For years Tyler and I have waffled on about our dreams of living in Europe (√) and while do so, traversing the continent via the open-road. As dreams generally don't fulfill themselves, in the early spring Tyler and I took the first steps and invested in a sweet
little automobile in the form of a '91 VW Transporter. Although at any
given time 2-3 pieces are held on with electrical tape, she has her
share of scrapes and dings, and can be an absolute monster to park in the
pinched streets of Tirana, the van has truly been a dream come true. And let me tell you, when dreams are in motion and made a reality--Whoa! What a feeling!
 |
| There she is in all her glory! |
 |
| Like I said, parking can be an issue! |
We have spent the past few months getting to know our sweet old beauty, taking weekenders, tinkering and working out the kinks in preparation for a summer roadie. Although I will make light of the jobs we've done (by and large spearheaded by Tyler), getting goods and services together in Albania and using the Albanian language for made-to-order items has been a bit of a challenge (thank you Albanian speaking friends for all your help and translations!). After spending the spring pushing the van to her limits around Albania (which turns out to be a max speed of 90 km/hr), and camping as much as we could, we realized we didn't need much to make our rolling home a cozy palace on wheels.
We took out the seats, got a carpenter to build a custom bed, took a trip down to (what we have dubbed) 'the old foam district' for a mattress, asked the seamstress to spin off some curtains, and gathered the camping odds and ends from here and there. Camping basics ready. Beyond the essentials, Tyler has done an amazing job building his own cooler (i.e: cooly bin or esky for our international readers), a set of shelves and a makeshift air conditioner (the '91 model lacks in the cool air department). It has been a great (at times hilariously frustrating, laughing til we cried--or momentarily giving up) hobby project for us to spend our time on...aaaannnnnd after much preparation--We are ready to take her on the maiden international voyage! So, (drumrollllllllllllll), where we going?!
 |
| Before the vanification |
 |
| During--(Certainly not limited to) our apartment-make-shift workshop, the foam district and a lovely afternoon at the DMV |
 |
| After-- Ta-da! |
We are planning spending the next six weeks driving the perimetre of the Adriatic Sea; First heading north from Albania to Montenegro and then into Croatia. Next we'll jut into Bosnia for a quick peek at a couple spots, then continue up the Croatian coastline until we meet the crest of the Adriatic, where we'll do an aboutface and head back down through Italy. Finally, we'll meet the ferry to take us back to Albania. With the exception of a solidly booked flight to Switzerland to see our dearest Dee&Damian, and the final ferry back to Albania in latter Aug., our agenda is pretty flexible.
SO if anyone has any must-see spots PLEASE send us your recommendations (besides having a general zest for whatever comes our way, we're particularly into small populations, charming towns, outstanding food, speccy waterfalls, and refreshing swimming holes). Alternately,
and even more importantly, if anyone is finding themselves in any of these areas in July and August, let's amp-up our summer dreams and arrange a rendez-vous! Nothing tickles us more than finding a familiar face in a faraway land, big warm hugs and sharing time with friends from near and far (...just as long as you meet the hugs&laughs prerequisite).
Otherwise, let's hope the potholes are shallow, the vistas are deep and the trails are good to us. The road is calling--Let's hit it!
