November 2018

The trip was much more than I was expecting.
Olsi is a solid dude and seems very trustworthy — I’m sure he will be one of your key guys someday. Great kid, I really liked him a lot.
Ervin of course is the consumate professional and a walking encyclopedia of all things Albania, the Balkans, the National Hero, the Romans, the Illyrians, the Byzantines, the Ottomans, the Communists, American movies, etc., etc. Really an excellent, super knowledgeable tour guide.
I really liked all the people that I met and appreciated hearing their stories very much. I was somewhat surprised at how much your countrymen admire America and was not expecting to feel more patriotic by coming to Albania, but I am.
Honestly, having been a former “cold warrior”, it was intriguing to visit some of the communist museums and monuments. Especially chatting with your mom who at one point could break down an AK in 30 seconds blindfolded. 30 years later, she made me a nice lunch!
Yesterday was a great day, breakfast with Luca in Berat, wine tasting with the multigenerational winemakers, great dinner then a tour and drinks with Diana in Durres. How do you top that??
Thank you so much for putting this together, it was truly the trip of a lifetime and I will never forget it.