The tar in the street starts to melt from the heat
And the sweats runnin’ down from my hair
I walked 20 miles and I’m dragging my feet
And I’ll walk 20 more I don’t care
And I’ll wander this world, wander this world
Wander this world, wander this world all alone
I’m like a ghost some people can’t see
Others drive by and stare
A shadow that drifts by the side of the road
It’s like I’m not even there
And I’ll wander this world, wander this world
Wander this world, wander this world all alone
Well I’ve never been part of the game
The life that I live is my own
All that I know is that I was born
To wander this world all alone, all alone
Some people are born with their lives all laid out
And all their success is assured
Some people work hard all their lives for nothin’
They take it and don’t say a word
They don’t say a word
Sometimes it’s like I don’t even exist
Even God has lost track of my soul
Why else would he leave me out here like this
To wander this world all alone
And I’ll wander this world, wander this world
Wander this world, wander this world all alone
–Jonny Lang, “Wander This World”
Looking back a year after our adventure through Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Albania, here is our roundup of (mostly) southern Balkans random memories: These are the random memories that have stuck with us from our Southern Balkans adventure. Some silly, some profound, but all uniquely ours!…
We set our to Kruje from Tirana on our last day of our Balkans Gate 1 trip, enjoying the fresh air of the mountains and the cradle of Albanian culture. The drive, which should have taken 45 minutes, ended up taking 2 hours due to typical morning rush hour, which didn’t let up until after…
Having visited Elbasan earlier in the day, we arrived in Tirana around 2PM after encountering heavy traffic. Our hotel, Hotel Boutique Kotani, was very central to Skanderbeg Square (another one!), located a few blocks from the national football stadium (Air Albania Stadium). The hotel itself needed some updates – the decor, central air, elevators and…
Leaving North Macedonia came with some definite reluctance, even though our time ahead in Albania was something we were looking forward to. Ohrid and Skopje ended up being some of the unexpected highlights of our Balkans trip so far, and came with a number of surprises and delights. The road to Tirana, Albania from Ohrid…
After a magical first night on the Ohrid waterfront, we were looking forward to exploring the surrounding area and old town more. We learned that the correct way to pronounce Ohrid is to put a bit of a “kh” sound after the h (OH-KREED), something all of the Western travelers in our group had trouble…
Sad to leave the majestic capital city of Skopje, but excited for the continued adventure, we packed up from the Marriott Skopje hotel after breakfast and got on the road to Stobi. Our plan for the day entailed a lot of driving, or at least our bus driver Dragan and his Dragon doing most of…