June 7, 2014

Scenes from the Balkans

To give a bit of a perspective on where we were living (in Albania) and where we did some traveling (into other Balkan countries) here is a map.

map of the Balkans and Italy

Map of the Balkans, Italy, and Greece

On an extended weekend in March (March 14-16), the expatriate teachers and staff at Lezha Academic Center (Lezh, Albania) took a trip up through Montenegro into Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia and then back through Montenegro into Albania again. .

valley farmng in northern Albania

Rich Valley Farmland in Northern Albania (14-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Lake Shkodër from Nontenegro

Lake Skadar, Montenegro (Albania: Lake Shkodër) (14-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

lookng up the river to the old city in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Looking at the Old City part of Mostar, Bosnia-Heregovina (14-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

bullet riddled building, Mostar

A Bullet-riddled Building in Mostar, Bosnia-Heregovina (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

River scene in Počitelj, Bosnia-Herzegovina

The Neretva River at Počitelj, Bosnia-Heregovina (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

close-up of tile roof

Close-up of a Tile Roof near Počitelj, Bosnia-Heregovina (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

slate roof

Close-up of a Slate/Stone Roof near Počitelj, Bosnia-Heregovina (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

boating near Čapljina

Boating on the Neretva River near the city of Čapljina (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

inside the castle at Dubrovnik, Croatia

In the Old City of Dubrovnik, Croatia (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

looking out to the Adriatic Sea, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Outside of the Old City of Dubrovnik, Croatia (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

distant dot was two persons fishing

The "Dot" in the Photo above This One Is a Fishermen in a Boat (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

inside the castle at Dubrovnik at night

In the Old City of Dubrovnik, Croatia, at Night (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

boats on land at Cavtat, Croatia, waiting to be launched

Overturned Boats Waiting to Be Launched, Cavtat, Croatia (16-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

another view of harbor at Cavtat

Along the Dock, Cavtat, Croatia (16-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Back in Lezhë, on a Saturday we took a day trip out to the beach at Shëngjin which is just a few kilometers from Lezhë. It was too early in the season for there to be any crowds on the beach--that we were thankful for!

me at Shengjin, Albania

Walking along the Beach at Shëngjin (29-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

We saw a number of beautifully colored sunsets from our apartment since it faced west with the Adriatic Sea not far away.

a yellow-orange-pink sunset in clouds over Lezhe

Beautiful Cloudy Sunset over Lezhë (13-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

On a trip to Lushnjë, we stopped for coffee on the beach in Duress.

Klodi, Elsie and Allen exploring Duress beach

Klodi, Elsie and Allen Explore the Beach at Duress (14-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

The rest of these photos are from Lezhë and are described by their captions. Dejë Mountain, east of Lezhë by about 40 km (25 mi) , east of Lezhë by about 40 km (25 mi)

from the bridge over the train tracks looking east to the mountains in Lezhe

From the Bridge over the Train Tracks Looking East to the Snow-covered Dejë Mountain (17-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

searching the trash for recyclables to earn money

Checking through the Garbage for Valuable Recyclables (19-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

an old bunker from the communistic era outside of Lezhe

young people in traditional village dress dancing

rainy day on the street outside our apartment

steps at Lezha Academic Center

fishing in drainage canal

donkey/pony cart

a hardware shop

castle in Lezhe

castle hill as seen from the city

sunset in an almost clear sky

We saw many beautiful and challenging scenes while living and teaching in Lezhë, Albania, from January 21 to May 22. We are now looking forward to going again and staying a whole academic year.

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