Postcard from Albania

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The night I arrived in Tirana, Mother Teresa International Airport was a madhouse. The Albanian National Football team had just beaten the Greek team in a world cup? qualifying match, and the Greek airplane was just leaving. People were driving around town all night waving flags and celebrating.

Enver Hoxha, the long time leader of Albania (The Land of the Men of the Eagle) passed on in 1985 and is no longer featured on the money. I wondered what would he say about the tight jeans and fashionable clothes the young people are wearing these days.

Tirana is a city built around a few large squares which are the focal point for activity after dark. Wide sidewalks are great for walking, and stores have backup generators for the power cuts.

Cell phones have made it here, the rooster and cicida are popular cell phone ring tones. Residents take hospitality very seriously, and Tirana has hundreds of sidewalk cafes and restaurants. On our first road trip we stopped for breakfast. I ordered a coffee, everyone else ordered beer - so I sent my coffee back.

Away from the ocean the roads are slow and bumpy. Concrete Pill boxes dot the country side to fight an invasion that never materialized. Road side grave sites should serve as reminders but we do not slow down much.

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