Albania

We arrived in the capital of Albania, Tirana, a little later than expected because we spent more time in Kosovo.  I thought we might actually make up some of that time when I saw how nice the highway was...until we got closer to Tirana.  Then the road went from this

to this.

I had heard that Albanian roads were bad, and I had heard a lot of other things about Albania, too, and most of them were not good. When JG told the Serbian border patrol guy that our travel plans included Albania, he threw up his hands. "No! No! No! Macedonia, Montenegro, it's OK, but no Albania!"  Our Macedonian host was more diplomatic about it, but he, too, said that Albania had the reputation of having lots of mafiosos and criminals.  I honestly didn't see that. I can't give more than my quick impressions of Albania, because, truth be told, we were there about 20 hours, at least a third of which I was sleeping, and another third we were on the road. This is what I know:


1. Some of the Albanian roads were the worst I'd seen on the trip. I was wondering if some of them are left that way on purpose, since some of the drivers were the worst I'd seen on the trip...maybe the bad roads slow them down?!

The car on the right drove on the shoulder until the exit...and drove the wrong way on that, too. (photo courtesy of LC)

2. The name for Albania in Albanian isn't Albania. In English, Spanish and Italian, it's Albania; German: Albanien; in Albanian, it's SHQIPERI. (I would love to know where "Albania" came from.)

3.  Albanian people are really friendly. Not knowing what to expect, I did hang on to my purse more tightly there than in other places, but really, Albanian people were super nice! Tirana was the only place where people stopped and asked us if we needed help, and they took the time to give really good directions.



4. Albanians are hard-working people. People in the countryside seemed pretty industrious.  We saw lots of small farms and gardens in front yards. Even right outside of Tirana you can see people walking their cows or goats (yes, walking them).

6.  Tirana is a bustling city. People were dressed up and ready to go out...on a Monday night. Contrary to the impression you might get from movies, people generally looked happy and appeared to have full sets of teeth. 

downtown Tirana

6. Two words I learned in Albanian: faleminderit (thank you) and shitet (for sale). One I said a lot; the other I read a lot.

7.  Albanians ♥ America. Tirana is the only place outside of the U.S. where I have seen so many American flags: they lined the main highway, they were on official Albanian buildings, they were even in random restaurant windows. There were more Albanian flags, of course, and some EU flags, but American flags far outnumbered the EU flags.  It was an unfamiliar, yet very comforting, feeling. (It's not just my opinion, either. The Albanians' love for the U.S. was the subject of this NYT article.)

 

restaurant in downtown Tirana with American flag and Albanian flag in the window (courtesy of LC)

George W. Bush has his own busy street in downtown Tirana; the cross street is named after an Albanian writer/politician/hero

roadside paintings of flags--I can't remember if the one on the left is a EU flag or Kosovo flag (courtesy of LC)

8. Albania is a place I'd like to go again...maybe not to sight-see, but just to hang out.  The food was good and inexpensive, the people were great, and the country isn't very tourist-y.  I'd like to see the coast, too!

roadside map of Albania

Kosovo

Croatia, Albania, somewhere near Romania...
It's Euro, and NATO, why the hell do we go?
Pristina, blew up, huh? Head for Macedonia! I'll race ya!

--song parody protesting U.S. involvement in Kosovo (1999)


 

When I think of Kosovo, I think of that song, bombs, and refugees.  I don't think of tourism.  Well, at least, I didn't...until recently.

After Skopje, the plan was to head to Tirana, Albania.  According to google maps, though, there are two routes that should take nearly the same amount of time: one route that goes through the Lake Ohrid area in southwestern Macedonia, and a second route that goes through Prizren, Kosovo.  How many opportunities does one get to go to Kosovo? We chose route #2.

A little background info:  Kosovo has been contested by Serbs and Albanians for centuries.  Though the Serbs claim this land as their own and as sacred land, the majority of the people who live there are Albanians. In Communist-era Yugoslavia, Kosovo was given autonomous status.  In 1989 Kosovo's autonomy was revoked by Serbian president Milosevic, and Kosovo again became part of Serbia--much to the dismay of the Albanians who lived there; they claimed horrific treatment and discrimination by the Serbs. This eventually led to conflict, and the fighting didn't stop until NATO bombed the Serbian capital in 1999.

Knowing Kosovo's history of war and the fact that it used to be part of Serbia, I expected lots of bombed-out buildings, and frankly, lots of trash.  I was also a little nervous, because I had been the one to suggest taking this detour.  We weren't near the areas that are known to still be dangerous or that sustained the most damage in the war, but the country itself isn't considered stable yet (for example, you have to buy car insurance at the border because insurance that covers the rest of Europe is not valid in Kosovo). Still, I wasn't anticipating any trouble, because I read that they love Americans!

Signs thanking the Kosovo Liberation Army, the U.S., and NATO

I was amazed at how pretty and clean it was, and how much was under construction all over the countryside. I was also amazed by the view of the mountains.

I understand why Serbia wanted to hang on to this land; it's beautiful!

It took a little longer than google maps had suggested, but we made it to the picturesque city of Prizren for a late lunch.

 

 

Just as I had imagined, the people were fabulous.  One example: LC collects small flags for her classroom, and when she saw a few Albanian flags inside a store window, we just had to go in and inquire about buying one.  The salesman didn't speak English, so LC pointed at the flag.  He handed her the flag, but when LC held up a few Euros, he crossed his hands, and then separated them--it looked like he was saying no. She offered money again, and this time, the guy--who was couldn't have been more than 20 years old--put his hands to his chest, then held them out to her...he wanted her to have the flag. After that, I felt I had to buy something in that store; Kosovo, though, is lacking in the souvenir department. I ended up paying one Euro a piece for two homemade-looking magnets with the Kosovo flag on them.

The land was beautiful and the people were lovely, but that's not to say that there aren't problems. Kosovo has the highest unemployment in the region, and we saw an awful lot of men in the towns who didn't seem to have anything to do.  It was also pretty obvious which towns were primarily Albanian, and which were Serb.  The ski town of Brezovica is covered in Serbian flags, while all the surrounding towns have tons of Albanian flags. You can even tell by the colors on the signs; a hotel sign that was black and red was a sure sign that it was an Albanian-owned hotel in an Albanian town.

one of the large monuments to the Kosovo Liberation Army in the colors of the Albanian flag

Serbian Orthodox church surrounded with barbed wire...at least it doesn't have to be guarded, right?

What kind of toys are these???

There is a lot of progress, though. There seems to be a lot of construction going on, courtesy of the EU and Turkey.  I had read somewhere that a few years ago, if you were driving on the old road from Prizren to Tirana, Albania you shouldn't get off the main road because there may still have been land mines. That shouldn't be a problem anymore with this perfect, new highway that appears to have been blasted out of the mountains.

We stayed on this highway until shortly before Tirana....that, though, is a whole different story! :)

Macedonia

We had planned to be in Skopje before dark, but a line at the border crossing insured that that didn't happen.

Once we crossed the border, the plan was to find our hotel, and then quickly go out and find something to eat. Macedonia is one of those countries where you have to check in with the local police within 24 hours of arriving.  The hotels do that for you, but that means they need to record all of your information. When the guy at the reception desk wrote down my info in the hotel log, he informed me that I was the 8000th guest at the hotel! I laughed and asked, "Do I get a prize?"  As it turned out, I did.  The owner of the hotel, Vladimir, happened to be standing there at reception, and had heard the entire conversation; he then took us on a tour of downtown Skopje. Vladimir also treated us to dinner at his friends' Italian restaurant (he seemed to know everyone in town, so I would guess most restaurants would be his friends' restaurants).

I didn't have any idea what to expect in Skopje, but our dear guide helped put it all in perspective. Everything seemed to be under construction.  As Vladimir put it, "Everywhere there is an empty space they put a building; here's a building, here's a building", and where there wasn't enough room for a building, they put a statue instead.  Vladimir was concerned about the government spending all of his granddaughter's money (sound familiar?), but he liked that at least now there was some sort of city planning happening.

 

I thought a lot of the new construction was too much; there is a statue in front of the columns, and then a statue in front of the statue

 

Skopje's famous stone bridge is now surrounded by beautiful, new government buildings...it makes it dificult to see the old fortress

Another building going up by yet another statue

The next morning we did a little shopping and sightseeing in Skopje. I wasn't crazy about all of the new stuff,  but the old stuff--the old bridge, the fortress, the churches--was nice.

 Alexander the Great statue in the center of town; the two-year-old statue reportedly cost €5 million

 

 

 

 St. Clement Church; I really like Orthodox churches!

 

 

 We spent some money on gifts and souvenirs in the Mother Teresa Memorial House (Did you know she was born in Macedonia?) before we headed out of town. 

statue of Mother Teresa in front of the Mother Teresa Memorial House

We were originally going to go through the Lake Ohrid area on our way to Tirana, but we opted for a different route that supposedly took the same amount of time: through southern Kosovo.

  

Lunch in Belgrade

The plan for the road trip after Budapest was a Balkan dream:
→ Belgrade, Serbia
→ Skopje, Macedonia
→ Tirana, Albania
→ Kotor, Montenegro
→ Dubrovnik, Croatia
→ Mostar, Bosnia
→ Split, Croatia

our original plan; thank you, google maps!

From Split, LC and I would fly back to Frankfurt, and JG would drive back to Budapest.  All of this would occur in just eight days. Sound ambitious? It was, and yet, we did it all, and still ended up adding a few scenic detours along the way.  It was more of an American-style, drive-by kind of trip than I normally like to do, but now I know which places I want to go back to and spend more time in.

Of all the places we were going, the one I was probably the most apprehensive about was, surprisingly, Serbia.  I had read enough about the Balkans to imagine that the Serbs wouldn't like Americans very much, and I had also read enough to feel the same about them.  My attitude toward the Serbs softened, though, after we crossed the border and I saw how a lot of them lived.  Serbia had seemingly been the most powerful of all of the republics in the former Yugoslavia, but it definitely didn't look the part. Serbia looked a lot more run-down than I expected.

I think if you want to see how people in any country really live, take a look at the countryside. If I had to choose which of the countries we went to was the poorest just by looking at the homes along the way, I would say Serbia. That is saying a lot, since we went through ALBANIA--whose reputation is of being the poorest country in Europe--and BOSNIA--where a lot of bombed-out buildings are still (sort-of) standing.

A lot of the homes looked weary, yet unfinished. There was also an astonishing amount of trash, especially around lakes or creeks.  

sign at the entrance of the city of Belgrade

We stopped in Serbia's capital city, Belgrade, for lunch and a quick look around. One of the great benefits of working at an international school is the connections you make with other teachers.  After a few years, many of your colleagues will leave to teach in other international schools, and you end up with friends all over the world.  JG had one such friend in Belgrade, and she gave us a tour of the sites downtown. The center of Belgrade had that charming, "old Europe" feel to it. If you like gazing at majestic-looking old buildings and churches like I do, you would love the downtown area.

center of the city; lots of shops and kiosks loaded with souvenirs

The old military headquarters has been left much as it was after NATO bombed it in 1999; it is supposedly a "culturally-protected monument"

the National Museum is getting a facelift

Near the downtown area is a grand fortress at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers.  Unfortunately, while we were there it started pouring buckets of rain, making it difficult to get good pictures.  By the time the downpour was over, we had moved on to the trendy area of Skadarlija,  with lots of restaurants and coffee shops.

These murals were painted on old buildings in the cute area of Skadarlija

In retrospect, I shouldn't have been so concerned about being an American in Serbia; everyone we came into contact with was very nice to us.  I would like to have had more time to talk to with people, but  we had to leave mid-afternoon...we were trying to make it to Skopje, Macedonia before dark!

    

     





        

Road Trip! First Stop: Budapest

I can't explain my fascination for the Balkan countries, but I have wanted to visit them for a long time.  It turns out, I wasn't alone: my friend LC wanted to go, too, and her friend JG wanted to drive! First, though, I would have to get to where JG lives: Budapest--another city on my (long) list of places to visit.

I flew to Budapest on Good Friday, arriving in the early afternoon.  We were starting our road trip south early Easter Sunday, which meant I had little more than 36 hours in Budapest. It was a whirlwind tour, but the city did not disappoint.  Everything about Budapest is grand...take a look at the McDonald's in the train station:

 

 

 ...a subway stop, restored to its former look:

 

 

 

...Monument Park, the graveyard of old, communist-era statues:

 

 

 Even the Easter Market seemed upscale, with REAL food and handcrafts to buy.

 

 

 

 

Budapest Castle

 

 

 

The weather was cold and the skies were gray, but the old buildings of the Austro-Hungarian Empire were spectacular--especially at night.

 view from the Budapest Castle; St. Matthias Church (Church of Our Lady) on the left

 view of the Parliament building from the Castle

I didn't have enough time in Budapest, but that would be a recurring theme during the next several days.  Next stop: Belgrade, Serbia!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Since it is St. Patrick's Day, I thought it would be a good time to mention a trip I took two weeks ago to Dublin.

In the garden next to St. Patrick's in Dublin

I was only there for less than 48 hours, but it was enough time to realize that the Irish are some of the friendliest people I have ever encountered.  To give you an example: we had a late flight on Friday night, and it was nearly midnight when we got on the bus to our hotel.  We didn't realize we had missed our stop until it was too late, and when we asked the bus driver which direction we should start walking to the hotel, he took a look at the back of the bus, and said, "You know what? I'll take you." Two stops later, the driver turned the empty double-decker bus around and dropped us off in front of our hotel. 

That's the kind of trip it was; even the weather cooperated. I've heard it rains a lot (everything was green!), but we were blessed with great weather.






My next home :) at St. Stephen's Green

Almost all blue skies at Trinity College 

inside the library at Trinity College

Christ Church Cathedral--maybe a little creepy-looking with the gray skies, but I liked it!

 

 



O'Neill? That's like O'Neal, right? Could be a cousin...

 

 



Dublin loves statues! Here's one of James Joyce

  Dublin is also an easy city to walk around in, and we did:  to Trinity College, the Book of Kells, Grafton Street, Temple Bar, Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral, and St. Patrick's.  Of course, everything is in English, so I could read the signs. :)



Entrance to the Old Library at Trinity College



I recognize two people--I am not sure who the others are supposed to be.