This ANCIENT CITY is Surprisingly MODERN! (w/ Costs)

The country still has some grit to it, especially by European standards, but that's why we feel so at home here. The grit combined with the history, the new development, and the friendly people remind us so much of Ecuador. Shkoder Albania is the last city in the north before you run into Montenegro and we could visibly see the city transforming, even during our short stay. All of the old communist block buildings are getting a facelift, the streets are being repaved, new bike lanes added, the pedestrian area is loved by the locals, and we saw the very first stop light installed while we were there. We were two of the first people to use the new crossing light! The history in the area is incredible. People have been living there for over 2200 years, which is why it's called Albania's Ancient City. The Mesi Bridge was built over 200 years ago by the Ottoman Empire. It's the longest bridge of its kind and the only one with a curve in it. The first walls of Rozafa Castle were built over 2400 years ago by the Illyrians, an ancient tribe of Indo-Europeans who were conquered by the Romans over 2100 years ago. Albanians are believed to be their direct descendants. Shkodra Lake is the largest lake in Southern Europe. The border between Albania and Montenegro splits the lake with about 3/5ths in Montenegro. To the east of the lake and Shkoder lies the Albanian Alps, which are popular with hikers and campers. We only spent 3 days in Shkoder, but we wish we had spent more time there. "Albania is a box of gems that is rapidly being polished." That's what one of our Albanian viewers commented, and we couldn't agree more. Shkodër Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/slink/CnB2igQw Planning a move abroad? Grab our free Live Abroad Toolkit and fast-track your move: https://ameliaandjp.com/tookit Helpful Resources: Website: https://ameliaandjp.com Live Abroad Program: https://ameliaandjp.com/lap Ecuador Relocation Guide: https://bit.ly/3CbS6fA Online Income eCourse: https://bit.ly/3oNUFBk Taxes For Expats: https://www.taxesforexpats.com/clt/JS655 Traveling Mailbox: https://travelingmailbox.com/?ref=994 LingoPie: https://lingopie.com/?ref=ameliabasista&tap_a=105960-b87f6a Surfshark VPN: https://get.surfshark.net/SH19F Charles Schwab: http://www.schwab.com/public/schwab/nn/refer-prospect.html?refrid=REFERGMKRE38N Insured Nomads Global Insurance: https://www.insurednomads.com?ref=AmeliaAndJP Wise Money Transfers: https://wise.prf.hn/l/xnPXLdj SiteGround Web Hosting: https://www.siteground.com/index.htm?afcode=ec548c25104a59583984ceeaa2086c81 Airalo eSIM: https://airalo.pxf.io/c/2208666/1268485/15608 (Some of these are affiliate links. Read our Affiliate Disclosure here: https://ameliaandjp.com/affiliate-disclosure/) Our AMAZING Unconventional Supporters: Joe Stratton Leif Brogren Byron Jacomo Jose and Alexandra Stephanie Davis #ameliaandjp