Albania – Tirana, Korca, and Petrela Castle
Located in Southeastern Europe, Albania is a country off of the beaten travel road. Of course, this makes Albania a great place to visit.
Albania – History
Albania is a Mediterranean country sitting on the coast of the Adriatic and Ionian seas. The country is bordered to the north by Serbia and Montenegro, Greece to the south and Macedonia to the east. Involved in the massive strife arising in the former Yugoslavia, the country was previously a Soviet-Bloc country. These days, Albania is a democracy fighting to find its economic feet.
Tirana
Tirana is the capital of Albania and has a population of a little over 300,000. The city is an eclectic mix of traditional European structures, soviet style five story buildings and mid-east influenced architecture. Relatively small, Tirana is a city with a small town feel.
Korca – Rugs, Rugs, Rugs
Korca is a city located in the east of Albania close to the border of Greece. Built high up on a plateau, Korca is a must see if you love Turkish style rugs and carpets. The entire city seems to be devoted to the manufacture and sale of every size, color and type of rug. If you’re staying overnight, Hotel Iliria is your best option.
Petrela Castle
Dating back to 500 AD, Petrela Castle is an ancient structure, which is in relatively good shape considering the history attached to it. At one time or another, Petrela was the primary defense of the city of Durres. It has been held, used and conquered by Romans, Greeks, Turks and other. Seriously off the beaten path, getting to Petrela requires a sturdy Jeep or Landcruiser. It is a very bumpy road, but the view is more than worth it.
While Albania is struggling to recovery from a communist pass, it is a fairly safe place to visit. The people are nice and it is definitely an opportunity to visit a country off the beaten path.
Rick Chapo is with NomadJournals.com – makers of travel journals. Visit NomadJournalTrips.com to read more articles about Albania and Adventure Travel.
Spanish Food and Drinks: Tapas, Gazpacho, Paella, Cava, Sangria, and Rivers of Red Wine
Spanish food and drink – Spanish cuisine, if you will – is quite different from how it may be perceived in the United States. In fact, when most Americans think of Spanish food they tend to think of dishes that hail from Mexico rather than Spain. Tacos, tostadas, enchiladas and such are, however, wholly Mexican creations and the tourist will be hard pressed to find them in Spain unless Taco Bell manages to open a franchise there.
Like most things in modern Spain, traditional Spanish food tends to differ based upon the region that it comes from. The Southern city of Seville, for example, offers cuisine that is reputed to be very delicious while also being very simple to prepare. Here you’ll find the cold soup Gazpacho, which is a vegetable cream that includes tomato, cucumber, garlic, paprika, olive oil, and vinegar. This is usually served with bread or even with tomato-bread.
In the Northern region of Navarre you may find many specialties of meats and fish, with one original recipe consisting of a delicious trout stuffed with cured ham. Many dishes here include the local beans Pochas de Sanguesa, and of particular interest are the vegetables like asparagus and Pimientos del Piquillo, a mild red pepper dish. This Region is also famous for his Tapas.
In addition to traditional regional fare, the nation of Spain does have some delights that are enjoyed nationwide. For instance, many like to snack on quick Tapas, prepared bite sized snacks that may include pieces of fried squid or octopus, spicy sausage, cheese, squares of fruit, or even sweet candy with almonds. Tapas is literally everywhere in Spain and is often enjoyed during siesta as opposed to a full meal. Prices for Tapas vary slightly from place to place, but it is often a very inexpensive treat. In some places you can get a Tapa for as little as one Euro and in others that same one Euro will get you a glass of red wine and a Tapa. No wonder many Spanish stop at the local bar, for a meal.
Another well-known Spanish food is Paella (pronounced paeya) delicious mixed dish that consists of rice combined with many different types of meat and Seafood. Paella, is perhaps the most famous dish to come from Spain and, although it originates from Valencia, it can be found and enjoyed pretty much everywhere in the country, from the north to the south.
Spanish drinks are not quite as varied as the foods, but there are some particularly enjoyable specialties. Spain, like France, is a wine-drinking country and is famous for its various forms of Sangria, a sweet red wine that is combined with any number of other wines, liquors, and fruits. Sangria recipes differ based upon who is doing the mixing, so it’s not uncommon to find sangria that includes apples and bananas in one bar or restaurant and one that contains grapes, white wine, and oranges in another. Tinto verano is very similar to sangria, and is very popular at the south, were it is drunk during pestival. Wine is available everywhere in Spain and costs very little, starting for 1 euro for a glass. The wine loving tourist will have little to complain about when visiting Spain. Moreover, the prices of alcohol are cheaper in Spain that in any other western european country.
Spanish wines differ from region to region but most share two common traits: they are delicious and very inexpensive. The region of Catalunya, for example, offers wondrous Red wines from Peralda, Alella, Priorat and Tarragona, and the famous sparkling wine known as Cava. The region of Galicia offers several fine wines as well. Here you will find the remarkable Ribeiro, and other favorites include Fefinanes, Betanzos, Rosal, Valdeorras, Ulla and Amandi. Talking of Wine, you can’t escape Rioja, which come from a region with the same name and is a lovely, greattasting, inexpenssive popular wine. They even have their own Wine festival in the end of summer, where red wine is splashed everywhere.
It is important for the tourist, visiting Spain to note that Spanish libations are typically much stronger than those they may be accustomed to in the US. In fact, a Spanish drink may be as much as three times stronger than a similar drink made at home. Some experts advise that the visiting American count three rounds for ever one actually ordered. Also popular with the Spanish and visitors to their country are Horchatas, which are frozen drinks made with milk and a variety of crushed and chopped nuts. Heralded for both their taste and the fact that they are rich in vitamins, Horchatas are enjoyed in every area of the country and differ only slightly from region to region or recipe to recipe. In the hot summer, their popularity is on top.
Coffee and hot chocolate round out the staple of Spanish drinks. These are enjoyed daily by most Spaniards, including children who often receive chilled coffee topped with ice cream as a treat. Coffee and hot chocolate are often drunk for breakfast and lunch and are enjoyed with churros, a pastry that is comparable to a fritter. Many tourists, however, complain that the Spanish coffee taste more like the american mild one, and not like the rich french/italian coffee.
Ofer Shoshani has been working for the last 5 years as a professional journalist, writing about finance, economy, travel and people. The Spanish / Latin culture soon became one of his favorite ones and for some years he lived and wrote from Spain, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, USA, Israel, India & Thailand.
His book Siesta time: A new horizon for humanity is about to be published soon.
Currently he writes for bespanish.com – Free English Articles about Spain.
bespanish.com
The Euromillions Lottery and Something You Might Not Know. How it Works, Who it Applies to plus How You Can You Play this Whopping European Lottery
The European lotto was in the beginning set up by the national lotteries of the United Kingdom, France and Spain and was revealed on Feb 04. The first lottery draw was on February 13th-04 in Paris. The UK, France and Spain were the only nations partaking in the beginning but lotteries from Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Ireland and Luxembourg likewise got involved on October 04.
The Euromillions lotto or the Euro lotto, as it is commonly renowned, pools the lotto ticket receipts of the nine partaking Euro countries presenting a immense Euro Lottery jack-pot. With the sum of nations joining the EU on the increase, this will without question will lead to even more countries participating in the Euro lottery. A growth in the amount of individuals partaking in the European Lotto will result in a prolonged increase of the already sizeable EuroMillions jackpots.
Q. How Would You Play The Euro Lottery
Each player must pick out 5 primary numbers from one to fifty and two Lucky-star numbers from 1 to 9. During the lottery draw, five primary and two “lucky star” numbers are then picked out at random from two lotto draw machines containing numbered lottery balls.
EUROMILLIONS Winnings
The probability of scooping the Euro Lotto jack-pot is a distant one in seventy-six million but the probability of acquiring a cash prize is a fairly decent one : twenty-four. If the jackpot is not won in a given week, it is carried over to the next lotto draw that will result in an ever increasing jackpot value. Recent regulations brought in on the 09.02.2007 set the number of consecutive roll overs to eleven, with the “jackpot” rolled out to smaller value levels on the 11th lottery draw if the prize is not won.
The new rules likewise initiated Euro Lottery Super Draw which come about twice each year plus they offer “jackpots” in the region of £100 million. The difference with “Super Draws” is that the jackpot must be won during the calendar week of the lottery draw; this means, when there is no ticket matching, all the numbers drawn and top prize will then be distributed to the lotto ticket bearer(s) in the succeeding winning prize tier.
Steel Barrister Bookcaseswith Perspective – Amusing
Whenever you go into a library you are bewitched by the vast bookcases that are home to a fireball of information- literature! They service the design of holding and protecting literature and journals from debris and increasing their life. A bookcase, also known as a bookshelf, is a furniture piece and has level shelves to retain books. Outer glass doors are a good selection to refer and store books neatly.
What is a cherry barrister bookcase?
Barristers or lawyers want to make use of several heavy and large books in the course of their practice. the legal journals are costly and lawyers demand to refer them often. Barristers bookcases are vigorous and maintain acceptable usefulness for a lawyer.They are also known as attorneys bookcases and can be built in oak wood, cherry wood in various coatings and colorings.
How did individuals store books when barrister bookcases did not exist?
Volumes were not found commonly, so nobody thought of how to store them.In those times, books were hand-handwritten.They were placed in little containers by the wealthy individuals. It was the rich mans privilege to own and carry books as they were not affordable.These containers served as a bookcase for them.
As time passed, these manuscript volumes were owned by lots of such clergymen and affluent people in a large number. Thus the books had to be located within a cupboard. these closets gave rise to strong bookshelves found Now.
So what way were these books kept in the case?
The old technique was unlike than what it is Now. books were stored with their bounds facing us and the backs to the wall. The volumes utilised to be closed with a band made of leather, vellum or lambskin that carried the title of the book. the books edge showed its name and thats why they had to face outwards.
anybody who liked learning could purchase books due to the printing design. Because the titles could be printed behind the book, the edges were not facing outward any more.
What materials were employed?
Oak was the central material in creating a barrister bookcase.But if you liked you could order for a bookcase in maple, cherry and pine wood too. You can also go for economical choices such as steel in producing a barrister bookcase. The oldest bookcases are said to exist in England in the Bodleian Library at Oxford University. these bookcases are present here from sixteenth century onwards.
using tiny pills covered in fretwork frames, Chippendale and Sheraton designed lovely bookcases. their bookcases gave the room a classy look.
Todays Barrister Bookcases.
Isnt it great to walk into the past times of a barrister bookcase, which was once just a bookshelf?