Most Inspirational Moment
There's not one that stands out about the others, but I like the opportunity to swim in the sea, the hot springs, the walk, (only a short one disappointingly) the views of the mountains , the meal in the house owner's garden and Berat - great accommodation, fabulous group meal next door to hotel, a nice 'feel' to the town and some free time
Thoughts on Group Leader
Artur is very knowledgeable but was ranked as one of the worst guides I've ever had on my travels. He was clearly passionate about Albanian history, and seemed to think that we all shared his passion with non-stop commentary whilst he was guiding us around the sights, on the bus - he would not shut up. I wanted the opportunity to look around in peace, to look through the bus window in peace, to chat to fellow travellers but there was a constant drone of history in a very hard to understand accent (though he is fluent) . I asked him to offer less commentary on the bus so he switched off the microphone and carried on talking as much without the microphone. Far too much detail, lots of repetition. He seemed to get cross when we didn't have any questions but then when I did ask questions he was cross because he's already given the answer at some point when I'd switched off from the droning. He was reluctant to allow us the opportunity to meet the group later and opt out of the guided tour. He got very, very cross with me when I said that Voskopje was not an artists' village but the trip notes said 'the artists village...an important and well-known centre for the arts where many talented Albanian painters work' I asked when we were going to see the artisits as there was one church with painted walls that had been graffittted over and he said that the artists had died centuries ago. So why did the trip notes use the present tense? He lacked any understanding of my frustration over this.
Advice for Potential Travellers
If you are fascinated by Albanian history, love to look around churches and mosques, old and new and old ruins then this is the trip for you.