Krujë

Skanderbeg is Albania's national hero and he hails from the little town of Krujë, which is about an hour's drive north of Tirana. On a rainy, misty day we made our way up there and scrambled and hiked our way around the remains of Krujë castle (built in the 1400s).

The town also has a bazaar which we poked our noses around. I spotted a handwoven rug that portrayed both the Albanian and Canadian flag. The shopkeeper noticed my interest in it and I pointed to the Canadian flag on my backpack. Suddenly the shopkeeper became very excited and reached for his wallet. He pulled out a very worn, obviously very loved business card and handed it to me. It was a ReMax business card with a Toronto address on it. The shopkeeper pointed to the picture of the real estate agent on the card, then pointed to himself and said, "Mine!" It was his son.

In addition to the old "It's a small world" adage, it was also a good business strategy. I bought some handwoven coasters from his little shop.