Picturesque Albania
“They are strewn with the wreckage of dead Empires – past Powers – only the Albanian ‘goes on forever.'” — Edith Durham
Given its location on the Adriatic and Ionian seas, Albania has long acted as a bridgehead for nations seeking to invade and conquer. First came the Illyrians, then the Thracians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Venetians and the Ottomans. Some stayed longer than others but the Ottomans, they stayed a really long time. Albania had barely begun to breathe the fresh air of being independent before they became a part of Nazi Germany and then a communist republic.
It was no picnic being a part of the Eastern Bloc. Tales of deprivation, stark housing conditions and scarcity abound. Where once the people tried to leave by any means possible now one can see a new spirit of hope and resilience as the country rebuilds itself and hopes to be the next IT destination on the continent rivalling nearby neighbor Greece and Croatia.
Everywhere we went, we heard about the building of a tourist infrastructure, and negotiation to become a part of the European Union to open the doors to bringing in wealth and opportunity. The people are friendly and welcoming, great food, a growing wine industry, and beautiful scenery all at a wonderful price.
As our trip comes to a close, I can only conclude that the Majestic Balkans were majestic indeed and a revelation. I am glad to have visited now while they are still unspoiled without hordes of tourists.
Ohrid and Macedonia in our rear-view mirror we made our way towards Tirana. Bunkers began to crop up on the hillsides and we heard the tales of how these bunkers were built all over the country. We would see many more once we arrived in Tirana. On the road, we stopped for a quick bio break.
The area was teeming with a lot of young people potentially from 16 to 18 or so in age. As we waited in line at the women’s restroom it was interesting to see that the teenagers had cornered a couple of bathrooms and were taking turns without actually going through the line. We raised our eyebrows but shrugged it off as a local idiosyncrasy.
Then Mimi, our Albanian tour manager in training arrived and gave the girls a strong talking to about how tourists should be treated in their country. It was funny to see the sheepish expressions and chagrin on those young girls faces. You never know what lies around the corner when you are traveling to faraway places.
The Remembrance Day symbolism of the poppy started with a poem written by a World War I brigade surgeon who was struck by the sight of the red flowers growing on a ravaged battlefield. He wrote a poem; “In Flanders Field,” in which he channeled the voice of the fallen soldiers buried under those hardy poppies.
Subsequently the poppies were adopted as a symbol of remembrance for lives lost during the war. This memorial on the road to Tirana commemorates the fallen in World War II.
Inside the Fortress in Elbasan. We arrived close to lunch time. After having duly admired the architectural Roman ruins just outside the fortress we made our way inside the fortress. Here there is an entire town and way of life that thrives inside the walls including the remains of the Roman Road. Oranges perfumed the air as we made our way across the town finally stopping for lunch at a delightful restaurant built right into the city walls.
Did you know that Albanian Pizza is almost better than Italian Pizza, depending on taste, might even be better. We did not have time for an elaborate lunch but settled for some delicious salads with a promise of Pizza for dinner.
This park commemorates the past and provides hope for the future. In the far distance are concrete pillars from a cell in a notorious labor camp, whereas in the foreground is a bunker. Thousands of these were scattered all over Tirana and in fact one of the large ones has been turned into a museum. This fragment of the Berlin Wall symbolizes freedom and hope for a brighter future which seems very evident as you walk the streets and see cars and bicycles and traffic signals that function better than ours here in the US.
The silhouette of the modern Tirana. Churches, Mosques, shopping centers and skyscrapers. The country is rebuilding and there is a general sense of wellbeing and optimism.
The iconic poster outside the National Historical Museum in Tirana which depicts the heroes of the working class. It makes quite the impact when you approach the entrance.
While she may have been born in next door Macedonia, Albania honors its famous daughter. Not only does she have pride in place in the museum, but the Tirana airport is named for her with a statue of hers in the nearby square.
She certainly recognized herself as Albanian even though the communist government did not give her permission to return home during their strict regime. “My Albanian people are always in my heart. I pray very much to our Lord that His peace may come to our hearts, in our families and in all the world.” - Mother Teresa
Modern shops, restaurants and these shady pedestrian areas are to be found all over the city with cafes and music. Our group was visiting the Bunkart Museum but a couple of us had no interest in going into a dark place and seeing all manner of nasty spying devices etc. so we snuck away and got a cup of coffee in this little nook while we waited for the group to finish.
The castle at Kruje, photo credit to @VickyFassio. Some of us decided that we did not want to make the climb up to the castle, so we decided to spend our time shopping in the bazaar that was located at the foot of the castle and then got some cappuccinos and lattes.
The bazaar was magical and full of all manner of interesting and fun things. Since it was our last day in the Balkans, I think almost everyone of us bought something here.
This ferocious cat was up in a tree right above where I was resting my feet. As it turned out she was one scared kitty since she couldn’t figure out how to climb down from her perch. No amount of coaxing would bring her down.
Soon we had a few local shop keepers get into the action, one of them fetched a ladder and tried to get her down. By now she was too frightened to take the chance so since we had a lunch to attend and a local folkloric show to attend, we left her in the care of the locals and went on our way.
All in a day’s travel experiences.
A beautiful villa on the outskirts of Tirana. No doubt once the home of someone important in the communist party but now a fancy restaurant where we had our farewell dinner.
Farewell to the Balkans. Farewell to Nikola one of the best tour managers that I have traveled with. Farewell to our wonderful group who bonded and became a family. Vicky Fassio and I first met on the Gate1 Solo Group during the pandemic as we played travel games to satisfy our love of travel, what a pleasure it was to meet in person in Bucharest and then spend 13 days traveling together. What are the odds?
Goodluck to Mimi our tour manager in training who is no doubt successfully leading her own group now. An absolutely wonderful trip traveling through 4 countries who’ve seen some dark times but are now embracing the future in such a positive way.