Albania: Butrint, Gjiirokaster, Dhokast and More!

After Greece we boarded our bus and headed for the Albanian border. Our bus driver, Tasos had to "bribe" the customs office on duty with approximately $5. What a racket. I wonder if they do that here. You know, like at the US/Mexican Boarder. Maybe Trump should look into that.

Our first stop was Butrint. Butrint was the site of a Greek colony, a Roman city, and a bishopric of the Byzantine Empire. The site was abandoned in the middle ages when the marshes began to take over the area.

We departed Butrint and headed out towards Gjirokaster stopping in Sarande for lunch. Sarande is a small seaside town. Lunch consisted of fish with two options. Head on or head off. We were told that the locals order the fish with the heads on otherwise they have no idea what type of fish they are actually getting served. Makes sense to me however, I don't like my food looking at me when I eat it. I opted for head off. Michelle had lasagna.

Sarande

Gjirokaster is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and the birthplace of Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha. Hoxha was an evil tyrant and murderer to say the least. You can read more about that cocksucker here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enver_Hoxha

Gjirokaster is nicknamed the “City of Stone” for the distinctive stone roofs adorning its old homes.

Gjirokaster

A Local Artist and His Creations

Gjirokaster Natural History Museum

Comments

Rocky Mountain Arsenal and National Wildlife Refuge - Part Deux

Yes, I bought a new camera. The new and improved Fuji XT-4. The XT-4 is FAR superior than it's predecessor (XT-3) in all aspects. You can blame Michelle for converting me to Fuji. Now, I must say, I didn't' blatantly spend money on this camera without having a plan. I sold my Nikon Z6 and associated lenses which more than paid for the Fuji. I can honestly say that I feel good about buying the new camera. The only regret that I have is that I didn't ask for more money on the Fuji "kit lenses" that Michelle and I had (27mm). Fuji has NO stock on any of their lenses and I could have made a killing on the lens. They both sold within minutes of posting them on eBay. Dammit! So, you may be asking yourself what the fuck that this has to do with the RMANWR? A test drive on the new camera. Michelle was kind enough to let me "borrow" her Fuji 100-400mm lens. Possession is 9/10 of the law. It is now my possession. The Fuji 100-400mm is far super

Thank You For The Smoke (California)! Wyoming Sucked

Another attempt at Astrophotography gone up in smoke. Thank you California for the ruining our Wyoming weekend. Don't worry, we will be visiting soon and will definitely leave a mark on your ass. The smoke was so bad in Wyoming. Thick, grey and disgusting. Of course, this didn't stop people from going to one of our favorite spots in Wyoming. Medicine Bow National Forest. We dressed for 60 degree weather. We didn't expect 35 degree weather with fog and blustery wind. Glad we packed additional clothes (hats, gloves, scarfs etc). I am ahead of myself. The day excursion to Medicine Bow was the second day. We spent the first day at the Wyoming Territorial Prison to visit relatives. Ha...the prison is now a park. The prison's most famous prisoner was Butch Cassidy. The only prison that Butch was incarcerated in. Pretty good for career criminal. We spent most of the day at the prison. Historical Prisons will the only ones that I will visit. My mother raised m

Denver Zoo (New Lens Test)

Michelle got tired of me asking if I could use her Fuji 100-400mm lens. Really? It's her damn fault for talking me into buying the new Fuji XT-4 in the first place... bitch. I found it on sale at Mike's Camera and with the rebate and free stuff they provided, it was hard to pass it up. Since fall is upon us, bird watching is pretty much out as they have mostly migrated to warmer climates. Well, that is except for the ones at the Denver Zoo. Camera, new lens and COVID Masks in hand, we headed out to the zoo. Well, as you can see, there are more than just birds there. The Fuji Lens blows my old Leica (Panasonic) 100-400mm out of the water. BIG TIME. The Fuji is sharp in the entire focal range. A bit more pricier but the image quality speaks for itself.

Erich's Photo and Travel

Search This Blog