Stepping out from the plane into the comfortable warmth of 26 degree air was a promising start to a week of holiday. Sitting in the bus I noticed a pair of tiny knitted wool socks and a head of garlic hanging in the front window. Not sure if was for sentimental, touristic, or supersticious reasons, but it was an interesting sight. The bus ride took us past flat landscape with new and old buildings side by side, and at times seemingly on top of each other. We saw the contrast between extravagant buildings, probably from years past, and houses with rusted roofs and a patchwork of materials to keep them together. Pepsi and Amstel were visibly advertised with huge billboards on the hillsides, and we'd spot familiar shop chains along the way. Entering the centre of Durres we were thankful we weren't driving, as the bus had to navigate packed streets and a variety of creative parking along the way. It felt like a mixture of tourism starting and a people going about their daily
Life is a journey full of weird and interesting experiences. As the years go by, what was once new and different, has become part of the ordinary and usual. And those things which once brought amazement, no longer catch my attention. So instead of letting the new and exciting fade into nothing, I want to try to capture and keep some of these moments.