16 September 2012
06 September 2012
The Telegraph: "Albania's surprising side" - By Edward Reeves, 02 September 2012
"Thank you Edward for this nicely describing of Albania. As the local partner of Voyages Jules Verne, Albania Holidays is proud to be part of this successful comeback of VJV after 20 years. There is a passionate and professional team working behind the curtains, who has carefully selected the main highlights of Albania and Tirana for those who would like just a short city break, and makes sure that each operational detail is well arranged. This article in The Telegraph – one of the main UK media companies, gives us a pleasant reward, but above all gives our country and Albanian tourism a precious promotion support."
Superb Roman ruins, glorious scenery, good food and ridiculously low prices – Edward Reeves finds much to admire in the former communist state.
This is odd. I'm sitting in a bar in Tirana, Albania, and there's not a gangster in sight. What there is is a 20ft-long counter packed with an array of enticing meats, a friendly man who grills them on request, and beer at 70p a glass. Everyone speaks English, and everyone is unfailingly nice. Could it be that there's a mismatch between Albania's reputation for – how to put this politely? – unconventional economic activity, and the modern-day reality? After a week travelling the country with my mother, without so much of a whiff of trouble or a gangster's cheap cologne, I'd say the answer is a resounding yes.
In fact, our Albanian trip has turned us both into bores when it comes to this oft-ignored Mediterranean country's virtues as a tourist destination. For those of you with a short attention span, the upshot of this article is "Go!" But first some context.
Our trip came about when I read that tour operator, Voyages Jules Verne (VJV), was returning to the country after a 20-year absence. Back in the late Eighties a VJV trip was the only way to visit Albania, which was ruled by a paranoid communist dictatorship that issued a few hundred visas each year. My intrepid, left-leaning mother went not once, but twice, in 1986 and 1987, flying into Titograd in the former Yugoslavia (now Podgorica, capital of Montenegro) and crossing the border at 3am under searchlights, as wolves howled in the distance. All books, magazines and other printed matter were confiscated by Kalashnikov-wielding guards and visitors had to walk through a sheep dip to kill capitalist germs. Welcome to Albania.
How times change. We fly direct into Tirana to begin VJV's new "Classical Tour of Albania" itinerary – and there's not a sheep dip in sight. The airport is clean and modern, with an even cleaner and more modern tour bus waiting 100 yards from the exit. Our guide, Elton Caushi, could be mistaken for an Italian art student. Young people, he says, acutely aware of Albania's reputation abroad, now avoid the dark, hired-killer look that was thought to be cool in the Nineties.
There's no hanging about – VJV's bumpf makes it clear that Albania's geography and poor road network dictate long coach journeys (and warns there's a fair degree of walking). First stop is the 18th-century monastery of Ardenica, sitting on a hill that the communist regime burrowed into and covered in bunkers and gun emplacements (Albania is peppered with bunkers – there are thought to be more than 700,000 of them). My mother didn't visit Ardenica on her previous trips – back then the church was used as a storeroom for military kit. The survival of its splendid iconostasis and frescoes, by two of Albania's finest icon painters, the brothers Konstandin and Athanas Zografi, is something of a miracle.
We spend the night at the town of Fier which, for the record, smells of petrol (it's near a refinery) and has nothing to offer even the most rosy-spectacled visitor. It's convenient, however, for the ruined city of Apollonia, which we visit the following morning. Truth be told, its most famous resident, Augustus, would be hard-pushed to recognise it.
But we have high hopes for our next historical site, Butrint, scheduled for the following morning. Trouble is, Butrint is far to the south, close to the Greek border. This means a day driving the Albanian Riviera, to Saranda, where we'll stay two nights. And it's a long drive – close on eight hours – but with stops for lunch to enjoy the view from the Llogaraja Pass and the fort built by Ali Pasha (of Byron fame) at Palermo Bay.
Scenery aside, the major point of interest is olive trees planted on a hillside to spell the name of Albania's unlamented dictator Enver Hoxha. My mother remembers the hills being festooned with such slogans, in white-painted stones. It was a way of imposing control, Elton explains – trusted communists might be ordered to paint "Enver"; the politically suspect would get phrases such as "United States Capitalist Imperialism is a Paper Tiger", which could take months. My mother looks crestfallen. "I assumed they were painted by grateful villagers," she says.
Butrint, we discover, is a magical site. In Italy it would be packed with visitors; we share it with a single coachload of elderly Germans. The ruins are spread over a small peninsula, and range from the fourth century BC through to the early 1900s (Ali Pasha had a hunting lodge here), via the Byzantine era. Terrapins sunbathe in the flooded theatre and bathhouse, crickets chirrup and eucalyptus leaves rustle gently in the breeze. All in all it's a very satisfactory place to spend a morning.
Next day we drive a couple of hours inland to the town of Gjirokastra. This Unesco World Heritage Site is utterly charming, with steep cobbled streets, crumbling Ottoman houses and a spooky castle. This is closer to the Albania my mother remembers, though with the addition of a small capitalist economy of craftsmen selling wood and stone carvings, and an eccentric shack of a restaurant, Kujtimi, where she's able to tuck into (delicious) frogs' legs.
It's worth mentioning that Albanian cuisine is generally good quality, and refreshingly cheap. Food had been an issue on my mother's last visit – in the Adriatic "resort" of Dürres her half-starved tour group had found just one café, which had to be opened specially by an aged crone who clearly believed everything the Hoxha regime told her about sulphurous Westerners. The menu had the advantage of simplicity: brown bread, served with a snarl.
After a night in Gjirokastra we embark on a second long drive, north to the town of Berati. This turns out to be another old-world charmer, with more tumbledown Ottoman houses piled either side of a river, and a beautifully preserved citadel with a glorious church, St Mary's, which is now a museum boasting some extraordinary frescoes. If you harbour ambitions of leaving the rat race and opening a boutique hotel, Berati is the place to do it. We pause en route to view the Roman ruins at Bylis (impressive) and for a snack in Fier (less impressive).
Final stop is Tirana, the capital, which turns out to be a friendly, buzzing place. There's too much to see and do in our short stay, which includes a day trip to nearby Kruja, the fortified town from which Albania's national hero Skanderbeg led the 15th-century resistance against the Turks. Enver Hoxha's daughter herself restored the castle and turned it into a shrine to Albanian nationalism. The big change, my mother says, is the cobbled bazaar, which was firmly shut on her last visit (back then VJV recommended £5 spending money for the entire week; all visitors could buy were translations of Hoxha's various masterworks). The bazaar is now piled high with communist detritus.
That night, in Tirana, we wander around Blloku, the old residential area for the nomenclature. Until communism fell, it was out of bounds to ordinary Albanians. Now it's packed with bars, cafés and fashionable young people having fun.
My mother is flabbergasted. Tirana in the mid-Eighties had been utterly dead. The only excitement came when an overweight man in brown flares and a garish rainbow-stripe jumper propositioned her in the loos of the Tirana International Hotel. She fought him off, and he was arrested in minutes. She has no doubt he was sent to a prison camp, or worse.
My mother proclaims she's going to come back and explore the north of the country, solo, at a more leisurely pace. She's sad that the socialist experiment failed, but her opinion of Albania – and Albanians – has changed completely.
"I used to think they were a dour, unsmiling bunch," she says, "but now they're all so friendly." Funny that.
Did you know?
Last year, Lonely Planet made Albania number one of its world's top 10 places to visit.
GETTING THERE
British Airways ( 0844 493 0787 ; ba.com) flies direct from Gatwick to Tirana from £157 return.
PACKAGES
Voyages Jules Verne ( 0845 166 7035 ; vjv.com) offers a seven-night Classical Tour of Albania from £895 per person, taking in Tirana, Saranda and Butrint, Gjirokastra, Berati and Kruja, including international flights, transfers, accommodation with two evening meals and breakfast daily. Alternatively, consider its three-night A Taste of Albania package, from £495.
WHEN TO GO
As with most Mediterranean destinations, spring and autumn are the best times to visit. If you’re visiting the Riviera, July and August see a big influx of visitors from elsewhere in the Balkans.
THE INSIDE TRACK
Forget all the clichés about Albanian gangsters – street crime is practically unheard of and you’re extremely unlikely to encounter any problems such as pickpocketing. Compared with any British city, Tirana feels incredibly safe – provincial cities even safer. Hotels are keenly priced, but there’s a shortage of quality accommodation. Expect eccentric décor and sometimes shambolic service. If you’re booking in Tirana, avoid hotels in the Blloku district. There’s always the chance you’ll find yourself next door to the latest club, with thumping bass until the early hours. Eating out is cheap by British and Eurozone standards, especially once you’re out of Tirana. Typical prices might be £1.15 for a salad or starter, £1.70 for a pasta dish, £3.40 for a meat dish and 90p for a pudding. Albanian wines were drinkable, even under communism, and are getting better and better every year. Generally a half-litre carafe of house red in a restaurant will be in the region of £2. If you want to splurge on a bottle, the finest, reputedly, is Cöbo’s Kashmer. Driving in Albania should hold no fear for competent drivers. However, the roads are often in a terrible state so opt for a 4 x 4 if your budget allows (though along the Riviera a hatchback will be fine). A nasty surprise is the price of petrol, which is comparable with Britain.
WHAT TO BRING HOME
If it’s on your itinerary, Kruja is the best place to do your shopping, with a bazaar selling kilims, handicrafts and communist memorabilia. The one Albanian universal seems to be homemade lacework, which local women sell at pretty much every (urban) historical site. Beautiful brass coffee grinders were made in Tirana until the fall of communism, and battered but functional ones can be picked up for around £5-£7, depending on condition. Look for the “Made in Albania” imprint on the bottom. Someone, probably Chinese, appears to be making replicas – they’re easily identifiable as they look brand new and have red Albanian flag stickers on the bottom. These sell for an outrageous €27 (£21) at the airport. Books by Enver Hoxha make great gifts, but English translations are collectors’ items (and priced accordingly). Other titles, such as Agriculture in the People’s Socialist Republic of Albania, at about £15, have wonderfully grainy pictures of fields, “hero” tractor drivers and scientists holding vegetables, accompanied by unintentionally hilarious captions. They’re not going to print any more socialist propaganda, so buy now to avoid disappointment. In Tirana there’s a great jewellery store selling semi-precious stones and tasteful silver jewellery, Koralia, on Rugga Abdyl Frashëri. Don’t expect anyone to speak English, but if you point at the stones you like, and then your ears, eventually the chap behind the counter will make you a pair of earrings on the spot, from about £5. A note on bargaining – you’re not in Morocco and the opening stated price is rarely extortionate, so bear that in mind.
Superb Roman ruins, glorious scenery, good food and ridiculously low prices – Edward Reeves finds much to admire in the former communist state.
This is odd. I'm sitting in a bar in Tirana, Albania, and there's not a gangster in sight. What there is is a 20ft-long counter packed with an array of enticing meats, a friendly man who grills them on request, and beer at 70p a glass. Everyone speaks English, and everyone is unfailingly nice. Could it be that there's a mismatch between Albania's reputation for – how to put this politely? – unconventional economic activity, and the modern-day reality? After a week travelling the country with my mother, without so much of a whiff of trouble or a gangster's cheap cologne, I'd say the answer is a resounding yes.
In fact, our Albanian trip has turned us both into bores when it comes to this oft-ignored Mediterranean country's virtues as a tourist destination. For those of you with a short attention span, the upshot of this article is "Go!" But first some context.
Our trip came about when I read that tour operator, Voyages Jules Verne (VJV), was returning to the country after a 20-year absence. Back in the late Eighties a VJV trip was the only way to visit Albania, which was ruled by a paranoid communist dictatorship that issued a few hundred visas each year. My intrepid, left-leaning mother went not once, but twice, in 1986 and 1987, flying into Titograd in the former Yugoslavia (now Podgorica, capital of Montenegro) and crossing the border at 3am under searchlights, as wolves howled in the distance. All books, magazines and other printed matter were confiscated by Kalashnikov-wielding guards and visitors had to walk through a sheep dip to kill capitalist germs. Welcome to Albania.
How times change. We fly direct into Tirana to begin VJV's new "Classical Tour of Albania" itinerary – and there's not a sheep dip in sight. The airport is clean and modern, with an even cleaner and more modern tour bus waiting 100 yards from the exit. Our guide, Elton Caushi, could be mistaken for an Italian art student. Young people, he says, acutely aware of Albania's reputation abroad, now avoid the dark, hired-killer look that was thought to be cool in the Nineties.
There's no hanging about – VJV's bumpf makes it clear that Albania's geography and poor road network dictate long coach journeys (and warns there's a fair degree of walking). First stop is the 18th-century monastery of Ardenica, sitting on a hill that the communist regime burrowed into and covered in bunkers and gun emplacements (Albania is peppered with bunkers – there are thought to be more than 700,000 of them). My mother didn't visit Ardenica on her previous trips – back then the church was used as a storeroom for military kit. The survival of its splendid iconostasis and frescoes, by two of Albania's finest icon painters, the brothers Konstandin and Athanas Zografi, is something of a miracle.
We spend the night at the town of Fier which, for the record, smells of petrol (it's near a refinery) and has nothing to offer even the most rosy-spectacled visitor. It's convenient, however, for the ruined city of Apollonia, which we visit the following morning. Truth be told, its most famous resident, Augustus, would be hard-pushed to recognise it.
But we have high hopes for our next historical site, Butrint, scheduled for the following morning. Trouble is, Butrint is far to the south, close to the Greek border. This means a day driving the Albanian Riviera, to Saranda, where we'll stay two nights. And it's a long drive – close on eight hours – but with stops for lunch to enjoy the view from the Llogaraja Pass and the fort built by Ali Pasha (of Byron fame) at Palermo Bay.
 |
| Drymades beach, Albanian Riviera |
Scenery aside, the major point of interest is olive trees planted on a hillside to spell the name of Albania's unlamented dictator Enver Hoxha. My mother remembers the hills being festooned with such slogans, in white-painted stones. It was a way of imposing control, Elton explains – trusted communists might be ordered to paint "Enver"; the politically suspect would get phrases such as "United States Capitalist Imperialism is a Paper Tiger", which could take months. My mother looks crestfallen. "I assumed they were painted by grateful villagers," she says.
Butrint, we discover, is a magical site. In Italy it would be packed with visitors; we share it with a single coachload of elderly Germans. The ruins are spread over a small peninsula, and range from the fourth century BC through to the early 1900s (Ali Pasha had a hunting lodge here), via the Byzantine era. Terrapins sunbathe in the flooded theatre and bathhouse, crickets chirrup and eucalyptus leaves rustle gently in the breeze. All in all it's a very satisfactory place to spend a morning.
Next day we drive a couple of hours inland to the town of Gjirokastra. This Unesco World Heritage Site is utterly charming, with steep cobbled streets, crumbling Ottoman houses and a spooky castle. This is closer to the Albania my mother remembers, though with the addition of a small capitalist economy of craftsmen selling wood and stone carvings, and an eccentric shack of a restaurant, Kujtimi, where she's able to tuck into (delicious) frogs' legs.
It's worth mentioning that Albanian cuisine is generally good quality, and refreshingly cheap. Food had been an issue on my mother's last visit – in the Adriatic "resort" of Dürres her half-starved tour group had found just one café, which had to be opened specially by an aged crone who clearly believed everything the Hoxha regime told her about sulphurous Westerners. The menu had the advantage of simplicity: brown bread, served with a snarl.
 |
| Berat Albania |
Final stop is Tirana, the capital, which turns out to be a friendly, buzzing place. There's too much to see and do in our short stay, which includes a day trip to nearby Kruja, the fortified town from which Albania's national hero Skanderbeg led the 15th-century resistance against the Turks. Enver Hoxha's daughter herself restored the castle and turned it into a shrine to Albanian nationalism. The big change, my mother says, is the cobbled bazaar, which was firmly shut on her last visit (back then VJV recommended £5 spending money for the entire week; all visitors could buy were translations of Hoxha's various masterworks). The bazaar is now piled high with communist detritus.
That night, in Tirana, we wander around Blloku, the old residential area for the nomenclature. Until communism fell, it was out of bounds to ordinary Albanians. Now it's packed with bars, cafés and fashionable young people having fun.
 |
| Tirana, Albania |
My mother proclaims she's going to come back and explore the north of the country, solo, at a more leisurely pace. She's sad that the socialist experiment failed, but her opinion of Albania – and Albanians – has changed completely.
"I used to think they were a dour, unsmiling bunch," she says, "but now they're all so friendly." Funny that.
Did you know?
Last year, Lonely Planet made Albania number one of its world's top 10 places to visit.
GETTING THERE
British Airways ( 0844 493 0787 ; ba.com) flies direct from Gatwick to Tirana from £157 return.
PACKAGES
Voyages Jules Verne ( 0845 166 7035 ; vjv.com) offers a seven-night Classical Tour of Albania from £895 per person, taking in Tirana, Saranda and Butrint, Gjirokastra, Berati and Kruja, including international flights, transfers, accommodation with two evening meals and breakfast daily. Alternatively, consider its three-night A Taste of Albania package, from £495.
WHEN TO GO
As with most Mediterranean destinations, spring and autumn are the best times to visit. If you’re visiting the Riviera, July and August see a big influx of visitors from elsewhere in the Balkans.
THE INSIDE TRACK
Forget all the clichés about Albanian gangsters – street crime is practically unheard of and you’re extremely unlikely to encounter any problems such as pickpocketing. Compared with any British city, Tirana feels incredibly safe – provincial cities even safer. Hotels are keenly priced, but there’s a shortage of quality accommodation. Expect eccentric décor and sometimes shambolic service. If you’re booking in Tirana, avoid hotels in the Blloku district. There’s always the chance you’ll find yourself next door to the latest club, with thumping bass until the early hours. Eating out is cheap by British and Eurozone standards, especially once you’re out of Tirana. Typical prices might be £1.15 for a salad or starter, £1.70 for a pasta dish, £3.40 for a meat dish and 90p for a pudding. Albanian wines were drinkable, even under communism, and are getting better and better every year. Generally a half-litre carafe of house red in a restaurant will be in the region of £2. If you want to splurge on a bottle, the finest, reputedly, is Cöbo’s Kashmer. Driving in Albania should hold no fear for competent drivers. However, the roads are often in a terrible state so opt for a 4 x 4 if your budget allows (though along the Riviera a hatchback will be fine). A nasty surprise is the price of petrol, which is comparable with Britain.
WHAT TO BRING HOME
If it’s on your itinerary, Kruja is the best place to do your shopping, with a bazaar selling kilims, handicrafts and communist memorabilia. The one Albanian universal seems to be homemade lacework, which local women sell at pretty much every (urban) historical site. Beautiful brass coffee grinders were made in Tirana until the fall of communism, and battered but functional ones can be picked up for around £5-£7, depending on condition. Look for the “Made in Albania” imprint on the bottom. Someone, probably Chinese, appears to be making replicas – they’re easily identifiable as they look brand new and have red Albanian flag stickers on the bottom. These sell for an outrageous €27 (£21) at the airport. Books by Enver Hoxha make great gifts, but English translations are collectors’ items (and priced accordingly). Other titles, such as Agriculture in the People’s Socialist Republic of Albania, at about £15, have wonderfully grainy pictures of fields, “hero” tractor drivers and scientists holding vegetables, accompanied by unintentionally hilarious captions. They’re not going to print any more socialist propaganda, so buy now to avoid disappointment. In Tirana there’s a great jewellery store selling semi-precious stones and tasteful silver jewellery, Koralia, on Rugga Abdyl Frashëri. Don’t expect anyone to speak English, but if you point at the stones you like, and then your ears, eventually the chap behind the counter will make you a pair of earrings on the spot, from about £5. A note on bargaining – you’re not in Morocco and the opening stated price is rarely extortionate, so bear that in mind.
16 August 2012
Visit Balkans, hotels and accommodation in Balkans, tour to Balkans
Dear visitors,
We share the joy of introducing the newest website for hotels in Balkans. www.balkan-hotel.com is managed by Albania Holidays along with www.albania-hotel.com, www.albania-holidays.com and www.tirana-hotel.com.
It comes with a modern design and a lot more new features to make your booking easy and secure. It will offer accommodation in Albania, Bosnia hotels, hotels in Croatia, beach hotels in Greece, Kosovo hotels hotels and tours in Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia hotels, hotels in Bugaria and Turkey hotels. We are populating our database to offer you a wide range of hotels in Balkans.
Keep visiting www.balkan-hotel.com and let us know what you think,
Thanks for visiting
We share the joy of introducing the newest website for hotels in Balkans. www.balkan-hotel.com is managed by Albania Holidays along with www.albania-hotel.com, www.albania-holidays.com and www.tirana-hotel.com.
It comes with a modern design and a lot more new features to make your booking easy and secure. It will offer accommodation in Albania, Bosnia hotels, hotels in Croatia, beach hotels in Greece, Kosovo hotels hotels and tours in Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia hotels, hotels in Bugaria and Turkey hotels. We are populating our database to offer you a wide range of hotels in Balkans.
Keep visiting www.balkan-hotel.com and let us know what you think,
Thanks for visiting
16 July 2012
Albania daily life tour, tour to Gjirokaster, Unesco Heritage Site
Albania Holidays organizes original tours of
unique value.
In the video below you can see how tourists enjoy Albanian hospitality and see for themselves the simple life in Gjirokaster and Dhoksat village in Lunxheria. Guests feel at home when they are welcomed with a glass of traditional drink Raki or a spoon of homemade jam (or gliko). Hear the testimonies!
Albania Daily Life Tour
In the video below you can see how tourists enjoy Albanian hospitality and see for themselves the simple life in Gjirokaster and Dhoksat village in Lunxheria. Guests feel at home when they are welcomed with a glass of traditional drink Raki or a spoon of homemade jam (or gliko). Hear the testimonies!
Albania Daily Life Tour
17 June 2012
Albanian Riviera - The number one place to visit in Europe in 2012 according to The Rough Guides
Still number one !
Another serious media, this time from UK, Rough Guide, suggest the top 5 best
places visit in Europe for 2012. And number one is again our magical Albanian
Riviera, which was lately also awarded number one by Frommer’s. At our www.albania-hotel.com or www.albania-holidays.com you can
book different hotels in Albanian Riviera and also organize a trip to experience
yourself these hidden treasures of the Mediterranean coastline.
The best places to visit in Europe in 2012
January 2012
London might get all
the press as the world floods in for the Olympics, but elsewhere in Europe
plenty of intriguing destinations are on the rise, either due to special events
planned for this year or new attractions that are just beginning to draw visitors.
So what are Europe's best holiday ideas in 2012? We've picked our top five.
Read on...
Albanian Riviera
 |
| Albania Riviera |
Savvy beach bums have
begun to chart a course for a still-wild stretch of the Mediterranean:
Albania's shores, between the cities of Vlorë and Sarande. You may have to ride
a rattle-trap bus to get there, but you won't regret that when you settle in to
a dinner of fresh calamari in front of the electric blue sea.
Albania beaches, a set on Flickr.
15 June 2012
"Albania" - We can do it !
Just heard from the
media about this wonderful project of Elisa Dushku. This is probably the first
initiative of this kind in promoting Albania, even though it is a common thing
in promoting destinations all over the world to attract the attention of
tourists and investors to visit a country. Greece had a similar campaign few
weeks ago which ended with success and reached its target.
I believe that we
Albanians can also show that we can do it. I don’t think our Elisa Dushku,
Fadil Berisha and the rest of the team are not able to find 60 000 $ to support
this promotion campaign, but this should come as support of as many Albanians
as possible, because this country belongs to all Albanians and needs our support.
So please donate as much as you can!
Especially at this moment when Albania and its tourism is getting the attention from the well known media such as LonelyPlanet, CNN, Frommer's etc. this can be the best promotion material to keep the beat going. The entire Albanian travel industry will profit from this, which means better image for Albania and more money for our economy.
Especially at this moment when Albania and its tourism is getting the attention from the well known media such as LonelyPlanet, CNN, Frommer's etc. this can be the best promotion material to keep the beat going. The entire Albanian travel industry will profit from this, which means better image for Albania and more money for our economy.
We can and should make
it! I believe this can be the best promotion gift Albania tourism can get in
its 100th Independence anniversary.
Kliton Gerxhani
Albania Holidays DMC
Albania Holidays DMC
16 April 2012
The Observer: Testing the water in Albania - by Killian Fox, Sunday 15 April 2012
Thank you for this nice article about visiting the Albanian Alps. These two quotes of yours say it all about the beauty of Albania and the genuineness of Albanian tourism:
“Anywhere else in Europe, this two-hour journey (which our guide book describes as "one of the world's great boat trips") would be hopping with tourists, but Albania is not a big draw – at least not yet” and “Ask someone on the street and, even if they can't help, they'll find someone whose second cousin definitely can. If helpfulness and hospitality were a marketable resource, Albania would be rich.”
You can book the accommodation in Valbona also through our website Albania Hotel
Below the article:
Staggering scenery, deserted landscapes – crossing Lake Koman in northern Albania provides an insight into a country that's still off the tourist radar
The surface of the lake is perfectly still. The steep hills on either side and the high mountains beyond are empty of human life, save for the occasional lonely farmstead
embedded in the hillside. There are no visible roads, no telephone wires to connect this place to the outside world. It's not difficult, on the ferry journey along Lake Koman in northern Albania, to imagine you're drifting through a landscape that has lain undisturbed for centuries.
It's the height of summer but there aren't many people on the ferry either. Most of our fellow passengers on this hulking cargo ship are down below, smoking and drinking
lethally strong coffee in the bar. They've seen it all before. Those who haven't – my girlfriend and I, a few backpackers and some tough-looking Czech bikers – are on the upper deck drinking in the staggering scenery.
Anywhere else in Europe, this two-hour journey (which our guide book describes as "one of the world's great boat trips") would be hopping with tourists, but Albania is not a big draw – at least not yet. The last century has been hard on this little country, just across the sea from Italy and just north of Greece. More than 40 years of communist rule under the isolationist dictator Enver Hoxha, followed by a ruinous period of extreme capitalism in the mid-90s, have left the country struggling to find its feet in the new millennium.
Our first port of call had been Shkodër, the largest city in the north, overlooked by an impressive medieval castle built by Venetians and Ottomans, and crisscrossed by wide
communist-era boulevards. When its population emerges in the evening to promenade and gather outside cafés, you could imagine you were somewhere in Italy – until you hear a muezzin's call from one of the city's many mosques, or fix your eye on a building that looks like it was transplanted from 1950s Moscow.
We planned to strike out the next morning for the Albanian Alps in the north-east. The best way to get there, if you want to avoid a long, precarious road journey, is by the Lake
Koman ferry. But we had no idea how to get to the lake, couldn't find an information
office, and even the guidebook was sketchy on the subject. Eventually a taxi driver with a few words of English called a friend and arranged for us to be picked up early the next morning. This was typical of our experience. Ask someone on the street and, even if they can't help, they'll find someone whose second cousin definitely can. If helpfulness and hospitality were a marketable resource, Albania would be rich.
It was 6.30am when George, a cheerful man with a thick moustache, ushered us into his minivan outside the Rozafa Hotel. At 6.32am, we drew up alongside a café on the same
street and George treated us to early-morning espressos accompanied by shots of Metaxa brandy. At 7.15am, we were finally good to go.
Lake Koman was created by a dam – a major hydroelectric project built in the 1980s. An hour into the ferry journey, the tree-lined hills give way to sheer limestone cliffs which
gradually close in until it looks like you've run out of lake. Just as you conclude you're heading straight into the side of a mountain, the water opens up again and you turn into a narrow passageway between two vertical walls of rock. It's like the riverboat sequence in the first Lord of the Rings movie. Even the Czech bikers were gaping.
The Valbona valley, at the heart of the Albanian Alps, is a two-hour drive from the ferry's Fierzë terminus. It's flanked on each side by high mountains. The elevation was so
dramatic that we had to crane our necks to see their craggy peaks.
We spent several nights at a friendly little chalet-style hotel called Rilindja, hiking around
the local villages and eating fresh river trout. And yet we'd seen only a fraction of what the country has to offer during our 10 days here. We missed out on the fine beaches (it has a coastline that bridges two seas – the Adriatic and the Ionian), the Greek and Roman ruins at Butrint, the town of Gjirokastra (Nobel laureate Ismail Kadare, who was born there, describes it as "the steepest city in the world … unbelievable [and] dreamlike"), not
to mention the capital city, Tirana. If you're willing to put up with bumpy roads and idiosyncratic transport arrangements, Albania is a rare find.
“Anywhere else in Europe, this two-hour journey (which our guide book describes as "one of the world's great boat trips") would be hopping with tourists, but Albania is not a big draw – at least not yet” and “Ask someone on the street and, even if they can't help, they'll find someone whose second cousin definitely can. If helpfulness and hospitality were a marketable resource, Albania would be rich.”
You can book the accommodation in Valbona also through our website Albania Hotel
Below the article:
The surface of the lake is perfectly still. The steep hills on either side and the high mountains beyond are empty of human life, save for the occasional lonely farmstead
embedded in the hillside. There are no visible roads, no telephone wires to connect this place to the outside world. It's not difficult, on the ferry journey along Lake Koman in northern Albania, to imagine you're drifting through a landscape that has lain undisturbed for centuries.
It's the height of summer but there aren't many people on the ferry either. Most of our fellow passengers on this hulking cargo ship are down below, smoking and drinking
lethally strong coffee in the bar. They've seen it all before. Those who haven't – my girlfriend and I, a few backpackers and some tough-looking Czech bikers – are on the upper deck drinking in the staggering scenery.
Anywhere else in Europe, this two-hour journey (which our guide book describes as "one of the world's great boat trips") would be hopping with tourists, but Albania is not a big draw – at least not yet. The last century has been hard on this little country, just across the sea from Italy and just north of Greece. More than 40 years of communist rule under the isolationist dictator Enver Hoxha, followed by a ruinous period of extreme capitalism in the mid-90s, have left the country struggling to find its feet in the new millennium.
Our first port of call had been Shkodër, the largest city in the north, overlooked by an impressive medieval castle built by Venetians and Ottomans, and crisscrossed by wide
communist-era boulevards. When its population emerges in the evening to promenade and gather outside cafés, you could imagine you were somewhere in Italy – until you hear a muezzin's call from one of the city's many mosques, or fix your eye on a building that looks like it was transplanted from 1950s Moscow.
We planned to strike out the next morning for the Albanian Alps in the north-east. The best way to get there, if you want to avoid a long, precarious road journey, is by the Lake
Koman ferry. But we had no idea how to get to the lake, couldn't find an information
office, and even the guidebook was sketchy on the subject. Eventually a taxi driver with a few words of English called a friend and arranged for us to be picked up early the next morning. This was typical of our experience. Ask someone on the street and, even if they can't help, they'll find someone whose second cousin definitely can. If helpfulness and hospitality were a marketable resource, Albania would be rich.
It was 6.30am when George, a cheerful man with a thick moustache, ushered us into his minivan outside the Rozafa Hotel. At 6.32am, we drew up alongside a café on the same
street and George treated us to early-morning espressos accompanied by shots of Metaxa brandy. At 7.15am, we were finally good to go.
Lake Koman was created by a dam – a major hydroelectric project built in the 1980s. An hour into the ferry journey, the tree-lined hills give way to sheer limestone cliffs which
gradually close in until it looks like you've run out of lake. Just as you conclude you're heading straight into the side of a mountain, the water opens up again and you turn into a narrow passageway between two vertical walls of rock. It's like the riverboat sequence in the first Lord of the Rings movie. Even the Czech bikers were gaping.
The Valbona valley, at the heart of the Albanian Alps, is a two-hour drive from the ferry's Fierzë terminus. It's flanked on each side by high mountains. The elevation was so
dramatic that we had to crane our necks to see their craggy peaks.
We spent several nights at a friendly little chalet-style hotel called Rilindja, hiking around
the local villages and eating fresh river trout. And yet we'd seen only a fraction of what the country has to offer during our 10 days here. We missed out on the fine beaches (it has a coastline that bridges two seas – the Adriatic and the Ionian), the Greek and Roman ruins at Butrint, the town of Gjirokastra (Nobel laureate Ismail Kadare, who was born there, describes it as "the steepest city in the world … unbelievable [and] dreamlike"), not
to mention the capital city, Tirana. If you're willing to put up with bumpy roads and idiosyncratic transport arrangements, Albania is a rare find.
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