Worlds Apart

 

I found this bronze figure with a number of discarded statues from the communist era in Tirana Albania.

Right around the corner was this statue of Mother Theresa, now Saint Teresa of Calcutta who was an ethnic Albania. I got thinking about this and how humans tend to be more fascinated by that which is a complete fabricated myth than with somebody who quietly went about her life dedicated to helping the poor and marginalized in the slums - worlds apart.

After leaving Dubrovnik, Croatia I crossed the border into Montenegro. This country has a short but absolutely stunning coastline with the mountains rising directly out of the sea. 

From the coast I had plotted a route directly north through the center of the country to allow me to pick up the Trans American Trail again. The rural scenery in Montenegro has small farms tucked into the valleys along tiny winding roads, a seemingly idyllic place to live but I suspect that many people are really just subsistence farmers struggling to make a living

  Back on the trail

Fun riding

Endless mountains and valleys

Suddenly a super highway appears around a corner with massive concrete towers supporting four lanes across valleys before tunneling back into the mountains. It just all seemed so incongruous in this tiny country.

The project is being funded and built by China with all the labor living in small barrack rooms. I just hope that the whole thing makes real economic sense.

I had hoped for one more day on the trails in Montenegro but due to a road closure I had to cut into Albania earlier. I love crossing at small border posts, usually with helpful immigration and customs officials. The border into Albania at Vermosh did not disappoint with the official coming out of the tiny office, smilingly taking my passport, Covid vaccine card, insurance and moto registration then returning them to me two minutes later and waving me on my way.

 The capital of Albania, Tirana is a bustling city which seems safe and clean and mix of very modern and old centrally planned buildings without character. It was great to meet up with a neighbor from Colorado for supper. - thank you Zetta.

This was one of 175,000 bunkers that were constructed throughout Albania by the old communist regime headed for more than forty years by the dictator Enver Hoxa.

From here things moved quickly. My brother was visiting Spain and as I had not seen him for a couple of years I decided to fly to Barcelona. The weather was changing rapidly with the next two weeks looking like it was going to be a lot of rain which is no bueno for moto riding in the mountains. So I found a place to store Moto Naranja for the next six months, flew to Barcelona via Belgrade, Serbia and met up with my brother. 

The, Gaudí, designed Sagrada Familia has got to be the most magnificent building I have ever been in. This amazing structure has been under construction for just about 140 years!! Makes public works projects look efficient. But if it takes the world having to wait this long for the awe inspiring beauty of this place of worship it was well worth the wait.

This now finds me back in Colorado with the leaves changing and already snow on the mountain tops and enjoying being surrounded by the love of my family. I am so grateful for the health to be able to undertake these adventures and look forward to jumping back on my moto next April to continue on my way east to Mongolia.

Stay tuned