Travel between countries in the Balkans isn’t as straightforward as in Western Europe. There are a lot of different groups – ethnic, religious, political – that don’t really like each other very much, so not many people want to go from country to country. There are almost no railways. Ferry services are limited, especially in winter. The roads are often in poor condition and/or under construction. When counties are governed by organized crime things are often under construction and falling apart at the same time.

There is one bus a day from Dubrovnik, Croatia to Budva, Montenegro. It is a minivan and there is just one other passenger besides me. The Adriatic coast is beautiful and you would expect it to be wall to wall villas and beach homes, but outside the cities it’s mostly uninhabited. No one wants a beach house in what could be a war zone tomorrow.

Albania was closed to the outside world until 40 years ago. Almost immediately after the fall of communism much of the population lost money in pyramid schemes promoted by the government. That led to civil unrest and anarchy. The place is a mess, but somehow it keeps going on.

Hillary Clinton Statue, Sarande.

Bunker. There were 173,000 of these in Albania.

Bunker Protecting Albania from Tourists on Corfu