Weird Albania: 5 oddities to notice while passing through

This article originally appeared as a guest post on the cheapoair.com travel blog

by Cynthia Ord

A “deeply weird place” is how New York TImes travel columnist Seth Kugel aptly described Albania in 2006.  While still coming of age as destination itself, it attracts more adventurous travelers who treat it as an odd little piece of the larger western Balkans puzzle.  Some quirks of note in Albania:

1) Bunker madness
            If good data existed about military bunkers worldwide, Albania would probably top the list for bunker density.  By some high estimates, the 750,000 bunkers built during communism translate to 28 bunkers per square km and one bunker for every 4-5 citizens.  The numbers square away with the landscape -- these “concrete mushrooms” are ubiquitous.



2) Car washes and Mercedes Benz
            The chaotic traffic in capital city Tirana is Benz-heavy.  Old ones, new ones, even the taxis are Mercedes Benz.  Why?  By one account, the Benz went out of style in the rest of Europe in the mid-90s when more fuel-efficient vehicles were introduced, so Albanians bought them at clearance sale prices.  Others chalk it up to theft and corruption.
            To keep the Benz fleet shiny where roads are gritty, an industry of car washes has sprung up.  These “lavazh” stations are about every 100 meters. The fully automated car wash is still a thing of the future. Here, it’s usually a guy with a high pressure hose in a covered parking spot.

3) Nodding “no” and shaking “yes”
            This source of endless confusion can be enchanting.  Shaking one’s head from side to side does not mean “no” here.  It means “right, I agree, I’m listening” while someone else is talking.  Conversely, nodding one’s head up and down does not mean “yes” here.  It means “sorry, I’m afraid not” and seems to accompany bad news.
            Talk with the older generations to get these reversed gestures.  Younger and more urban Albanians have caught on to more international non-verbals.

4) Stuffed animals at construction sites.
            Where there are unfinished buildings, there are also large teddy bears hanging eerily for all to see.  This is pure superstition -- it wards off the evil eye.  Other superstition on construction sites: mixing ram’s blood into the foundations and hanging horseshoes over the front door.
            Occasionally you can spot dolls hanging in gardens and crop fields.  This is for the more practical purpose of scaring off birds, but can have the added effect of spooking tourists.

5) Boxy buildings painted in technicolor.
            Edi Rama, the mayor of Tirana, is also an artist.  His efforts to beautify the capital have been recognised internationally.  His most famous endeavor is the vibrant painting of Tirana’s previously uniform buildings with “Edi Rama colors” such as violet, green, and orange.



Some buildings are even painted in fantastic patterns like colorful plaid and argyle.
Albania is growing steadily as a destination so check it out soon.  This off-beat place will only be off-the-beaten-path for so much longer.

Outdoor Albania partners with World Hotel LInk to offer online booking services to tourism SMEs

www.outdooralbania.com

For the past three years, Outdoor Albania has been fostering a relationship with World Hotel Link, an internet platform that provides online booking services to tourism SMEs (small and mid-sized enterprises) through its online listing sites and hotel website development.


According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, one of the major trends in the tourism industry is “increased looking and booking online.” International travelers are increasingly using the internet to plan their holidays and book their accommodations.  


For tourism enterprises, this means that a strong presence online is more important than ever. Unfortunately, small-scale and mid-sized accommodations often lack the technological infrastructure needed to position themselves online and reach the global marketplace.  


Through its “market place operators” such as Outdoor Albania, World Hotel Link hopes  to bridge the technological gap between locally-owned accommodations and online consumers worldwide.  Small business owners now have the opportunity to list their accommodation on a destination website, and they have the additional option of a high-quality hotel website in English with high results in search engines such as Google.  


World Hotel Link’s destination websites cover three geographical regions of Albania: Shkoder and the North, Tirana and the East, and coming soon: Saranda and the coast.  In addition to listing accommodations and offering instant online booking services, these websites also contain a wealth of tourist information. They provide travelers with information about activities, restaurants, events, and transportation.  Each site’s traffic has been increasing steadily, with an average of 3,093 total weekly pageviews during the months of July and August.


“We are promoting the 'real' Albania, and we are looking for small family- run hotels, guesthouses or sustainable hotels which are interested in a free listing of their accommodation on one of our websites.” says Laura Payne, co-founder of Outdoor Albania.  “Our goal is to bring as much economical gain to small scale accommodations as possible. With WHL, we create a win-win situation.”


One success story is Hotel Lugano in Tirana.  Through its listing on the the WHL Tirana destination page and on its WHL hotel website, Hotel Lugano secured numerous bookings during the summer 2010 season.  Most importantly, Hotel Lugano is findable to those who search for it online.  When “hotel lugano tirana” is entered in a google search box, the destination site and the hotel website appear among the top ten results.  


To see how the accommodation listings appear online, visit the three destination websites at www.travel-tirana.com, www.shkoder-albanian-alps.com and www.albanian-coast.com.

Visiting Albania now; from Tirana to Berat

The following article is written by Anna Saville, a blogger on Suite 101.com, who travels through 3 continents and writes about her favorite places in the world.

Situated in Eastern Europe, Albania is often ignored as a tourist destination but its accessibility from any European country makes it an interesting, affordable choice.

Little known, largely ignored and curious to the individual travelling around the countries it borders, the small European nation of Albania is nestled in between the greenery of Macedonia and Serbia, sharing the glorious Ionian coast with its neighbour Greece.

From being shut off from the rest of the world, through many trials and tribulations, a country often stereotyped and misunderstood, the time has come for Albania to be visited.

Crossing the Montenegrin border into this area of considerable wonder through roads less travelled, be prepared to be thrown a bit by the work in progress. Throughout the country, Albania definitely showcases examples of old times passed juxtaposed with the new. It is a miss-mash of eras with a distinct difference between older and young generations, where locals are still curious of tourists but friendly, where nodding means 'no' and shaking your head means 'yes'.The country's transformation to match a contemporary Europe remains slow but promising. The grandeur of new bars, clubs and restaurants display a complete contrast to an era not so long gone where any kind of materialistic luxury was forbidden.

The Capital, Tirana

While nothing appears to operate in an orderly fashion, it is a good idea to begin smack bang in the middle of the capital. Stepping off the furgo (equivalent to a bus) in Tirana is where the action starts. Tirana is a unique example of a European capital that has a plan to give a complete makeover to the tired and visually undernourished city. The eclectic mix of architecture and monuments representing different periods in Albanian history, bright gelati coloured buildings repainted to liven up the city, and the absurd traffic conditions with impatient drivers coming from all directions driving at all speeds are just as apparent as the beautiful, mountainous landscape sitting quaintly in the background of the hectic but interesting Tirana.

Begin at Skanderbeg Square, which is surrounded by important buildings and attractions which hold the history of its people, starting with the National Museum of History, a comprehensive insight into the past and present Albania. Follow with an afternoon browsing the National Art Gallery, which contains a surprisingly impressive collection of beautiful works form all various eras, the Realist Painting room in particular being the room they are most proud of.

And to end a not so typical day, a visit to a traditional restaurant Oda is particularly worthwhile.Representing a family's comfortable dining room, it serves Albanian food, and the refreshment raki, Albania's answer to vodka.

A Few Hours South in Berat

After getting a taste of Tirana, the next suggested stop is the charming town Berat, full of historic importance a few hours south of the capital. Travelling via fascinating villages through beautiful countryside spotting many a bunker, it is clear there is so much to this rugged and absorbing country. A common sight of men steering a donkey attached to a rickety cart loaded with goods moving slowly among the traffic, farmers selling colourful produce, and women leading cattle along the main roads all make for the perfect photo opportunity, leaving you with the feeling you have arrived somewhere else entirely.

No doubt, Albania leaves room for plenty of surprises and experiences unattainable elsewhere, providing the best chances to see something different. A relatively safe country to visit, it seems the only thing to be mindful of is the rough roads with potholes everywhere. Keep both eyes peeled at all times! It may not yet be the easiest country to get around in, but it's affordable with a lot to discover and uncover; this is part of Europe after all.