Tirana

We're back in Tirana for our last night before we fly to Athens for a couple days. Here's some final thoughts on Albania.

Fun fact: if I were to use the terms that Albanians use when saying "Albanians speak Albanian in Albania" I would say " Shqiptarët speak Shqipe in Shqiperia." Thank God most of them speak English! And for every place name there are two ways to pronounce or spell it. We don't use the definite and indefinite like they do here. So you'll see some inconsistencies in whether I write something like Shkoder/Shkodra or Permet/Permeti. They'll understand you regardless.

I would highly recommend Albania for a vacation. It's totally safe here. And it's dirt cheap. Albania is much more advanced than most Americans would realize. It's not like the majority of people live in huts in the mountains. Most people speak at least two languages, especially English and some of them are true polyglots. Given the location to Italy, many also speak Italian and many older people speak a little Chinese because of an exchange program that started in the '60s and '70s.

Older Albanian men seem to be pretty loud when they converse. I think either they're hard of hearing or that's just a cultural thing. It's very noticeable. You think they're arguing and that they're about to fight but they are probably best friends just talking about sports or politics or whatever. And perhaps the ever-present raki is involved.

Cafe culture is huge here. People spend so much time in cafes. They're hard workers, but you have to wonder when they work. If I walk by a cafe and notice someone sitting there I can go back in an hour and a half and they'll still be there, maybe even nursing that one Espresso. They're very social and no one would be inside on the internet or watching TV when you can be outside in a cafe talking with friends or family or strolling at night after dinner.

They do the siesta here. I never did look up what it's called, but cities become ghost towns between 3 and 6. Between 6:30 pm and 9:30 EVERYONE is out and about and businesses are open.

They really like Mercedes cars here. They're everywhere and there are a lot of them. Some are pretty old but still run. I asked a taxi driver once why there's so many and he said they last forever! Just 10 years ago or so, the roads were pretty bad and the Mercedes can take a beating so everyone loves them. I see a few Mercedes with the driver's side on the right and you can tell they imported it from England.

And while people are extremely friendly here, they're not the most considerate drivers. They'll park on pedestrian crosswalks all the time or on the sidewalk. And they really like to drive backwards. That probably has to do with the fact that there's no easy way to drive around the block in these ancient cities. They won't think twice about causing a traffic jam if they have to turn around.

Another odd thing I noticed is that of the five places we rented that had televisions, only one of them worked! I don't travel around the world to watch television, but sometimes you can learn a lot about a culture by watching their news or their TV shows. But 1 for 5? Maybe there is no over the air TV anymore.

The food is amazing. On the coast, there's lots of seafood but in the mountains it's all classic mountain food like meats, stews, cheeses, etc. They grow grapes and olives here. The wines we had were decent but not world class. But I would call them an excellent value if you get house wine at a restaurant.

And as far as transportation goes, it is a toss-up as to whether you should get your own car or rely on buses. They drive incredibly aggressive here and it's a shock to the system. I would not want to drive around Tirana. But car rentals are cheap. If you want to rent a car here, I would do it in a major city with a credit card from a reputable company. But parking is definitely going to be a problem in any city of any size.

There are no real bus stations anywhere in the country! Instead, buses just kind of congregate in a certain area and you have to walk around looking for the sign in the window or ask people which bus goes where and at what time. It's awkward, but it works.

Dry bathroom floors? Forget it. Albanians fail in that regard. It's really not that hard to keep shower water off the bathroom floor, but they haven't figured it out. We've been in several places with shower rods, but no curtain. Why? Or no lip/curb/tub to prevent water from collecting all over the floor. And there's no toilet seats in most public bathrooms. But this is a small price to pay for all the joy Albania has to offer.

Except for the one day of our car rental, we took buses everywhere or hired a driver. That takes longer but it's pretty cheap and has worked out for us. The one day I did drive I felt relieved that we could have such freedom to drive up in the mountains and visit some out of the way places. Thank god our car didn't break down in a remote area.

If you like castles and interesting history, this is the place for you. If you like a cheap beach vacation, this is the place for you. If you like mountains and outdoor activity, then this is the place for you. It's a corner of the world most Americans don't know anything about and I've thoroughly enjoyed it.

In sum, Albania has definitely been discovered by the rest of Europe and it's no longer off the beaten path. There are lots of Europeans here and especially those with RVs. The mountains and river valleys are just stunning and these rural areas are still relatively undiscovered. I have a feeling this country is going through major changes and might look totally different within just 10 years. The beach places are on the Ionian or Adriatic seas, the same as Croatia and Italy, but everything costs less than half. If you're up for an adventure, put it on your list!

More photos and videos are here.

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