Most cruise excursions from Durres offer either Berat or Kruja and Tirana.  We wanted to take advantage of a long cruise stop (8h00 to 19h00) to see both Berat and Tirana.

Taulant made the right choice in going to Berat first,  We arrived before the excursion buses and visited the castle which is a living site with houses, gardens, etc.  Visiting the site and the museum which is intimate is better appreciated without large groups around.  Taulant is well organized and knowledgeable and made the visit pleasant.  After the castle we then moved to the lower town to walk both sides of the river.  We skipped lunch and left Berat at 13h00.

The roads are excellent.  Albania has extensive farm land which you appreciate on the road trip to Tirana. We arrived in Tirana around 15h00.  You cannot appreciate modern Albania if you have not visited Tirana.  It is a vibrant city and Taulant made the best of our time there returning us to our ship at 17h30.

Our day was a long day with more than 4 hours of travel (more than 200km).  Taulant is a prudent but determined driver  which is required to navigate the Tirana traffic.

In retrospect, I regret not having read more about modern Albania before our visit.  Taulant was gracious in sharing is enthousiasm for modern Albania, it's history and culture.  His spoken English is excellent.  He is courteous and polite.

He is a cultured man with broad interests and is pleasant.

I would not hesitate to recommend him.