This was a trip that evolved in unexpected ways.
It was early Spring and we were looking for some place warm, the Portuguese Algarve still being a bit chilly. Sicily beckoned as a place with lots of sun. We had settled on the eastern coastal towns of Siracusa and Taormina and were in the process of considering other parts of Sicily when we noticed that Tirana, the capital of Albania, was an easy airplane hop across the Ionian Sea.
From Sicily to the Balkans? A dramatic shift in scenery to be sure. But Albania has been generating buzz lately as “the next Croatia” and we had certainly enjoyed Croatia back in 2024. The cherry on the top for us was North Macedonia’s gorgeous Lake Ohrid district, only a half day’s drive away from Tirana. Might be a good combination.
Within a week, we had pulled together a 13-day itinerary, with the logistics a bit complicated: one-way flights from Faro to Rome; Rome to Sicily’s Catania airport; Catania to Tirana; and finally, Tirana to Milan/Bergamo, with another flight to Faro later the same day. We also arranged transportation by bus and trains in Sicily and hired a private driver to get us from Tirana to Ohrid and back.
Somehow, it all came together and by April 24 we were on our way.
Two Clines Traveling 
Hi Ken
Saw your nice post on Siracusa. Looks lovely. I still haven’t been to Sicily.
Are you going to write more on Albania? I’m really curious about it (seen some of the buzz you mentioned). Also, Lake Ohrid is high on my list. I’ve been through North Macedonia several times and have stopped briefly, but not as far west as Ohrid, which I hear is wonderful.
Hope you’re well!
Best, Andy
Andy Trincia + 40 751 262 320 http://www.andytrincia.comhttp://www.andytrincia.com/portfolio/ https://andytrincia.substack.com/
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Hi Andy,
Good to hear from you, as always.
Yes, indeed, over the next three days, you’ll see posts on Taormina, Tirana and Ohrid, in that order. I think you’ll particularly like the last two, since they are in your neighbourhood. I highly recommend a trip to Ohrid. The lake there is really beautiful and reminded us of Lake Bled in Slovenia, which is high praise indeed. By the way, I also recommend to my readers that they check out your wonderful blog on Romania.
Cheers,
Ken
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