YesRetired

Our one‑week stay in Ireland happened on impulse, sparked by the realization that our flight home from Europe included a layover in Dublin. We found a reasonably priced hotel along Dublin’s outer ring road, conveniently located beside both a train station and several bus routes into the city.
Very quickly, we discovered that the hop‑on hop‑off buses were the easiest way to get our bearings. The bright‑green, locally owned DoDublin buses had the best reviews—and they lived up to the hype. We chose the 72‑hour pass, which also included free citywide bus and train travel, a huge bonus once we’d completed the HOHO loop over two days.
Highlights of our week. We focused on several of Dublin’s classic stops:
* Trinity College and the Book of Kells
* The Temple Bar (there are many)
* The Guinness Storehouse
* The Jameson Distillery
* The Little Museum of Dublin
We also booked a day trip to the Game of Thrones (GOT) Studio Tour in Northern Ireland. They operate their own branded bus for the round‑trip journey, making the excursion easy and seamless.
More photos by clicking the photo link.

Dublin, Ireland Dublin, Ireland

Budget friendly, Albania – Sea coast beach lifestyle.
Durrës, Albania lies on the Adriatic Sea facing Italy, less than an hour from Tirana the capital. In Roman times, it actually served as the regional capital thanks to its strategic position for shipping and trade. Today, the city balances its ancient heritage with rapid modernization since the communism era. Just 5 km from the industrial center, the Golem strip offers classic Mediterranean sandy beaches, while the city’s waterfront promenade features sleek new developments, including the Crowne Plaza Hotel where we stayed. Architects have skillfully blended 3,000 years of history with contemporary design, incorporating Roman-style columns and statues into modern construction.

The Venetian Tower, once part of a fortified castle, connects to remnants of the old walls that lead toward a Greek-Roman amphitheater. This oval arena, reminiscent of the Athens Colosseum, could seat up to 20,000 spectators for gladiatorial events.

The beaches themselves are striking — a fusion of Caribbean bohemian flair and refined European elegance, creating a unique atmosphere that feels both relaxed and sophisticated
Follow the link below to see full article and many photos

Albania - Sea coast beach lifestyle in Durres Albania - Sea coast beach lifestyle in Durres

Albania has given us a wonderfully relaxed and memorable one‑month “slow travel” experience. This small Balkan country, tucked between Greece and Montenegro, first caught our attention because it sits outside the European Schengen zone—perfect for Canadian Snowbirds like us who spend 90 days in Spain and need somewhere interesting to go afterward. They get a lot of sunshine here being close to the Mediterranean but is a few degrees cooler than Spain’s Costa del Sol. Day time temps were 19-26C (60F – 80F) during our stay in April. (See PHOTO GALLERYS AT END)

We spent most of our month in Tirana, the capital, home to about 500,000 people—roughly the size of Halifax, NS. The locals have been warm and welcoming, even though English isn’t yet widespread. That’s changing quickly, though: schools now also teach English starting in Grade 1.
It’s remarkable to remember that before 1990 Albania was ruled by a communist dictator, shifting alliances with other communist powers and fostering a deeply paranoid society. That era produced some extreme measures, including the construction of more than 500,000 bunkers scattered across the country. Since the fall of communism, Albania has been modernizing at an astonishing pace. You still see crumbling buildings from the old days, but they’re disappearing fast.
Economically, the country feels polarized—wealthy and poor with a small but growing middle class. The streets are a mix of Mercedes, Audis, and BMWs weaving around scooters, e‑bikes, and even couples sharing a single bicycle. Many taxis are modern and electric, and chargers line the streets. Even Chinese BYD electric cars have made their way here. Architecture in central Tirana leans toward the bold and quirky, with several standout “funky” buildings.

Our apartment sits two bus stops from the city center in an older single‑family neighborhood, with our nine‑story building peering down into various backyards. The narrow, winding streets remind me of Venice—sidewalks appear and disappear at random.

Entrepreneurship is everywhere. Instead of big supermarkets, daily life revolves around small specialty shops: bakeries, produce stands, butchers, fishmongers, cheese shops, and countless corner grocers. One of the more amusing sights is a woman selling vegetables on the sidewalk while unloading her supplies from a modern Mercedes.

Amateur Ham Radio
Amateur Ham Radio seems non-existent here, probably related to the secretive communist past. Although I was able to pickup some radio transmissions from a few Meshtastic 900 Mhz nodes including one from Italy, but had to use Google translate to send texts in Albanian.

Very afordable
Living here is extremely affordable, especially when you buy local products and avoid tourist zones. We chose to stay in a neighborhood apartment to live more like locals, and it truly feels like stepping back into the 1970s—everything seems to cost about a euro. Fresh bread from the bakery downstairs is €0.50. A ham and cheese sub with tomato and cucumber is €0.80. The bus is €0.40. Local beer is €1. Milk is €1. Two chicken breast fillets are €2. The garbage system tries to separate plastics, though both bins inevitably end up collecting everything.

3000 years of historical turmoil
Over the past 3000 years it has had DOZENS of different civilizations and religions controlling it, and rebuilding it. The various existing religions all get along fine there now in the Albanian way. • Illyrians 700BCE, • Macedonians 300BCE • Romans 200BCE • Byzantines • Bulgarian Empire 800CE • Serbian 1200CE• Ottoman 1417-1900, Italy, Germany (ww2), communist era to 1992.

We visited a historically significant UNESCO old town called Berat about 2 hours drive away, in the interior mountains of Albania. Ancient castle overlooking blue river mountain waters. Also known as the City of 1000 windows.

Along the drive passed through industrial areas that included oil Derek’s pumping crude oil out of the ground, and abandoned mercury manufacturing factories.

Article and Photo Galleries in this link

Albania is a great slow travel tourist destination. Albania is a great slow travel tourist destination.