When cycling through Europe, Albania was always one of those countries I really did not know what to expect from. This tiny country by the Mediterranean sea really stands out like "the odd one" that sadly, many people tends to avoid. It is also easy to forget since its getting overshadowed by its tourist giants such as Greece or Croatia where most Europeans prefer to go on vacation when it comes to the south/eastern parts of Europe. Albania just cannot keep up with those countries because of the poor economical state and political history where Albania kind of "came late to the party" and remained with a certain "bad" reputation.
Albania is not a typical country that is suited for a charter vacation. But it is a country for those backpackers or tour cyclists that wants to see something more real to how life really is for those that struggles. It's a country with some rough edges where you will both find heartbreaking truth about that the world is really not fair. But at the same time, beautifully open-minded people and culture that even puts the western countries to shame in some regard. (more on that later).
The Albanian story of communism still has its impact today
I guess I have a soft spot for post-communism countries since it is always those countries that end up leaving a remarkable impression on my memory.
Albania was a communist-dominated country all the way back from 1942 up to late as 1992. When then a democratic party won the most votes and the country started to open up to the outer world and develop accordingly.
It is no coincidence countries that have had a long period of communism are all struggling to find their foothold. Romania is also a case of this, as I also wrote about recently. Usually, it's because of the drastic shift of life-style that the people have to adapt to. While at the same time suddenly having to catch up to its neighboring countries that already have established a great deal of tourism and reputation for themselves. Where usually communism will be seen as a "stain" by many people in western countries. Also despite their attempt, they have not been accepted to join the European Union up to this date and only quite reason even became a candidate for it.
I never go with judging a country on its political history or its reputation from the media. Instead, I like to dive into the country to see what it is really like to visit as a foreigner.
To understand the Albanians behavior you most understand their situation
While I cycled through this unusual country you could really see right away that the Albanian people are not used to see tourists. Their behavior towards foreigners is something I have yet to experience in such a degree elsewhere. It is hard to describe but it would happen to me no matter what I was doing;
Cars would honk at you usually followed by cheering.
If you were to sit in a small cafe in some ancient village, it would at times feel like the whole village would come to join you.
People would stop up to give you free watermelons.
Some would take pictures of you.
Most would try to get a little extra money from what you were buying.
Traveling through Albania made sure you didn't have one boring day. Everyone would be kind to you, but sometimes you would not know if it is because they would think of you as an easy money source or they would actually be curious about who you are. Usually, it would be a combination.
It is important to understand that the people in Albania don't have a high living standard compared to the rest of the western world. So instead of getting offended by the fact they try to earn a few extra euros from you, try to understand their situation.
350euro/month their average salary and among the lowest in Europe. Now, this is including those who live in cities where usually the average salary will be higher. But also means many lives on an even lower amount than 350euro.
For those people, it will always be a struggle to pay for education, food, and a roof over your head. Let alone many would never have the money to pay for a simple phone. I've met young people who took their primary school and from there really had no other future then taking whatever low paid job they could. Nothing comes easy in Albania.
Albania is absurdly cheap so sometimes I did not mind giving a little extra if it were a small cafe. Many times the cafe owner would actually join you at your table. (yes, very informal).
In these cases, I enjoyed the company so much that giving 1 or 2 euro extra for the food didn't matter to me, but I knew it mattered a lot for them.
In other cases, I stood my ground.
Bargaining for the price is not unusual in Albania and the rare occasion I would go to a hostel/hotel and the moment they would see you are foreigner they would move the price up by 15 to 20 euro. But usually after a bit of talking they would bring the price down to normal levels again.
It is important to note if you are by the coastline this happens much less since tourism is more present there. But inland its a whole other ballgame.
Rules are not really rules... they are merely guidelines
Overall, rules felt more like guidelines. For example, cycling on the highway would officially be illegal. But people would advise me to do it anyway because of the poor road network throughout the country. It felt weird at first and when cars "honked" at me I thought it was meant in a bad way, but quickly turned out people were just having fun. I was so sure that some police car would come chasing after me and put me into an Albanian prison. I gotta admit my heart stopped for a second when I passed a police car holding on the sideway, where two policemen were looking at me from distance. But when I got closer they merely just waved with a big smile back at me and yelling "Përshëndetje!" which means "Hello!".
So don't be surprised if the Albanian people come up with some unusual suggestion for your travel. The locals always know best.
In fact, guidelines seem to go beyond just rules, it is also in their religious practice. Albania is a country that hosts a lot of different religions and where the majority is quite diverse across Islamic religions and Christianity. You would think this diversity would create trouble but I have heard from multiple locals who spoke with me that it is simply not the case.
Albanians seem to have a very open-minded approach. Muslims, Christians or orthodox alike was allowed to marry each other across religions. Not something you would expect to hear from a country like Albania where other values might not always be of the same as western countries.
For example, one old man told me:
"We don't judge each other's identity based on if you are Muslim, Christian or Orthodox, we are all Albanians."
That is quite a statement and beautiful to witness that some places in the world people seem to truly accept their differences. Of course, people have different opinions so you might experience differently but this is what I got out from talking to the Albanian people.
What you should know before going to Albania
Despite Albania is a small country they really have a lot to show. Inland you will find surprisingly a lot of mountains.
But be aware, if you are traveling by car or bike some roads might suddenly turn into something wheels are not made to roll over. From a perfectly newly made road it is not uncommon it suddenly stops as their budget ended. When you reach these points you will probably see some Albanian ride around on his donkey... I did try to trade my bike for a donkey but he didn't seem to see it as a good deal on his part. So use the highway unless you are in for an adventure.
Even Albanians are not drinking their water from the sinks. Instead, you will have to buy plastic bottles from the store.
Ironically you will find that despite the excessive use of plastic bottles the country are using they don't have any sufficient recycling system. That means their otherwise beautiful nature are ruined by the overflow of plastic. Of course, this is not an uncommon sight in other countries but it can still break a heart to see how beautiful it could have been. Again, Albania is very beautiful but sadly this is the reality of a country with low resources that some parts will be full of plastic.
Outside major cities, people really don't speak English. But German? APPARENTLY SO. I was lucky enough I found a German person to travel with on bike at the border of Albania(yes, very convenient). He was able to have conversations with most people we met along the way, especially those in older age.
Just don't be afraid
It is easy to see why Albania is not the main attraction when it comes to holiday. I hear many people who decide to avoid this country out of fear of getting robbed or killed. But this is really not the reality and for a backpacker or other forms of travelers, it is an experience you should not avoid. People are friendly, helpful and super entertaining. They don't follow rules like many in the western world do, but it really has its charm and leads to some great moments.
Albania ended up being one of the highlights of my Europe cycling trip and for good reason. It showed me the world is not equal. I know probably everyone heard this saying, but it is different to hear about it and actually see it. It is for sure a country of many contrasts and because of that, it will remain one of my most recommended countries to visit for those with an itch to see something... A little different.
-holm