Tirana, Albania

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Note: nearly all pictures of my time in Albania were deleted due to a software glitch.

The most common question you will ever hear about Albania is "where is it?", closely followed by "what is there to do there?". The answers are "just north-west of Greece" and "not much" respectively.
If asked why I decided to go there, the only honest answer I could muster is that I knew nothing about it, that it was close by, and that I was told I could hitchhike there without too much trouble.
The last part was only partly true; It took me three rides to get to the border with Albania, despite it being a short drive away. Once I crossed it, there was a significant walk until I reached anything mildly resembling civilization from which I could find another ride. The last ride was a long journey to Tirana, the capital city, with two interestin Albanians who did not speak a word of English. This lack of English turned out to be typical of the general population, which gave me reason to improve my pantomiming skills.

After performing the usual song and dance a few times, I started wondering at this staggering lack of English, and asked around. It seems for one reason or another, the country remained closed to much of the outside world until very recently, and as such, no one had much reason or opportunity to learn much English. This country's closed nature is also evident in the lack of the usual global corporations. You will not find a single McDonald's or KFC here, but you will find a Klonat and an AFC if you look for them. I did stumble across a mall near the center of the city with a few familiar brands, though I suspect most of the locals buy their wares at the local marketplaces (where one can find live chickens next to knock-off track-suits). It is these quaint and unusual details that give Tirana it's charms.

Travelling outside of Tirana in Albania gives you as nice a variety as one can ask for so long as you're willing to put up with dirt roads and buses that take forever. Kruje has neat cobble-stoned bazaars and a fortress-museum. Pellumbas is a tiny village at the base of a mountainous climb culminating in a drip cave. Durres offers a touristy Mediterranean shore with that unmistakable seaside smell. Berat, the city of a thousand windows, gives one a unique ancient feeling with a small town mentality. And finally, though it was too late for me to see Sarande, I was told it has a beautiful beach with excellent scuba-diving. With such diversity and pure unspoiled sights, it is no wonder that Albania came first in Lonely Planet's countries for 2011.