Blogs from Albania, Europe - page 12

For every reason to steer clear of Tirana, there exist two to go to Berat. An undiscovered jewel three hours south of the capital, Berat welcomes you with both the same Albanian hospitality as before, but in more majestic and sanitary surroundings. Mysteriously, much more trash seems to find its way into bins and dumpsters that appear out of nowhere. While indeed ditches and the riverbank are defiled with non-biodegradable garbage, it is only a fraction of scenes further north. This permits the eyes to concentrate on Berat’s real attraction: the white-faced village communities perched on both mountainsides of the valley and the imposing walled castle with town located within. The two hundred or so dwellings that make up the castle village are home to about 1,200 residents, who enjoy life in a quaint, sheltered, and ... read more

No buses run to Albania. In fact, when inquiring at the eyesore of a bus station in Pogdirica, Montenegro’s flat and characterless capital, I received the same reaction for going to Albania as I did for Moldova while in Odessa: “Why do you want to go there?” I took a look around and resisted the retort that Pogdirica was no gem, either. If Montenegro is to separate from Serbia (and we have seen how well the Serbs take it when that happens) Pogdirica will need a serious facelift to be taken seriously as a European capital. Unlike the thick line that indicates the route on local road maps, the twenty-eight kilometer taxi ride from the bus station started on a two-lane highway that soon enough was no more than a gravel path into the mountains. It ... read more

I arrived rather early in the morning in Ulcinj, coming from Kotor. I had heard it should be easy to get a minivan to Shkoder from here. But the informations there were confusing. One person told me it left at one o'clock, another at 14.30, then one said 11 and finally someone told me four o'clock. As I was running around pretty swetty and tired, I believe I was noticed by more than one person, wherefore a guy in the end offered me a ride to Shkoder for 7 euros which I felt was rather cheap considering the long way. I went with him in his very hot car and I was almost baking on the backseat. We talked some, but mainly I just staired out the window at the very beautifull nature that is to ... read more

The suspense is now over; we have finally arrived and tomorrow we depart. As logic normally will tell you, though people rarely listen, is that the hype is usually nothing like the actual experience. It reminds me of the build-up to a GREAT New Year’s Eve party. Every time you have all the hype and all the expectation, it is never what you think it will be. In our case, we heard a lot of negative things about Albania before we finally ventured across the border from Ulcinj, Montenegro: “Don’t go there. It’s nothing but beggars”; “Why would you go to Albania?”, or “Don’t believe a word that any Albanian tells you”. These were just a small sample of what we heard just from our short stay in Montenegro. It’s always useful to inquire about the ... read more

Benjamin Franklin once said: "Certainty? In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes". Well, I have another two certainty's to add to the list: Japanese tourists are everywhere, and cab drivers are scum bags worldwide. But rather than complain, I want to tell you the stories I heard for this enigmatic country. I have just spent three days (and two nights) visiting Albania. Whilst I was only there for a short time, I was satisfied in what I learnt, and absolutely fascinated. I stayed in Saranda, which is a port-city at the south of the country, near the Greek border. It is opposite the Greek island of Corfu. I stayed in an area called "exsamilia" which means 'six miles' - the six mile stretch of land under Saranda, which ends where Corfu starts. Deep ... read more

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, ... read more