Albania doesn’t have a good reputation amongst Europeans. On my bus to Tirana, I was warned by an elderly man with Italian heritage to be extremely careful in Albania. Albanians were ‘uncivilised people’ compared to other Europeans he claimed. A lot of this unfortunate stereotype stems from the waves of Albanians who immigrated to other parts of Europe in the 1990s, some of whom became notoriously known for being involved … Read More
I was pretty happy when I got off the bus in Tirana. The journey from Ohrid (via Struga) in Macedonia was about 5 hours and I had spent most of the time speaking to an elderly Albanian man who had developed a slight affection for me, continuously pinching my cheeks in delight as we spoke in broken Russian. Slightly worried that I wouldn’t be able to shake him in Tirana, … Read More
Beautiful and fascinating Albania, nestled between its more developed neighbours along the Adriatic Coast, is still relatively undiscovered on the mainstream European tourist trail. The country is still waking up from years of isolationism and whilst tourism is increasing to some coastal areas, particularly close to Greece, the country as whole remains one of the few unexplored countries left in Europe. If you’re unsure which cities to include on your … Read More