During our first trip to the Balkans in 2012, we found ourselves heading south from Montenegro through Kosovo and then on to Macedonia. When I was stood looking out over lake Ohrid from the Roman Amphitheater on the hill in Ohrid, I said that we should return and visit the once isolated country on the
Located literally on the border between Croatia and Bosnia is Željava Airbase. It used to be one of the largest airbases in eastern Europe outside of Russia. Since the wars of the 1990s it lies abandoned. Unmarked minefields surround the airbase.
The road (E022/SH4) out of Greece towards Albania is large, deserted and unsignposted. Neither Albania nor any of the major cities that are reached along the main road are sign-posted. Thankfully we were using the Satnav.
Albania features two cities which have been awarded UNESCO World Heritage status, Gjirokastër and Berat. Both are located in southern Albania and it would be highly recommended to include them in any tour of the country.
Albania, previously closed off and still very different to the rest of Europe. It's one of the poorest countries in Europe, depending on how far east ones definition of Europe extends. Consequently its infrastructure still has a lot to be desired.
This low quality infrastructure includes hundreds of kilometres of unpaved roads. These are sometimes primary
