Probably no country on our European journey so far has been more anticipated than Albania. It was new to us, having never visited before, so there was always the allure of the unknown, but more importantly it has been generally less travelled having only been a popular “mainstream” destination in the 2000’s and especially so in recent years. There’s a lot to offer in a small package and first impressions have been generally excellent ( we knew what to expect with the litter and bad roads, so have discounted those things in said impressions ). First a little history.
Anyone in our age demographic will doubtless recall Albania as the “North Korea of Europe”, the most Stalinist state of all, or the “Hermit Kingdom” where the brutally repressive communist regime of dictator, Enver Hoxha ruled with an iron fist from 1946 till his death in 1985 but the regime survived until 1992 when it was finally overthrown by a popular people’s revolution. In the years since it has developed enormously, and while it is still Europe’s poorest, the trappings of an emerging “nouveau riche” class are visible everywhere. Its infrastructure is improving and in just a couple of decades of alignment with the West a new openness has emerged ( it was essentially sealed off from the world for 45 years ). Practically all young people speak English and are eager to engage – so far we’ve been overwhelmed with friendliness and hospitality !
Happened to arrive on what must have been a busy day ( or we just chose the wrong border crossing ) as it was a long wait to cross from Montenegro – once at the border, though, we were give a very warm “Welcome to Albania” by the border guards. Then by the SIM card guy, then by the insurance guy, altogether making for an extremely smooth introduction to Albania.
Shkodër itself offered a few interesting sights – the Ottoman-era Mesi Bridge, the impressive castle ruins at Rozafa and finally ( but on a rather gruesome note ) the “Site of Witness and Memory Museum” which chronicles just some of the atrocities and persecution methods of the Albanian Secret Police and Military during the 45 year communist era. Pretty shocking stuff.
Needing something a little more mellow after the aforementioned museum, we made the trek up to Albania’s very impressive Theth National Park. It’s not a long drive, but it is extremely circuitous, very steep, and the roads are mostly very narrow, making for some hair-raising driving. It is a spectacular drive though and Theth itself is an interesting little village with some great hikes and good examples of old Albanian architecture. The weather was a bit cloudy on the way up, but sunshine broke through in the late afternoon, so we set off for at least one of the hikes we intended to do up to the Grunas waterfall. Lucky we found some Albanians to help us find the way as it was not well marked, but the waterfall at the end was quite spectacular, as were the views out to the surrounding mountains. Theth itself sits in a beautiful valley high up in the Albanian Alps – everywhere you look is panoramic. Sadly, the following day was quite overcast with rain threatening, so we were unable to get in any more hikes. Sometimes you just have to take what you can get, glad we did the waterfall at least. Also enjoyed a beautiful night camping by the river, which provided us one of the most peaceful night’s sleep we can remember.
From the elevated heights of Theth we backtracked to Shkoder and then on down the main highway to Albania’s capital city of Tirana. First stop was the very impressive “House of Leaves” museum ( documenting the history of the former communist regime, and the degree of secret surveillance they employed on citizens ), some Cold War bunker tours ( there were lots of bunkers ! ), a wander through the heart of Tirana and especially Skanderbeg Square where some of their national monuments are located, An extremely interesting day – we learned a ton about Albania.
With that our time in Tirana was done, incredible to think how much this country has changed in the 33 years since the end of communist era and truly interesting to talk to knowledgeable Albanians about their past, present, and hopes for the future. We’ll continue to explore the south of the country in the coming blog.
Till next week……
In Case You Wondered:
Q: What do you do about washing and drying clothes when you spend so long on the road ?
A: In Western Europe no problem, laundromats are everywhere, but we did find them harder to come by in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia ( and in some cases much more expensive ). We carry enough clothes to go two weeks between washes and that has been a very wise move. The app we use is helpful in locating laundromats or we simply Google search “laundromat near me”.
Hey. When are you in Croatia? We should meet up. We’re in Slit for two nights.
Hi Lorena !
That would have been nice but we are already in Turkey…😟. Hope you are enjoying Croatia – we’ll need to compare notes when we return home !
Hi to Keith 😊
Jeff/Lo
Never made it to coveted Theth although working three years in Albania in the nineties. because had no business there. Time to make a try, maybe.
Hi Ole !
What a fascinating time it must have been to be in Albania, just as things were beginning to change for the better. With Theth, much of the appeal is actually the drive up there. I wished we could’ve done more hikes, but the weather closed in shortly after we arrived. Just a very cool place…! Hi to Britt 😊
Beautiful country and very interesting history,we’ll try and get to Europe on our next trip.
Thanks Phil, you will enjoy it. Just need to ignore the litter in Albania !
I have to admit I was grievously lacking in any knowledge of Albania. Wonderful photos. Glad the people are riding above their gruesome past. Thanks.
As were we, Penny, picked up lots once we got there. But yes, a gruesome past it was indeed 😞
Hi Jeff and Lois
Super interesting! Thanks for sharing such great posts, I would never have thought about Albania until reading this one.
Safe travels!
Brent
Glad to hear, Brent ! You would like it 😊
Fascinating to see what looks like gabions beneath that Ottoman era bridge for erosion control!
Yes, indeed Chris !!! Some modern technology to the rescue. Gabions are holding up our backyard in Kelowna 😊!
It looks like you missed the scenic and historic town of Berat on your Albanian tour.
We had a great experience at “River Side Camping” and the most gracious host you would ever meet at “Homemade Food by Lili”. Lili is the server who wants to know all about your trip and an absolutely delicious dinner prepared by his talented wife in their picturesque home.
Spectacular views and hiking at nearby Osumi Canyon cemented our love for Albania as a destination on our Sprinter van European tour in 2023.
Wonderfully hospitable people throughout our month in the country. It all began with the border guard who greeted us as we entered from Greece whose first words were, “Welcome to Albania! We are glad you have come to visit our country”.
Hi John !
Stay tuned for the next edition – Berat ( which we loved ) is on that one 😊. However, we did miss “Lilli” 😟. You are absolutely right about the people, they were incredibly hospitable and curious everywhere we went. We had exactly the same experience as we came in from Montenegro, a big “welcome to Albania!”. Loved it ( if they could just do something about the garbage/litter ) 😉….
What an amazing trip. You two are so adventurous. I admire your spirit.
Hi Susan,
So nice to hear from you, hope all is well in the Kootenay’s ! Glad you are enjoying following along 😊.