I’ve been
living in a new country for more than 6 months away from my home and I have
been thinking for a while about writing this note but what stopped me is that I
couldn’t decide on the top 5 reasons to visit this amazing country but now I’ve
decided to be selfish and choose my personal favourite reasons and not the
reasons that may please everyone.
So Ladies
and Gentlemen, these are, from my own experience, my top 5 reasons why
everybody should visit Albania at least once in their lives:
- Cheap: Compared to a lot of countries and especially if you are just being a tourist and not living in the country for a long period, Albania is one of the cheapest destinations you can choose, and you keep all the good things you aim to find. From cheap hostels, to cheap flats to rent and cheap basic living expenses, as a tourist you can spend way less than you would in other countries and still have the same things and same fun. One of the things most tourists will look for is cheap bars, there are a lot of cheap bars in Albania, there is one where you can get a shot of tequila for less than a euro), and these bars aren’t shady but actually full of young beautiful people.
- Beautiful: Albania is a small country however it is one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever visited. With snow in the north (in winter) and the wonderful mountains, to the green places wherever you go and to the amazing beaches such as Dhermi and Jal (my personal paradise) add to that a pretty modern capital with headquarters of companies, embassies etc.. And the cherry on the top of the cake is the amazing Mediterranean weather. Albania has amazing places to visit during all seasons and for me that makes it an amazing country. I shouldn’t forget that Albania has an interesting history so you can always go visit museums, bunkers and old castles.
- Open and accepting: You can be a Muslim, Christian or Jewish and wear whatever represents your religion. You can pray in peace in churches and mosques you can find wherever you go. Religions live in harmony in Albania and what greater example to show this than the Pope visiting Albania and being welcomed by Christians but also Muslims even the Imams (for those who do not know what an Imam is, he is like priests in Christianity, they teach the religion (well more they preach) and lead the prayers). You can also be an Atheist, a deist or agnostic and you tell it to most people you know and nobody will judge you based on what you believe or at least that was the case for me since I got here.
- The People: You are in the Balkans so you know you’re in for a treat, especially if you are a guy looking for beautiful Ladies. Albanian women are really pretty (especially the ones I met outside of my work space). It gets tiring after a while with all the pretty faces and the perfect bodies you see everywhere you go. It is like they do it on purpose. I promise every guy who visits Albania especially during summer, a ticket to crazy land because of all the hot girls around. Second part about the people won’t be about beauty but about the other qualities. All Albanians I met outside of work (because relations there are mainly professional) are probably the nicest people I’ve ever met. From people trying to help you in even the smallest, most basic things you are trying to do to people taking you around the country to discover it for nothing in return. The best time I have had in Albania since I got here is a weekend in the south in a paradise called “Jal”, we actually were invited by friends we met a week or so before and they even drove us with their personal car. Also I will never forget how nice the old lady who works at the bakery close to my house. The smile she has on her face and the nice words she says to you every time you buy something from there even by buying three buns of bread which costs 30 lek (around 20 cents), she actually makes you feel you are doing her a favour while she is. Every time you buy something from her bakery, you can’t help but leave with a smile on your face and your mood becoming nice even if you had the worst day ever.
- Stop the stereotypes: We’ve all seen taken, probably also “let’s be cops” and fewer people watched second season of Transporter: the series, but we all know that Albanians are pictured in Hollywood and recently series form UK as these aggressive criminal brutes with nothing going on in their country but drug dealing, murder and kidnapping. However, and from a personal experience Albania has been welcoming, calm and interesting country where people live a normal life. It is true that the way people drive here is insane, probably the history of the country also makes it seem unstable and there are occasional problems between specific groups of people, but that doesn’t make it a dangerous country. We all know countries where people die daily, but they are still the dream destinations for most of the people, especially youth.
Not to
forget also, the special and unique traditions, the badass flag, the strong “Raki”,
the fact that in Tirana everything can be reached by foot, and the fact that
buses come every, maximum, 10 minutes and they take you everywhere, for the
same cheap price if you get down in one stop or if you go until last stop, and
plenty of other things.
To sum up
everything, I have to say that as every country in the world, Albania may have
some problems and issues, but more than a lot of countries it has a variety of
things to be discovered and loved!
And once
you visit it, you will leave saying: “Faleminderit, Shqipëria”
W.H
