Postcards from Albania

Corfu, Greece. OK, technically it's not Albania, but its where our Balkan chapter started. We took a ferry from Corfu to Sarande, Albania.

Next stop: Himare, Albania (pronounced him-ar-ah). Home to the Greek myth of the Chimera, with which it shares its name. Quite the hidden gem.

Vlore, further north from Himare. Home of incredible lamb chops, sunsets, and the toepocalypse. Gjirokaster was chronologically inbetween, but it gets its own post.

"I don't think you're ready for this feta"

"We're on a mission from God!" Blues Brothers spotted in Tirana

Surveillance equipment at The House Of Leaves, Tirana. A museum showcasing the surveillance state that existed under Enver Hoxcha and communist rule.

And last, but not least, a rogue tortoise roaming a restaurant in Shkoder.

Tortoises are wild and plentiful in Albania. We have saved several from busy roads, but that doesn't stop them from going wherever they damn well please. Did you know the collective noun is a creep of tortoises? Tells you everything you need to know.