Hello All! Not to overuse the term whirlwind but our travel day from Albania to Kosovo was a WHIRLWIND!!! Currently, I am frantically typing a slew of blogs over our adventure day in the neighboring village, Dragash.

My team is posted up over coffee and desserts at a hotel/restaurant/market catching up on digital communication since there is no WiFi and unpredictable electricity in our current village, Restelice. How we got to this place has been a beautiful exhibition of God’s faithfulness in all circumstances. Below I have recounted the first leg of our adventure crossing the border. Please enjoy!

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Kosovo Travel Day -- Part I

     We loaded up our packs and left our apartment at 4:20AM. With sleep in our eyes and rain on our backs we hiked to the bus station. After the whirlwind of two weeks in Sarande, I was sad to leave and anxious to see what God had in store for us in Kosovo. We tossed our gear in the back and hopped on a minibus/van. After that, everything is a blur. I do not remember most details of travel days because I drift in and out of sleep, waking only for bathroom/coffee breaks. This particular travel day was peppered with amazement at the back drop and uncontrollable laughter from being pinned between my pack and the seat.

L to R: Sleepy Selfie before bus #1; Bus #1; Squished bus rides made better by laughter with my teammate Natalie; Bus #2

     We arrived in Tirana and caught a Taxi from the bus stop to a private bus company. Side note: this was not our intended destination in Sarande BUT it seemed that the Taxi drivers were friends with the owner of the bus company. They allowed us to drop our packs and find a nearby cafe for coffee (naturally) and lunch. An hour later we hopped on a spacious bus that took us to Kosovo which, by the way, was the EASIEST border crossing! We then caught two taxis that took us to a BEAUTIFUL hotel in the mountains.

Hotel Star deep in the mountains of Prizren, Kosovo...HIGHLY recommend! 

     Since we are in these countries during their off season we have often been the only guests at our accommodations. We stayed one night at this hidden gem and then headed the next day back into the center (equivalent to an American town square). We posted up at a nearby cafe with WiFi and found a hostel for that evening.

L to R: Caffe Amerikan seems to universally translate (PRAISES!); Prizren town center...peep the river running down the middle of the city; a glimpse of the illusive Racer in the wild (plus the beautiful Prizren)

     While we were there we met two gentlemen that spoke IMPECCABLE English; they both worked for the government and one of them was in the process of getting his PhD in American Culture. They paid for our coffees and we exchanged information. “If you need anything while you’re here...ANYTHING...if you get stranded and need a ride, please let us know.” We grabbed our packs and hit the cobblestone streets of the amazingly enchanting Prizren. More to follow! 

Peace & Blessings!

Claran