Going to Albania June 7th

I’m finally leaving Ohrid. It was very nice here but last 2 day were a bit slow so I was happy to leave to Albania. The boarders are on the other side of the lake. I got there around 2pm. The customs were very friendly and I did not have to pay for any visa going to Albania. The weather was bit rainy. I saw many bunkers next to the road. I expected very poor country but I was very surprised that everybody are driving new very expensive cars mostly mercedes. The road through the mountains was very nice and good. I was told that 15 years ago there were few road and less than 1000 cars which only party members could drive. I was also told that Albanians are very bad drivers, but I felt it was quite safe. After 15 km I stopped at the market. I must have looked very exotic and was quite surprised when some young girls started to talk me English. They study at the local school. They told me that this market is here once a week. People were using horses to take the good back to the mountains. Two young guys asked me where I’m from and told me that the life there is very difficult and that most of the people leave to work abroad. They have been working in Italy and in Greece. But they told me that working in Greece is not very good and if they do nor have papers they put them to jail. I made few pictures bought some vegetables and continued my way to Tirana. The road was very good and not much traffic. I saw many new houses, cafes and gas stations. It looked like being is some rich country where every body drives very expensive cars. I pass one bug city with steel factories and I took one guy to his village in the mountains. The last 40km were in the mountains. The road was quite narrow and it was raining and fogy, but I did not feel that it was dangerous. People were driving quite slowly. I got to Tirana around 5 and saw many cars in the streets. I stopped and ask one guy for direction to the city center. Hi spoke very good English and he offered to show me the road. His name is Florijan he is 23years old and studies religion. I invited him for drink and he started to explain the life in Albania. It helped me to understand a little bit the current situation. He told me that there was a lot of corruption, but since the new prime minister thinks are getting better. He was very opened and happy to speak in English. He learned by talking to his friend. I have recorded more than 1 hour of his story. At 7 I had a meeting with Artan, historian who I have met last year in Bela Rechka. We met in front of the university and he arranged meeting with one of the most famous Albanian film maker who studied in Czechoslovakia. We visited him in the editing studio where he was just finishing documentary about famous Albanian dancer who lives in Italy. Hi told me that he just finished shooting a film in Czech Republic about Albanian student who fall in love with Czech girl but had to come back to Albania. The movie will have premiere in September 21st in Prague cinema Lucerna. He also told me that he was 4 years ambassador in Czech Republic. He Czech was perfect and I have recorded almost 1 hour interview with him. After this very interesting meeting Artan showed me nice parking place behind the Sheraton hotel and than took me to my wan which was parked on the main boulevard. I was very tired and I fall asleep and woke up at 3 in the morning. The street was more quite so I did not move my car and fall a sleep again.