Jon WorthJun 29, 2024

Welcome to today's thread - #CrossBorderRail South East Europe Day 28 29 Jun 2024 - Tirana - Shkodër – Podgorica, onto night train

Crossing these borders:
Tuzi 🇲🇪 - Vukpalaj-Bajze 🇦🇱
Bijelo Polje 🇲🇪 - Kumanica 🇷🇸

These borders on the borders map:
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-all-the-borders_935041#9/42.7359/19.5502

Today's routes on the routes map:
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-all-the-borders_935041#9/42.7359/19.5502

#CrossBorderRail All The Borders

All of Europe's rail borders - categorised by type, and whether I (Jon Worth) have been to the location. KEY Black - #000000: visited in 2022 during #CrossBorderRail Project Dark grey - #222222: visited in since the 2022 project Mid grey - #555555: tramways and narrow gauge lines, visited Light grey - #999999: not yet visited Very light grey - #BBBBBB: used for tramways and narrow gauge lines ICONS Track with cross - track is missing or out of use Train with cross, and track - track is useable but no passenger trains Train and track - passenger trains run Map developed as part of my #CrossBorderRail project http://crossborderrail.trainsforeurope.eu/

uMap
Show threadJon WorthJun 29, 2024
Here’s this morning’s thread as I start the long trip home. With some investigation en route 🙂 https://peertube.netzbegruenung.de/w/ieWSGmewQqVfxdPV8p7Kai
#CrossBorderRail South East Europe 2024 - 6/29/2024, 5:37:41 AM

PeerTube
Show threadJon WorthJun 29, 2024

I’ve found it! The new Tiranë central station. This is so badly located it’s almost as if they took consultancy advice from SNCF.

Oh and it’s meant to open “in 2025”

Show threadJon WorthJun 29, 2024

#CrossBorderRail South East Europe 2024 Bus 18 of 20

09:00 Tirana - Shkodër 11:00
No idea

Distance: 92.7km
Average speed: 46km/h

Bus type: Oldish Neoplan coach, used to run in Hohenstein Germany
⛽️
🚲: ✅ (driver offered to take my bike before I folded it)
🦽: ⛔️
🛜: ⛔️
🍽️: ⛔️
🧳: 🙂 (large-ish hold)
🧽: 😐 (seats worn and knackered)

Show threadJon WorthJun 29, 2024

And I was laughing about Tony Blair street in Pejë

Imagine living on felony street! 🤯

Kamëz 🇦🇱

(I was too slow to photograph it, but the map tells the story)

Show threadJon WorthJun 29, 2024

And Hamburgers - remember those three section buses you used to have that clogged up your intersections?

They now ply the route Kamëz - Tiranë (they painted them white but the seats still say Hochbahn)

Show threadJon WorthJun 29, 2024
Shkodër is chaos. No bus station. Buses to different places just leave from different street corners. And as my bus from Tiranë was late time was tight. But with 2 mins to spare I’m on to the bus to Koplik, close to the border to Montenegro.
Show threadJon WorthJun 29, 2024

#CrossBorderRail South East Europe 2024 Bus 19 of 20

11:30 Shkodër - Kaplik 12:00
Velipoja

Distance: 20km
Average speed: 40km/h

Bus type: No idea what sort this even is!
⛽️
🚲: ⛔️ (hold too small)
🦽: ⛔️
🛜: ⛔️
🍽️: ⛔️
🧳: 🙂 (enough space for luggage)
🧽: ☹️ (falling apart and totally grimy inside)

Friendly driver though, has family living in München!

Show threadJon WorthJun 29, 2024
Got talking to a guy at Shkodër. “How many people live here?”
“150000. But twenty years ago it was 250000. There’s nothing to do here!”
He then proceeded into a rant about political corruption and Edi Rama and that Tiranë gets all the money… 🤔
#CrossBorderRail
Show threadJon WorthJun 29, 2024

Let’s do this! Last major bike stage of #CrossBorderRail

#CrossBorderRail South East Europe 2024 Bike 30 of 30
Kaplik - Podgorica

Distance: 38.6km
Est. duration: 3:00

This bike route, mapped on Komoot: https://www.komoot.com/tour/1383691090

#CrossBorderRail Kaplik - Podgorica | bike Tour | Komoot

Jon Worth planned an outdoor adventure with komoot! Distance: 40.8 km | Duration: 02:28 h

komoot
Show threadJon WorthJun 29, 2024

Podgorica

That was 🥵

Show threadJon WorthJun 29, 2024

I’ve once passed through Podgorica by car and assumed I’d missed the centre / the life

Now I’ve cycled all around it, and I’ve still found nothing

Is there a square with a load of cafes anywhere? If so where is it?

Show threadMarthaJun 29, 2024
@jon
I took a quick look a Trip Advisor. They seem to show a number of cafes and bars in and around Independence square and near the ginormous Orthodox Cathedral. Happy hunting.
Show threadJon Worth
@Island_Martha I was one block from the cathedral and it’s quiet even there!
Jun 29, 2024 at 3:02pmWeb
Show threadMarthaJun 29, 2024
@jon
Saturday afternoon in the summer. Maybe everyone is sleeping. That really seems weird.
Show threadJon WorthJun 29, 2024
@Island_Martha even the cafes there were looked rather unimpressive. In the Balkans there are always loads of people hanging out in cafes. Everywhere. At any time. But not here.
Show threadMarthaJun 29, 2024
@jon
I've never encountered such a thing in a southern country; maybe aliens kidnapped the populace. There's a university. There must be somewhere that students go.
Show threadJon WorthJun 29, 2024
@Island_Martha I tried a pub called Warhol. Some blog called it a Podgorica institution. It was small, in the basement of a tower block near the university, and closed!
Show threadMarthaJun 29, 2024
@jon
I am genuinely perplexed. I've never encountered city closed down this way on a summer Saturday, not even Poland on a Sunday is this dead.
Show threadMarthaJun 29, 2024
@jon
Have you tried the area called Nova Varos?