Albania

Just getting there was half the fun, as evident by the driver's equipment preferences.

Passing through Tirane

Public water fountain, lion shaped.

Heading up the mountain

This little station was just unreal

Going down the mountain

Until we reached the beach

...and the bunkers

Photo-journalist Macleod discovers a strange man in a bunker

It's Saddam emerging from his rat hole!

As an only child, Macleod learned early on how to entertain himself

...and it turned out to be super cool

As a somewhat troubled child (his mom forced him to wear a rat-tail and he would

runaway to the roof in protest) Tomas also knows how to bring on the fun.

More beach

Love: We Three

...and more bunkers

approximately 700,000 of them under former dictator Enver Hoxha

unreal

Twin llamas

...and twins petting twin llamas

missed the story on this one

Prissin' in Pristina

The Newborn sign delivered on the day Kosovo's independence was declared.

Out and about: Statues and creepier statues

One of many old mosques

Buy Albanian

Another mosque

The museum of history.

And some random tanks left in the yard....

And some random Jewish stuff laying around in the yard.

Prishtina's urban landscape is a mix of brand new buildings and broke down brick houses.

Translated: Bleq Shqip (Buy Albanian) & I vote, you vote, he/she votes, we vote, they profit.

Patrick and I get some lunch at a super cute French Brasserie.

Prishtina's stadium. Also where I will see Snoop Dogg perform on July 10th

Just one of a series of ridiculous advertisements for Turkey resorts featuring

this terribly depressed child.

These posters were about a protest rally against the Minister of Education's

ban on head scarfs in school. Bad move. Kosovo is a Muslim nation.

Lunch with two grumpy old men

This god-awful concrete creation was a World War II memorial

Prishtina and the decorative power plants in the distance

A semi-destroyed street light

Graffiti and Posters

Patrick takes a visit to Prishtina's University hospital Infectious Disease ward.

How bad was it?

"Picture this: There are no outlets in the room. No AC. The drainage pipe in the bathroom has a syringe in it minus the needle and spiders in the bathtub. There is some sort of splooge all over the faded pink walls and the curtains are old high school gym curtains. The windows are taped shut with gauze tape. The doctor, while talking to me was smoking in his office."

The Challenge: A McMili Super Burger
(Two beef patties, an egg, three slices of bread and fries in the bottom)

Dan and Tomas go in for the kill

Success

Shame and Pride