If you ever wondered what it would be like if North Korea suddenly converted to a democracy and opened its borders, Albania might give you some ideas. After decades of strict dictatorship, where no one was allowed to even own automobiles, never mind travel in and out of the country, the Albanian borders were opened in the late 90s.
The resulting experience of visiting such a country runs the gamut from quaint to charming to amusing to refreshing to frustrating to downright horrifying.
I touched on a few of the depressing bits in my last post, and since then, we’ve gotten ripped off by an unscrupulous restaurant owner charging 5x a fair price for crappy food (no menu, so the bill came after we ate), we’ve been literally run off the road several times by tourists and locals trying to navigate the horribly unprepared infrastructure struggling to keep up with the insanely quickly-growing tourist boom, and we’ve been yelled at by an entire family at a guesthouse for suggesting that we lock our bicycles inside our room with us vs. leaving them unlocked in an alleyway in the downtown area.
We’ve had, by far, more unpleasant experiences in Albania vs. any other country we’ve visited so far. But yet, it is a beautiful country, and we’ve also met some great people, and tried some amazing food. And now that we’re gone, there are a lot of things I miss more than I thought I would.
A refreshing part of Albania is its affordability and nascent tourism industry. Except for the one tout who ripped us off, even the nicest restaurants and shops with beautiful views and great locations do not feel like a rip off. They may be a bit more expensive than average, but still charge a fair price for excellent quality. Albanians in general seem to be happily perplexed about this whole tourism thing and are more than happy to offer up their best cheese, raki, crafts, fruit, and other goods to those who pass by. It’s kind of random, and some of the things for sale seem like nothing a typical tourist would want, but it’s refreshing to see this kind of honest naiivity as they slowly discover how much the natural beauty of their beaches and country are appreciated by outsiders.
Would I recommend Albania to vacation? I would say definitely if you are looking to experience something completely unique and see barely touched archaeological sites, and are willing to deal with some inconveniences. But if you are looking for a nice Beach vacation, there are much better options, even if Albania is really cheap.
And now for some photos…
Shkodër
Our hostel host at Green Garden Hostel. Great bike-friendly hostel.
The mosque in Shkodër lit against a brilliant deep blue sky, just after the rain.
Tirana
The Skënderbej Square was very recently opened to the public after construction to remove the central rotary and make it a walking area with beautiful tiles with water washing over them to keep down the heat. It is beautiful and is becoming a central place for locals and tourists to hang out. It is an Albanian custom to take an evening stroll, and we saw thousands of people in the square at night.
The cycling infrastructure is random, but with many people in Albania using bicycles for transport, some of the lanes are excellent. But most roads are not bicycle friendly at all.
The utility pole situation seems to be similar to Thailand’s.
A pyramid built in honor of their hated dictator is in disrepair and is now a hangout for kids.
Interesting street art
Berat
A church from the UNESCO fortress of Berat. Albania had several UNESCO sites, and it’s nice to be able to visit without almost any of tourists, even during peak season.
Shepherd with his flock beneath Berat fortress.
Textiles for sale in Berat
The coast
The Albanian Riviera was a nice place to relax for a few days and enjoy our last bit of ocean until we get to Turkey. It is rapidly growing and we were there in peak tourist season, so the beaches were crowded and there was lots going on every evening but during the hot days, it was like a ghost town.
View from a restaurant in Himarë
Durrës, my least favorite Albanian city
Sunset in Himarë
To be continued …