Any Travels

Albania is located in the south-eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, Albania is a small country bordered by Serbia and Montenegro in the north, the Republic of Macedonia in the east, and Greece in the south. The country has witnessed many vicissitudes in its eventful history-from fleeing refugees and blood vendettas, to years of dictatorial rule. Yet, Albania manages to offer tourists the traditional Mediterranean charm and a heady blend of different religions, cultures and landscapes.

Albania is the poorest country of Europe and one of the least visited by travelers. This is partly because travel infrastructure is far from extensive.

But Albania does have a few things to offer to the visitor. Rough scenery, a beautiful coast, authentic villages that have survived the communist period to name a few.

Tirana , the capital city, is a small and compact place that is best explored on foot. Its architecture bears considerable influence of Italian as well as Turkish monuments, lying as it does exactly between Rome and Istanbul. The Skenderberg Square is a huge open space in the centre of the city while Mt. Dajti, at 5,030 ft, towers over the eastern side. Tirana is dotted by many museums.

Durres (also Durazzo ) is a historical city founded by the Greeks. You are unlikely to miss the magnificent Roman Amphitheatre and the King Ahmet Zog Palace, both of which stand on a hillside.

Shkoder and Butrint are two places that would be of much interest to a history buff. Shkodra is one of the oldest cities in Europe while the ruins of Butrint are a treasure trove of antiquities relating to the Illyrians and Greeks.

Among the lesser-known places, Berat , Gjirokastra, Elbasan, Korce , and Kukes are worth exploring. Also, Albania has some of the finest beaches in Europe. Hiking, trekking and cycling are some other options in Albania.

Since Albania experiences scorching summers and cool winters, the best months to visit the country are September and October, when the days are long and the climate quite pleasant.

Polyphony is a southern Albanian tradition dating back to ancient Illyrian times, involving blending several independent vocal or instrumental parts. The songs usually have epic lyrical or historical themes, and may be slow and sombre with beautiful harmonies or include yodelling when it really starts whooping up. There is little Albanian cinema, but the most notable recent film is Lamerica, a stark portrayal of post-communist Albanian life. Before written Albanian was standardised in 1909, there was very little literature. Fan Noli, who died in 1965, was the giant of 20th century Albanian literature. Many of his own works were based on religious themes, but the introductions he wrote to his translations of Cervantes, Shakespeare, Ibsen and Omar Khayyam established him as the country's foremost literary critic. Albania's best known contemporary writer is Ismail Kadare, who fled the country's police state in 1990. His work has been translated into 40 languages.

Albanian (Shqipja) is an Indo-European language with many Latin, Slavonic and modern Greek words. It has two main forms, Tosk and Gheg, which diverged about 1000 years ago. In 1972 the Congress of Orthography established a unified written language, which is now universally accepted for both languages. Italian is useful for travel in Albania; many Albanians learned it before 1943, but others have picked it up by watching Italian TV stations or through recent trips to Italy.

Traditionally, Albania has been 70% Sunni Muslim, 10% Roman Catholic (mostly in the north) and 20% Albanian Orthodox, making it the only European country to have a Muslim majority. From 1967 to 1990 it was also the only officially atheist state in the world, and many churches were converted into cinemas and theatres. The spiritual vacuum left after the fall of communism has in part been filled by US evangelists, but new churches and mosques are springing up all over the country.

Albanian food has been strongly influenced by Turkish food. Grilled meats like shishqebap (shish kebab), romsteak (minced meat patties) and qofte (meat balls) are common dishes. Popular local dishes are conlek (meat and onion stew), ferges (a rich beef stew), rosto me salce kosi (roast beef with sour cream) and tave kosi (mutton with yoghurt). Lunch is the main meal, although eating out in the evening in Tirana is increasingly common. Ice cream (akullore) is very popular, and the coffee is either kafe turke and strong enough to walk over to your table by itself, or kafe ekspres (espresso). The white wine is usually better than the vinegary red, and other local drops are raki (brandy), konjak (cognac), uzo (an aniseed flavoured liqueur like Greek ouzo) and various fruit liqueurs. If you're taken to a bar, always offer to pay. Your Albanian host will rarely let you, but your gesture gains your host 'face' in front of others.

A sovietic feeling...
Walking down the streets in Sarande I had the feeling of being in a Sovietic lost city, the same buildings and atmosphere you could find last century in any suburban area of any sovietic city. Albania has been one of the strongest communist regimes in Europe, almost hermetic to the outside influence, and while the other Eastern Europe countries start developing faster and faster, Albania seems still in the 50s...