"Pure, beautiful and full of spirit. This was the essence of
Albania", described through amazing photos of Albania taken by Michael Jurick one of the best known as New York City’s photographer.
The article and photos was published in his website with the tittle: "Albania – Europe’s Hidden Jewel" (http://www.jurick.net/2015/08/abania-europes-undiscovered-jewel/ ). There are about 90 photos of #Albania, especially the seaside, southern riviera, as well as UNESCO cities of Berat and Gjirokaster.
Here is a summary of his article:
By Michael Jurick
"When we told our friends and family that we were going to Albania for
our summer vacation, they all asked the same question, “why Albania?”
After you see these photographs and read this journal, all your
questions will be answered. We found Albania to be a gorgeous jewel of Eastern Europe’s southern riviera.
The lead photograph from our journey is of our daughter Eden. We stopped
for chocolate and vanilla ice cream macchiatos at the edge of a
cliff-side mountain cafe. Fashionista Eden soaks up sunshine between
billowing drapes that reveal a jaw-dropping deep azure sky thousands of
feet above straw-colored beach umbrellas. To me, this was the essence of
Albania. Pure, beautiful and full of spirit. After establishing its independence from dictator rule in 1991, the
country has now spread her wings to shre the world the hidden gems
within. The Albanian riviera was a fabulous highlight of our trip.
The
views from our drive along the rugged coast south from Vlora to Llogora
to Himara were staggering! Most of Albania’s roads are steep, swirly
switchbacks – but all reveal magnificent vistas at each hairpin turn.
Soaring green mountains drop straight into the Ionian Sea thousands of
feet below.
Once we arrived in Himara, the charm of the Albanian riviera had
completely taken over. The weather was absolutely pristine with just a
hint of soft wispy breezes and 81 degree temps. The crescent cove of the
coast anchored both the charming village below and homes that dotted
the hillside rising into the mountains. The sun bathed it all in gold.
The drive from Himara to Sarandë featured another awe-inspiring set
of breathtaking views of the southern Albanian riviera. Homes peppered
the rocky edges and donkeys shared the winding roads. We stopped for
lunch and cappucinos at the gorgeous panoramic cafe, Perla and ate fish
soup and fresh salads. When we pulled into Sarande, the sun glittered on
the colored hotels lining the crescent cove directly across the Greek
Island of Corfu.
The penultimate stop on our Albanian adventure took us to the
southern tip of the country to a town called Ksmali which featured small
islands lining the channel to Greece’s Corfu island. Small rustic
fishing boats anchor off the beach. There was color everywhere. We
jet-skied, we ate fresh fruit, we enjoyed life. The vibe in the air here
in Ksamili was perfect pristine paradise.
On our drive to Berat, we witnessed the most unusual and peculiar
thing that ended up being the topic of conversation the entire trip. We
saw hundreds of half-completed homes in nearly mint condition. We later
learned from the people of Albania that after gaining their independence
in 1991, Albanians began to build a home to secure property rights.
Those homes are built in phases and until each phase has the funds, it
remains incomplete. See the pink house in the photograph below to see
what I’m talking about. You will also see how we shared the roads with
all types of livestock.
When we arrived in Berat, we were smitten with it’s ancient charm. We
explored the Citadel castle in Berat and walked, talked, and laughed
until sunset. At sunset, we came to the peak of the castle mount and
glanced across the Osumi River tothe Gorica neighborhood, whose houses
face those of Mangalemi.
The arched bridge of Gorica, built in 1780, is a beautiful
architectural monument constructed to link Gorica with Mangelemi. We
then walked along the promenade for a stroll to enjoy summer life among
this quaint Albanian town. The view of the white houses
climbing up the hillside to the citadel is one of the best known in
Albania and features homes with windows that seem to stand above each
other. This city is the pride of Albanian architecture, and under the
protection of UNESCO .I took many different photographs in this city –
it was visually striking!
What we found so unique about Albania was it’s deep family roots.
Everywhere we went, we experienced family-run businesses. Hotels, inns,
restaurants, businesses, shop-keepers, and farmers all had
multi-generational family members involved in some part of the business.
Everything was organic. With farms everywhere you looked, and fresh
seafood at arms length from most restaurants, the food was fresher than
you could imagine.
On our drive back north, we stopped in Gjirokastër an ancient hilltop
village rich in history.
If you like these photographs, do your self a favor and book a trip to Albania!
Quite the contrary – to date, the changes I have seen in Albania are great, and seeing a little more financial security in one of the poorest regions in Europe can only be good. But, I already feel a little selfish nostalgia knowing that the future will inevitably bring more and more crowds to Albania, and more of the raw natural landscapes will be blighted by the over-development of apartment blocks and hotels. For better or worse, it is, what it is. 
Apart from regular concrete-bunker sightings and the occasional fading communist-era propaganda artwork, the casual tourist wouldn’t realise such tumultuous events occurred so recently. However, after experiencing around sixty years of grief, many Albanians got tired of waiting for “things to get better” and over the last couple of decades, they left the country, en-masse. The exodus hasn’t stopped – for example, in May of this year, more Albanians than Syrians sought asylum in Germany. The Albanian diaspora around the world is now larger than the number of Albanians living in Albania. Given the history, it’s not hard to understand this exodus – sixty years is a very long time to wait for a bunch of promises that never actualised. 
