See the hot spots around The Balkans In 60 Days – Stop 18 Shkoder, Albania

2-3/9/2018. By now I had visited about seven countries, and countless towns and cities on this journey through the Balkans and surroundings. I had been almost at full throttle, always on the go, therefore sometimes feeling I swallowed more than I could chew. I got a bit of indigestion, a bit lost, not knowing where I had been or where to go next. The beauty of regional travel is to see the transitions, the contrasts, one culture to another, one psyche to the next, an experience particularly pronounced here in the Balkans. My next country was Albania. What is it? I had no idea, and that excited me.

After a couple of hours of leaving Podgorica, the bus drove into the northern lake city of Shkoder. There were mosques around and also churches, but there was little sign of religious fervor. I learned Albania used to have a communist past. I wondered if this had a hosing down effect on religion. On the streets, they looked pretty chilled.

2-3/9/2018 目前为止的巴尔干和周边之游已跑了七国，无数城镇，几乎马不停蹄，快马加鞭前冲，难免有时感觉狼吞虎咽而消化不良，甚至不知何去何从。不过在这区域性贴地旅游能目睹各邻里间文化差异，不同精神面貌，在这地区尤其明显，这将是珍贵的体验。阿尔巴尼亚，到底是何方神圣？不知道，真的按捺不住好奇。

乘大巴过境，从黑山进入阿尔巴尼亚北面的湖边城市斯库台，两下时多就到。这城市可见清真寺，也有不少基督教堂，跟萨拉热窝比，至少表面好像没宗教造成明显的分歧。听说阿尔巴尼亚曾经共产治国，可能因此没其他国家那么热衷宗教。

Strangely quiet streets in Shkoder 都关门大吉的商铺街 — Restaurant street of Shkoder 餐厅酒吧街

On day two, I rented a bicycle to roam about. This town was just the place for it. It had a suburban feel to it. It was so easy. I did not have to watch out for the cars. I pedaled anywhere my nose led me. Nobody bothered me, nobody gave me another look, nobody tried to take a penny more from me. It was like visiting a local friend who made me feel I was welcome to crash till I was ready to go home.

I just pedal blindly, from the town center all the way to the lake. A hill rose on one side, the lake sparkled on the other. This was quite a large lake. The hill was uninhabited, except for some restaurants. There were no cars, no crowds, no dogs, just me and my bike, my shadow and its shadow, a rustic setting that soothed my every fiber, freed my soul. I enjoyed my private island.

I really liked this small town, affordable and lively, and the people totally chill. When the evening started, the town became bubbly. This was the right place to fill up my tank before proceeding further.

第二天租辆自行车往湖边骑。湖还挺大的。骑了两三小时，一边是山，一边是湖，人烟车烟都少，湖还处原始状态，除偶而的车声扰我清静，我就一人面对一条马路，像在自己私人小岛厌世隐居。难得的清静。

很喜欢这种小镇，虽不是大城市，可是人气旺，次序井然，气氛和谐，人们都亲切友好，尤其傍晚较凉快后，街道热闹起来。费用也便宜多，在这歇歇脚，把气缸加满油，好地方。