Our friends offered to take us to the city of Krujë for the day. Krujë is a city outside Tirana about 30 min. I is built on a mountain side. In it is found the castle of George Castrioti, also known as Skënderbej. He was an Albanian that grew up studying with the Turks. He learned and became an expert in their military style. He knew how they fought, how they lived, who they were. He worked his way up until he was high in command in the Turkish military. He then abandoned his post and returned to his home. He rallied many tribes in Albania to come together against the Turks. His expertise in warfare kept the Turks at bay. They never were able to triumph against Skënderbej. He was able to keep the Turks from flooding into the middle of Europe. The Pope named him "defender of Christianity". When he died, a man with the last name Lek took control and for 11 more years defended against the Turks before they finally overtook the region. That is why Albania is predominantly Muslim, because of the Ottoman takeover.
The city was beautiful. The path up to the castle was a market of souvenirs. Shops contained many Albanian flags, magnets, and the works. Others had handmade goods and some ladies were even making rugs right there in front of us! The most interesting and impressive part was the antiques and historical artifacts for sale. Many badges, weapons, apparel, and instruments from the communist age an some before! It was super interesting. I wanted to buy everything! There were some communist propaganda about the Red China when Mao was the Chairman. I want to buy some historical artifacts as well as some modern art from Albania. It was cool to see the traditional market set up. The place was perfect for tourism, however Albania still lacks the tourism it could facilitate. The Skënderbej Museum was a great experience and had a wonderful structure. I imagined crowds of people someday walking through it learning of the rich history of Albania and its hero. 
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