esque than the rest of Albania. Certainly, it has its fair share of al fresco restaurants, tourist-oriented ‘lodges’ and fresh food stalls; Shkodra was a cosmopolitan surprise. One of my favourite moments happened just as I was leaving town and looking to spend the last of my LEK on some meaningful souvenirs. An old woman at the bus stop dangled some woollen socks in my face in the hope that this foreigner would buy them - despite me sweltering in the 35 degree heat. I followed her back to her knitting, and after much hand gesticulation I gave her cash, she gave me some socks, and topped it off with an Albanian ‘smile’.

This is a great day trip from Tirana, only about a half hour drive from the capital city. Well, actually it takes about half an hour to get it within eyesight, but then the drive up the mountain and into the town takes at least another 20 minutes. If the castle and its incorporated museums are your ultimate goal, keep in mind that they close their doors for about 2 hours mid-day. The small markets stay open but the museums themselves shut for a long lunch. The two museums are small as well. One is dedicated to the national hero Skanderbeg and the artifacts of his time. The other museum is focused on the ethnography of the region and has mostly handcrafted objects. Frustratingly, they both close at the exact same time for lunch so its not so easy to juggle visits. However, the castle should really be only one element of this visit. The small old market is great for wandering, the truly winding roads do make way for cars but are filled with town members walking and visiting and hanging out in coffee shops. I visited on a weekend and enjoyed sitting under a tree in one of the town squares with the elderly members of a wedding reception party who were themselves observing the younger family members dancing and picture taking. The view of the valley is absolutely beautiful. There are reasonably priced places to take lunch but I enjoyed snacking in the shade and people-watching.

So one of the members of my host family was celebrating a birthday while I was visiting. The turning-sixteen boy requested only one thing: a full-on family war! We gathered as many willing competitors as we could find and drove out to Teg Mall, in south-west Tirana. On the second level, just past the food court, we found an entertainment complex where we purchased tickets that included 1) a 5D movie 2) a haunted house and 3) the laser tag area. Since it was a weeknight we were pretty much the only customers and this led to some serious fun. The employees, who clearly wanted to play themselves, added sound effects to the haunted house experience, gave us extra reels in the movie theater and seemed to let us play tag a bit longer than the set time. The mall venue allowed us to package the experience with some shopping, and eating and kiddie ride stalking. Amir, the birthday boy, declared the evening a success. Since I was on the winning team, I definitely agreed!

(see Albanian Fauna Highlight too!) While exploring and adventuring into unknown territories, travelers tend to wax poetic on the new and the different. Stories to families and friends back home are usually full of exotic details. This is half the fun, right? Seeing things we normally don’t? During my sojourn to Albania I was actually more amazed by the familiar, specifically with the plant life. I grew up in central New York state, a region full of forests, mountains, rivers and lakes. As I roamed all of Albania’s corners I felt extremely at home with the environment. In fact, it made me a wee bit homesick! I took so many pictures of petunias, begonias, pansies, geraniums, holly, scrub pine trees, morning glories and the like. This is a shot of my favorite, “Queen Anne’s Lace”. The only plant more plentiful was the blackberry, which happened to be ripening just as I arrived. I did have to compete with the goat herds for those…but that’s another story.

It takes about 3 hours to cross from Komani, a concrete pier with a restaurant, to Fierza, at the other hand of the manmade lake. The few ferries that cross the lake are old, rusted, and serve as local transport for everything from motorcycles (pictured here being loaded) to generators to market produce. The mountains are spectacular and the waters smooth as mirrors. Unfortunately the habit of throwing litter overboard has yet to be kicked. Buses leave Tirana around 05:45 but getting to Komani from Shkoder is shorter. Your hotel or guest house will call for you. The road to the ferry is one of the few roads that hasn't be repaved yet so the curves are nasty, gravelly and incredibly beautiful. A superb journey and the gateway to Northern Albania. I carried my own inflatable life jacket - but then I can't swim. The ferry broke down at one point and drifted into the mountain wall: we gently pushed it back while the mechanic tinkered with the spewing motor. There used to be a larger car ferry but no more. It cost too much to run and didn't make enough to make it worthwhile. It now sits at the end of the lake - you'll see it as you approach Fierza. At present the smaller 'rustbuckets' run each morning, around 8am but do call first because they're notoriously unreliable. This was one of the highlights of my visit to Albania.

(see Albanian Flora Highlight too!) In my family we have a whole new crop of adventurers coming up. Well, I’m hoping that they’ll eventually get there but at the moment they are explorers in training. Their concepts of “new and different” run along the lines of sandwiches with the crusts on. I’ve got ten young members, all under the age of eight, who really have no interest at all in the out-of-the-ordinary. It’s a bit of a challenge to engage them while I’m on my travels. So lately my pictures and posts have been leaning more towards the relaying of commonalities, the similar, the things they would recognize and get excited about (“Really? They have potato chips too???”) During my Albanian trip I started to snap photos of animal and post them home. Herds of cow, sheep and goat were ubiquitous. They regularly stopped traffic. Tortoises seem to have taken over the ancient city of Apollonius. Dragonflies at Lake Ohrid were vibrant blue. Wolf looking dogs greeted us in Prespa . A momma duck taught her babies to swim at Drilon. These pictures are what finally drew my young audience into the spirit of my explorations. The excitement and questions that they have generated are lighting a fire in their bellies and they are clamoring for more. At some point I hope they’ll transition into curiosities for cultures and histories, but for now I’m going with what works. Albania’s wildlife has finally provided me with a way into the hearts and minds of little children.