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I didn't see a single mouse or rat while I was in Albania - I was told the rodent population is very low - but we did see lots of tiny little lizards crawling up the walls during the evening. Quite a fascinating sight.
Pigs seem to roam freely in Albania - or at least they did in Ksamili. There were at least two or three decent sized porkers just wandering around the streets of the village, eating whatever they could get their trotters on, which usually seemed to be the rubbish from the local midden. When you've seen the pigs chomping away on a bit of plastic, it rather puts you off your pork dinner...
While driving across the Vrina plain, between the villages of Vrina and Xarra, we saw a group of buildings just outside Xarra that seemed to have been completely abandoned. When we asked what this place was, we were told that it was one of the old communist state farms. It seems that there are lots of these farms scattered around the country, left to fall apart now that everyone is working privately again after the fall of communism. This is also why there are so many olive groves that are completely untouched, with olives falling off the trees for lack of someone to pick them.
For the many decades under his domination, Enver Hoxha created and destroyed relationships with Belgrade, Moscow, and China, always in his personal interests. During the period that Hoxha was cultivating the friendship of China, China supplied Albania with various goods - apparently including this Chinese truck, which is now rusting in a driveway in Ksamili!
As I was unsure what to expect in Albania since the UK foreign office recommends no travel in the country. So the plan was a quick blast through it and in to Greece So I didn't bother getting any currency. In fact as we had just spent the last week in Croatia so I didn't even have much in the way of Euro either, just left with about 20 Kuna and 30 Euro. But we were well stocked with beer and food and had a full tank of fuel.However the Border guards soon stripped us of our euros with 5 for disenfection and 5 for motor Insurance and 10 each for visas. But they turned up their noses in disgust when I offered to pay in Croatian Kuna even at ridiculous exchange rates. However I managed to get a policeman to swap me 500 Lek (that is about correct rate for 5 Euro) for a Scottish fiver. However even the young hustlers in Durres who made a living selling copied CD's of Balkan hardcore rave music...
Looking down from every hillside, sprouting out of every bank, are the cracked and rusting domes of the defence bunkers - a concrete legacy of the paranoid imagination of Albania's communist ruler for 40 years, Enver Hoxha.Apparently there is one bunker for every four Albanians.
'Tirana in your Pocket' is a great little find. It has some background information on Albania and interesting sites to visit. You will also be able to check out restaurants, hotels, hostels, and even find a clean western restroom or a non-smoking coffee shop! It is well written with a good sense of humor. I have been to many of their listings and have found them most always very accurate. I would highly recommend picking this up before you next trip to Tirana! I have it and I live here!http://www.inyourpocket.com/albania/tirana/en/
Some of the main things I remember about Albania are the noises. The sheep's bells clonking as they roam around; the cock crowing early in the morning, and the donkey joining inn with a startling bray. The song of the cicadas at night, when you're relaxing with a drink... ah, beautiful.
The suspended bridge on the first photo was really “home made”. When walking on it, it was swinging right and left, up and down! The good thing was that the river was not far below!The second photo shows a more elaborate suspended bridge, close to Lezhë.
In the lowlands of Albania, drainage has allowed to turn marshes in excellent agricultural land that are very fertile. The season was too early to have here any crop but I have read that in 1988, Albania used to produce enough corn to feed its people without any import.
Sheraton Tirana Hotel and Towers Tirana
4 Reviews and 70 Opinions Having spent approximately 5 months in the Sheraton-Tirana, I know the "ins" and the "outs" of the...
Hotel Berati Berat
3 Opinions
Grand Hotel Europa Shkoder
11 Opinions
Reviews and photos of Albania attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Albania sightseeing.
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Q: Hello all I'm planning to visit Albania in 2012 and i need every bit of advice going. There doesn't seem to be a huge amount of...
A: I have been to Albania several times over the years and i would say you should try and make a visit to Berat aswell as Girokaster. These places are very scenic places...
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