Albania

Our time in Albania was too short, in my opinion.  It was a very unique, little pocket of the world and we wish we had had a little more time to soak it in.  In our short time there, we walked around Berat's old Castle, marveling at the crumbling walls, cool textiles and great city views. Fruit filled grapevines hung everywhere and provided the most beautiful natural shade. The traditional white houses clung to the sides of the hills, making it the town of 1000 windows. Albania had this really neat old-world feel, with their street markets, carts pulled by donkeys, and ancient original language (it's thousands of years old!).