Impressions of Illyria: Our Journey from Skopje to Tirana
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“‘Politics is supposed to make life better,’ he said. ‘In the Balkans, it makes life worse. It’s a tradition. Otherwise, we’re rich,’ he said. ‘Look at this water!’” – from To the Lake: A Balkan Journey of War and Peace by Kapka Kassabova If you intend to vagabond around Europe, there’s possibly no better way to do it than by making friends with a professional driver who knows the terrain and also happens to be a border control agent. Our friend Julian is just such a person. He’s an incredibly laid-back middle-aged Albanian father who has driven us between multiple countries. Julian is also an extremely intelligent man with an in-depth knowledge of the history of his own people as well as world history and politics. Having a disdain for flying, he has traveled extensively all over Europe by car. This makes him the perfect tour guide, and on our long journeys with him we have enjoyed many discussions ranging from the politics of the world to the origins of languages (he’s a complete polyglot) to the intricacies of the Balkan quagmire.
Impressions of Illyria: Our Journey from Skopje to Tirana
Impressions of Illyria: Our Journey from…
Impressions of Illyria: Our Journey from Skopje to Tirana
“‘Politics is supposed to make life better,’ he said. ‘In the Balkans, it makes life worse. It’s a tradition. Otherwise, we’re rich,’ he said. ‘Look at this water!’” – from To the Lake: A Balkan Journey of War and Peace by Kapka Kassabova If you intend to vagabond around Europe, there’s possibly no better way to do it than by making friends with a professional driver who knows the terrain and also happens to be a border control agent. Our friend Julian is just such a person. He’s an incredibly laid-back middle-aged Albanian father who has driven us between multiple countries. Julian is also an extremely intelligent man with an in-depth knowledge of the history of his own people as well as world history and politics. Having a disdain for flying, he has traveled extensively all over Europe by car. This makes him the perfect tour guide, and on our long journeys with him we have enjoyed many discussions ranging from the politics of the world to the origins of languages (he’s a complete polyglot) to the intricacies of the Balkan quagmire.