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On display at the Ethnographic Museum in Kosovo’s capital of Pristina is a lady’s wooden shoe with a sole covered with intricate carvings and rich inlays of mother-of-pearl. It dates from the 18th century, but any woman would be proud to wear it, then or now. The museum, which is in a former 18th-century manor house that once belonged to a wealthy Albanian family during Ottoman rule, also exhibits sumptuous textiles, jewelry and furniture, and includes a birthing

Epic Walks: the Accursed Mountains (The Peaks of Balkans), Albania James Ottery  Do not let the name mislead you. This brooding, unspoilt range of Albanian peaks might be known as the Accursed Mountains, but – when you get in among their mighty slopes – “blessed” may seem the better adjective. For hikers who like their trails remote, their scenery craggy and their hospitality Balkan-strength, this eight-day trek stands as one of the region’s greatest summer adventures. Albania in any form is a superb travel destination – it is proud, beautiful and rich in tradition – but as somewhere to walk, it is downright unforgettable. Rolling hills: The Accursed Mountain ranges in Europe The Dinaric Alps, of which the Accursed Mountains form a part, are just a few hours north from the whirl of Tirana, the capital. Towering grey rock faces soar above flower-specked meadows. Icy rivers thunder through green valleys. Shepherds’ quiet paths snake over mountain passes, through beech copses and past sun-struck farmsteads. Europes top mountain hike? This is European hiking as it used to be, heading deep into an isolated but utterly magnificent corner of the continent. And though summer rain is rare, the weather can on occasion […]