Douglas Easton Travel Blog - Douglas Easton Travel

July 06, 2008

Sarande, Albania

This remote corner of Europe is about the last place we'd have expected to celebrate the Fourth of July! Separated from the coast of the Greek island of Corfu by only a few minutes' boat ride, Albania is a land that somehow never made it out of the 2oth century (and in some respects, is still in the Middle Ages).

For almost half a century, until shortly after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Albania was Europe's most hermit-like nation. Only now is its population of 3.6 million beginning to shake off the stifling effects of extreme isolation and rejoin the modern world.

One of the benefits of this isolation has been the virtual standstill of growth which has left its coastline relatively pristine.....and with nearly 300 days of sunshine a year, possibly the next great vacation destination in Europe. Unfortunately, development is under way at an alarming rate and without any apparent regulation. In the coastal town of Sarande, shockingly ugly concrete structures are sprouting like an epidemic and, unless restrictions are implemented soon, the precious beauty of the coast be squandered.

Despite the concrete, we've found some lovely beaches with crystalline waters, including one beach within swimming (or paddle-boat) range of four tiny, tree-covered islets.

Additionally, there are two UNESCO World Heritage sites outside of Sarande worth visiting. The more impressive of the two, Butrint, a fantastically preserved, third-century-B.C. Greek colony with a superb amphitheater, was not re-discovered by archaeologists until 1933.

One of Albania's peculiarities are the thousands of bizarre, miniature concrete bunkers sprinkled throughout the countryside. These were erected by order of Albania's late paranoid dictator, Enver Hoxha, who ruled from 1941 until his death in 1985. Uttery useless militarily, they apparently have been put to good use by young Albanians seeking a little privacy.

Rivaling the bunkers for strangeness are the staggering numbers of stolen Mercedes-Benz sedans which have found their way here... almost every car on the road! If yours goes missing, you might want to look in Albania. Our repeated (but unscientific) tests led us to concur that 80-85% of the automobiles being driven in Albania are Mercedes... in a country where the average per capita income is roughly US$3,000.

Despite its now-open doors to the outside world, Albania has a lot of catching up to do... we found the hotels and restaurants attempting to cater to western expectations, but not quite getting it right. Only time will tell if this tiny country makes the most of its potential or squanders it for short-term greed.

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