Albania Casts the Deciding Vote

I've been debating with myself for a while about whether or not I was a blogger. I'll save the gory details of that discussion for another time. The deciding factor was Albania. Okay, to be more accurate, the deciding factor was the Frugal Traveler from the New York Times who published an article today about Albania.

I've been thinking a lot about my next research trip to Eastern Europe and I keep coming back to the thought (desire, compulsion) to go to Albania. It's very likely that I will go to the Balkans for at least part of my trip, but I was considering Croatia, Slovenia, and perhaps, Macedonia for lots of practical considerations. But Albania has been pulling at me. Perhaps it's because I've recently read a couple of Kadare novels. Perhaps it's because I've always been fascinated by Albania from having grown up in Hamtramck with a fairly prominent Albanian community situated among other Eastern European enclaves. Who knows? But it has been a nagging, gnawing thought lately and I've interpreted the Frugal Traveler article as a sign that I should go. And, my excitement over the article was the final reason to enter the world of blogging.