A Trip to Albania

Until just last week I knew nothing at all about Albania, yet after spending just one day in one of the poorest countries in Europe I have learnt so much about its varied past and hopes for the future.

Getting to Albania

Albania has only one airport which is situated in Tirana in the north of the country, 277km away from the town of Saranda in the south, making the south coast almost inaccessible to tourists who prefer short transfers between airport and resort rather than a 4 hour drive after a flight.

While there are plans to build another airport, an easier way of getting to the south coast of Albania is to fly to Corfu and get a boat across the Ionian Sea.

Culture shock

Docking in the port of Albania, the first thing you see is the tall buildings, the Vodafone billboard and the sunbathers on the beach. That however is where the comparison to every other tourist city ends.

Compared to what I am used to in travelling, Albania is relatively underdeveloped. Saranda is very much a work in progress as the hotels which line the sea front in various stages of construction outnumber the current number of tourists.

Our guide through Albania apologised for the state of the roads as we travelled to Butrint as they were very bumpy and still under construction. Another shock came when we saw the number of buildings that had been half pulled down then abandoned. We were told that this was because many people started to build illegally without planning permission so the government ordered their demise.

Albania’s history: Butrint

The town of Butrint is a major archaeological centre in Albania and is protected under UNESCO as a world heritage site. It is a mixture of Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Venetian architectures. I enjoy visiting sites like this but Butrint seemed different from all the others I have been to. Where Greek archaeological sites have their wonderful mosaics on display, the Albanian mosaics were rather disappointingly covered in plastic sheeting and a layer of gravel to prevent damage, rendering them hidden away from view.

The theatre, built in Greek style is now partially underwater. Since an earthquake in the 3^rd century, salt water had been rising through the site. Archaeologists say that in 1000 years the whole site may be underwater. The theatre is still used today for performances. To make the setting more romantic, floating candles are placed on the water for that unique touch.

Due to a lack of money, much of the site is not fully discovered. However this shouldn’t stop anyone from visiting as there is still a lot to see. The Roman baths, the Venetian castle, the Great Basilica and public baths are among some of the ruins you can walk around.

The Future

When the communist rule ended in Albania in 1990, life was terrible, people were very poor and many left to live in countries across Europe where they found jobs in order to send money back to their families still in Albania.

Today, although there is still very little money in the country, Albania is building its way towards the future. Excursions like the one I went on are a great source of tourism. The beach beside the port was filled with people relaxing, families splashing around in the sea, like any other tourist spot. But Albania is different, it lacks in the necessary infrastructure and the mass population of tourists.

I would be very interested to go back to visit Saranda in ten years time and see how it has changed. My visit to Albania was completely out of the norm. It was very interesting to see a country before the boom of tourism. It’s something that is hard to find in Europe these days.