Podcasts about kruj

The Ottomans had suffered up to 20,000 casualties compared to Skanderbeg's 1,000 during the ...

PËRSHËNDETJE AGAIN FROM ALBANIA! It's another day in the Albanian capital of Tirana and I am about to meet Adam and Elira Kadriu, a journalist from the Albanian online media and TV channel, Dritare, at the luxurious Tirana International Hotel. You might recall from Part I that Adam joked he would make me famous...and it looks like he might have been serious! We met in the outside café of the hotel and while the TV crew was setting up their lights and cameras, Adam finally let me in on what was about to happen:  I was going to be interviewed about my impressions of Albania as a famous radio podcaster. See me razzle-dazzle my way through the video interview, and read the article on the Dritare website. See? I'm famous in Albania! Don't worry, I'm not quitting my day job just yet :)   ABOUT KRUJË After my 15 minutes of stardom was up, Adam and I drive to Krujë, a small historic town about 35km from Tirana. Adam wants to show me the town close to the hearts of all Albanians and made famous by Albania's national hero, Skanderbeg, who built a kingdom there. The town is also host to the country's oldest bazaar (about 300-400 years old). In 1190, Krujë became the capital of the first Albanian state in the middle ages. And later the capital of the Kingdom of Albania. In the early 15th century Krujë was conquered by the Ottoman Empire, but then recaptured in 1443 by their famous national hero, Skanderbeg. “When he was 8 years old, Skanderbeg was taken by force to Turkey by the Ottomans and trained to fight for the Ottoman Empire. After training, he quickly became a high-ranking official in the army. In his 30s, he escaped Turkey to return to Albania and was upset at what had become of his native land. He then endeavoured and succeeded to unite all Albanians under Christianity and raised an army to fight the Turkish invaders - and prevented the Ottoman Empire from entering Europe via the Adriatic Sea” Adam tells me.   ALBANIA'S COOL FLAG The Albanian flag (one of the coolest in the world in my opinion), is blood red with a large black double-headed eagle sprawled in the center. Adam tells me that it is actually almost the same flag that Skanderbeg used back in 1443. So that makes it one of the oldest flags in the world. Fun fact: the oldest flag in the world dates back to 1219 and is from the small, humble, and proud nation of Denmark :) #proudlydanish   RELIGION FOR EVERYONE As I briefly mentioned in Part I, Albania used to be an atheist state, the first of its kind in the world. That was during the Communist era, and if you were caught praying or worshiping a God, any God, you would be thrown in jail. Yikes. Today, however, religion is back, and Albanians enjoy the freedom of a variety of religions. The majority of Albania's population are Muslim but live side by side with people who prescribe to other religions. In this sense, Albania is unique as Adam tells me. “Albania is unique in the sense that we have a Muslim majority, but our state does not rule according to the faith. We have mixed marriages, we drink alcohol, we eat pork. I am Catholic and many of my friends are Muslim, so I go to church and they go to the mosque, and afterwards we all meet up and get drunk together” he jokes. “In the end, we are all Albanians”.   GEORGE W. BUSH IN... ALBANIA? On the way to Krujë, we drive through Fushë-Kruje, a tiny village that achieved a surprising claim to fame in 2007 when it received a visit from the then-sitting American president, George W. Bush. The town is tiny and doesn't offer much and so it is a mystery as to why he came to give a speech here. Adam tells me a funny story of how a local stole the president's watch while shaking his hand and remarked to the president that his security was up to shit. He returned the watch obviously, but the point - and joke - was made. Shortly after returning to the USA, Bush replaced his entire security staff. The town is known for 2 things: a statue of George W. Bush erected after his notorious visit, and a cement factory rumoured to be secret CIA headquarters. The plot thickens...   CASTLE OF KRUJË We finally arrived in the beautiful historic town Krujë nestled in the mountains boasting incredible panoramas stretching far to the Adriatic Sea. The Old Bazaar of Krujë dates back to the 17th century. Back then, it had about 200 shops, starting from the City Hall through to the entrance gates of Skanderbeg's Krujë Castle. It is perched atop a craggy mountain about 680 meters (2,230 feet) above sea level. The view from the castle spans from Mount Tomori in the south to Ulcinj in Montenegro in the north (where I plan to go later on in this journey). The castle has an arched tunnel as its entrance and once you're inside you can find old remnants, such as the watchtower, alongside two museums, a few restaurants, and homes that are still occupied to this day. Inside the castle, we visit Skanderbeg Museum and here I meet Clod who has worked as a guide in the museum since 2005. So, he knows a thing or two about Skanderbeg. The museum is centred around this epic man of the 15th century who held off the invasion of the Ottoman Empire for 25 years. The museum recognises the lasting strength and subsequent loss of the army of Skanderbeg. Clod gave me an interesting private tour for almost an hour, and I felt very privileged to be in this historic place with an expert like him. He also told me about the two-headed eagle that's on their national flag and impressed me with knowing which flag is the oldest in the world.   WHAT'S NEXT? In the next episode, Adam tells me a bit more of what it was like being a kid living in a dictatorship. Tune in to hear the full story next week. You will not believe what happened to him for simply wearing a t-shirt that apparently looked ‘a bit too capitalistic'. That's it for now. My name is Palle Bo and I gotta keep moving. See ya!

PËRSHËNDETJE IGEN FRA ALBANIEN Det er endnu en dag i Albaniens hovedstad, Tirana og jeg er på vej til at møde min albanske ven og Elira Kadriu, En journalist fra det albanske online medie og TV kanal, Dritare. Vi skal mødes på det luksuriøse Tirana International Hotel. Du kan måske huske, at Adam jokede med at han ville gøre mig berømt i Albanien, i første del af mine albanske oplevelser … så noget tyder på, at han måske mente det alvorligt. Vi satte os ned i hotellets café, og mens TV-holdet satte lys og kamera op, fortalte Adam, hvad der skulle ske: Jeg skulle interviewes om mine første indtryk af Albanien – som en ”berømt radio podcaster”. Du kan se video interviewet, og læse artiklenpå Dritares website, og selv konstatere, at jeg nu er en stor stjerne i Albanien. Bare rolig, jeg opgiver endnu ikke mig daglige job. :)   OM KRUJË Efter mine 15 minutters berømthed var overstået, kørte Adam og jeg til Krujë, en lille historisk by omkring 35 km fra Tirana. Adam ville vise mig byen, som betyder meget for albanerne og som er berømt for Albaniens nationalhelt, Skanderbeg, som skabte et kongerige der. Byen har også landets ældste bazar (omkring 300-400 år gammel). I 1190 blev Krujë hovedstad i den første albanske stat i middelalderen. Og senere blev det hovedstad i det albanske kongerige. I det tidlige 15. århundrede blev Krujë erobret af det Ottomanske Rige, men blev genvundet i 1443 af deres berømte nationalhelt, Skanderbeg. “Da Skanderbeg var 8 år gammel, blev han bragt til Tyrkiet af ottomanerne, og trænet til at kæmpe for det Ottomanske Rige”, fortæller Adam mig. ”Efter træningen blev han hurtigt højtstående i deres hær. Da han var i 30’erne, flygtede han fra Tyrkiet og vendte tilbage tilbage til Albanien og var ret oprørt over, hvad der var sket med sit moderland. Han begyndte herefter sin kamp for at samle alle albanere under kristendom og samlede en hær for at kæmpe mod den tyrkiske besættelsesmagt. Og forhindrede det Ottomanske Rige i at komme ind til resten af Europa via det Adriaterhavet”. ALBANIENS SEJE FLAG Det albanske flag (efter min mening ét af de sejeste flag i verden) er blodrødt med en stor sort dobbelt-hovedet ørn i midten. Adam fortæller mig, at det stort set er det samme flag, som Skanderbeg brugte helt tilbage i 1443, hvilket gør det til et af de ældste nationalflag i verden. Men det er ikke det ældste flag i verden, som er helt tilbage fra 1219… det kommer fra en lille ydmyg, men stolt nation: Danmark. :) #stoltdansker RELIGION FOR ALLE Som jeg kort nævnte I del 1, var Albanien verdens første ateist stat i kommunisttiden. Her var al religion forbudt og du ville blive smidt i fængsel, hvis du blev taget i at tilbede en gud – uanset hvilken. I dag er religion dog tilbage, og Albanien har mange forskellige religioner. De fleste albanere er muslimer, men de bor side om side med mange andre religioner. Adam fortæller mig, at Albanien er ret unik på det punkt. Albanien er ret speciel fordi vi har flest muslimer, men staten blander sig ikke i folks tro. Vi har blandede ægteskaber, vi drikker alkohol og spiser svin. Jeg er katolik og mange af mine venner er muslimer, så jeg går i kirke, de går i moske, og bagefter mødes vi og bliver fulde sammen”, fortæller han med et grin. ”I sidste ende er vi alle albanere”. GEORGE W. BUSH I... ALBANIEN? På vej mod Krujë, kørte vi gennem Fushë-Kruje, en lille landsby, som pludselig blev berømt i 2007, da de fik besøg af en siddende amerikansk president, George W. Bush. Byen er meget lille og har ikke meget at byde på, så det var lidt af et mysterium, hvorfor han valgte at holde en tale lige her. Adam fortæller mig en sjov historie om en af de lokale, der stjal præsidentens armbåndsur da han gav ham hånden. Han returnerede naturligvis uret, men det chokerede mange, at det var muligt. Adam påstår at Bush fyrede sine sikkerhedsmedarbejdere, da han kom tilbage til USA. Byen er nu kendt for to ting: en statue af George W. Bush og en cementfabrik, som måske indeholder et hemmeligt CIA-kontor. Mystikken breder sig.   KRUJË CASTLE Omsider ankom vi til den historiske by, Krujë, som er indhyllet i bjerge og har en fantastisk udsigt helt ud til Adriaterhavet. Den gamle basar I Krujë blev startet helt tilbage i det 17. århundrede. Allerede dengang havde den omkring 200 små butikker helt fra byens rådhus op til portene til Skanderbergs borg, Krujë Castle. Det ligger på toppet af et bjerg, 680 meter over havets overflade. Udsigten fra slottet strækker sig helt til Mount Tomori mod syd til Ulcinj i Montenegro i nord (et sted, jeg har planer om at besøge senere på denne tur). Der er en buet tunnel som indgang, og når man er indenfor, kan man kigge på den gamle arkitektur, borgens udsigtstårn, to museer, et par restauranter og hjem, der stadig er beboede i dag. Indenfor I borgen besøgte vi Skanderbeg Museum og her møder jeg Clod, så har arbejdet som guide i museet siden 2005. Så han ved et par ting om Skanderbeg. Museet er centreret omkring denne vigtige person fra det 15. århundrede, som holdt ottomanerne tilbage fra at invadere dem i 25 år. Museet anerkender hans styrke og beskriver også det uundgåelige nederlag. Clod gav mig en meget interessant privat rundvisning på næsten en time, og jeg følte mig meget privilegeret over at være på sådan et historisk sted med en ekspert som ham. Han fortalte mig også om den dobbelt-hovedet ørn i deres flag – og imponerede mig med at vide, at det danske flag var det ældste i verden. Respekt! HVAD VENTER FORUDE? I den næste episode fortæller Adam mere om, hvordan det var at vokse op i et diktatur. Han har en vanvittig historie om hvordan han som barn blev anholdt for at bære en t-shirt, der åbenbart så lidt for kapitalistisk ud. Hør hele historien i næste uge. Det var det hele for nu. Mit navn er Palle Bo og jeg ska’ videre. Vi ses.  

The Amateur Traveler talks to Francis Tapon from WanderLearn.com about Albania which has gone from a totally closed society 20 years ago to a destination that Lonely Planet ranked as the #1 destination for travel this year (that was before some of the recent protests. Francis says the because it was isolated for so long it created an exotic and unique culture. Abandoned bunkers still line the country from back when their fear of invasion had nothing to do with tourists. He recommends we start in the capital of Tirana and from there go to Krujë and its legendary Skanderbeg castle.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Francis Tapon from WanderLearn.com about Albania which has gone from a totally closed society 20 years ago to a destination that Lonely Planet ranked as the #1 destination for travel this year (that was before some of the recent protests. Francis says the because it was isolated for so long it created an exotic and unique culture. Abandoned bunkers still line the country from back when their fear of invasion had nothing to do with tourists. He recommends we start in the capital of Tirana and from there go to Krujë and its legendary Skanderbeg castle.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Francis Tapon from WanderLearn.com about Albania which has gone from a totally closed society 20 years ago to a destination that Lonely Planet ranked as the #1 destination for travel this year (that was before some of the recent protests. Francis says the because it was isolated for so long it created an exotic and unique culture. Abandoned bunkers still line the country from back when their fear of invasion had nothing to do with tourists. He recommends we start in the capital of Tirana and from there go to Krujë and its legendary Skanderbeg castle.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Francis Tapon from WanderLearn.com about Albania which has gone from a totally closed society 20 years ago to a destination that Lonely Planet ranked as the #1 destination for travel this year (that was before some of the recent protests. Francis says the because it was isolated for so long it created an exotic and unique culture. Abandoned bunkers still line the country from back when their fear of invasion had nothing to do with tourists. He recommends we start in the capital of Tirana and from there go to Krujë and its legendary Skanderbeg castle.