Albania; weird facts, amazing country.
We knew virtually nothing about Albania before visiting. It wasn’t on our original itinerary but after being told so many times “you have to go to Albania, its so beautiful”, we thought we may as well make the short detour to check it out ourselves.
Aside from the pristine beaches, stunning mountains and incredibly friendly people you will meet there, here are a few interesting facts you may not know about the country.
Aside from the pristine beaches, stunning mountains and incredibly friendly people you will meet there, here are a few interesting facts you may not know about the country.
Voodoo Dolls
As soon as we crossed the border from Macedonia, we noticed the odd weathered rag doll swinging from the balconies of houses we passes. They were hung up by a rope around their necks, limply dangling in the breeze, loose eyes and deathly stares. Upon further inspection we found they also had strands of garlic dangling next to them.
It turns out these dolls are protection from the ‘evil eye’. If you or your family have prospered, chances are you will attract the stares of grudging peers around you. To advert the flow of negative energies stemming from this jealousy, hang up your voodoo doll, attach a few wads of dried garlic and voila, you’re protected.
It turns out these dolls are protection from the ‘evil eye’. If you or your family have prospered, chances are you will attract the stares of grudging peers around you. To advert the flow of negative energies stemming from this jealousy, hang up your voodoo doll, attach a few wads of dried garlic and voila, you’re protected.
Bunkers
The other weird thing you’re bound to notice as soon as entering the country is a plethora of bunkers. Big, small, crumbling, converted into animal shelters, blown up with dynamite…they are everywhere and you can’t fail to stumble across more than a few. In fact, when the bunkers were originally built there were 4 for every single Albania, totalling over 700 000.
The bunkers were realised after WWII when the Communist leader, Enver Hoxha developed a paranoid fixation that Albania was headed towards certain invasion by the rest of the world. Sending Albania in to complete isolation, Hoxha set about building the thousands of bunkers, and along the way the county fell deeper and deeper into debt in order to fight off the invasion that was never to happen.
When Hoxha was having these bunkers designed, the story goes that he asked the lead bunker engineer if it could withstand a tank driving across it. When the engineer replied yes, Hoxha ordered him to climb into one of his creations, and sent a tank straight across the top. Luckily the engineer was correct, as he emerged unharmed although probably more than a little shaken.
The bunkers were realised after WWII when the Communist leader, Enver Hoxha developed a paranoid fixation that Albania was headed towards certain invasion by the rest of the world. Sending Albania in to complete isolation, Hoxha set about building the thousands of bunkers, and along the way the county fell deeper and deeper into debt in order to fight off the invasion that was never to happen.
When Hoxha was having these bunkers designed, the story goes that he asked the lead bunker engineer if it could withstand a tank driving across it. When the engineer replied yes, Hoxha ordered him to climb into one of his creations, and sent a tank straight across the top. Luckily the engineer was correct, as he emerged unharmed although probably more than a little shaken.
Guests First
Albanians were some of the most friendly and welcoming people we met throughout our Balkan travels, but it puzzled us that this trait often didn’t seem to extend to fellow Albanians. With a bit of digging around, we discovered this is a pretty common Albanian trait, as growing up they are taught that guests are always treated as the number one priority, followed by God, and then family.
We experiences this hospitality again and again. When we landed in Tirana and could find zero information on how and where to get a bus to Vlorë, two guys appeared out of the blue to ask us if we needed any help. They then spent the next hour with us, tracking down the elusive minibus’s (they are dotted all over the city), ensuring we were charged the correct price, and waving us off like family.
We experiences this hospitality again and again. When we landed in Tirana and could find zero information on how and where to get a bus to Vlorë, two guys appeared out of the blue to ask us if we needed any help. They then spent the next hour with us, tracking down the elusive minibus’s (they are dotted all over the city), ensuring we were charged the correct price, and waving us off like family.
For a few handy tips on getting around on the Albanian buses, check out these articles below:
Community Service
One idyllic night when wandering in from the beach to our wonderful guest house, Tani, the owner of the place we were staying at rushed past us towards the nearest street light, declaring he almost forgot his ‘community service’ again. Observing with confusion, he went on to explain that its his role in the local community to turn on the street lights every night.
He’s forgotten more than once, only to have his elderly neighbour storm up the dirt road howling “Tani you forgot to turn the lights on again!!”
He’s forgotten more than once, only to have his elderly neighbour storm up the dirt road howling “Tani you forgot to turn the lights on again!!”
Swimming to Crete.
A little later the same evening, as we settled into some ice cold beers at Tani’s bar, conversation turned to Albania past and present. What was it like back in the communist days, we wondered.
With the Island of Crete little more than two kilometre swim away, I wondered if any Albanians tried to make the crossing as an entry port into the EU.
‘Swim across to Crete? Oh yeah, we used to do it all the time back in the Communist days!’
Tani launched into a long explanation of the days he and his friends would make the crossing during summer breaks from university, to make some extra cash on the more prosperous island, before swimming back home with their fortunes. Our minds were reeling, so many questions. What did you do with your clothes? What if you were caught? How did you bring your money back without it getting wet? How long did the swim take?
Tani and his mates grew up in the water, so the swim was a breeze for them all. Most would go in a group if two of three mates, although Tani’s preferred to go it alone as ‘other people in his party always held him back.’ It was a normal thing for them to do over the summer months, they didn’t even blink an eye, and everyone was doing it.
The plan was always to set off in the dead of night, timing their swim to miss the routed of the large ferry boats in the crossing. They’d set off slowly, a few belongings tied up in a plastic bag, and paddle out into the dark. Once out into the open water, they would power across as fast as they could, making sure they spent as little time as possible in the crossing waters of the boats.
For Tani, the biggest shock was the first time he arrived in Crete. He knew Albanians were poor, but until he had seen how other people live, he never knew just how poor they were.
Tani and his mates would spend the summer weeks doing odd jobs around the island, raking in the cash from the developing tourist market there. He soon stumbled across a job that would make him the most cash for least effort though, catching snakes from out of peoples rain water tanks. It was no problem for him to jump in and grab the snake, easy cash, and the wealthy greek land owners were more than happy to pay.
They always had to look out for the document checks whilst on the island. If caught it would be straight back to Albania for you and there goes the summers earnings. Luckily for Tani, his looks helped him fit in on the Greek side, with long blonde locks and blue eyes, he looked about as far from an Albanian as you could get.
Once the summer was over, the only thing to do was to ensure your takings could securely get back to you when you were home. Of course there was a well thought out strategy for this one too. Make friends with one of the lovely Greek ladies, usually a local store owner. The women were more trust worthy, leave it with one of the men and chances were pretty high you’ll never see your cash again.
Would you swim back?? We asked
No Way! said Tani.
Getting back was the easy part, no one was going to keep you out of Albania, and they’d already done the hard work getting across there. They’d take a ferry back, a few weeks later to be visited by their lady friend, and the arrival of their hard earned cash.
Tani and his mates would spend their summers like this for many years, stopping only after they came to the harsh realisation that what they thought was a harmless, easy crossing, took the life of one of their friends. He was a good swimmer, probably better than most of them, but one evening he attempted the crossing and was never seen again. No one knows if it was the tides of the boats that got him, and it had never occurred to these boys that swimming 2 km across the midnight sea may be dangerous, but after this tragic night the summer jaunts in Greece came to an end for Tani.
With the Island of Crete little more than two kilometre swim away, I wondered if any Albanians tried to make the crossing as an entry port into the EU.
‘Swim across to Crete? Oh yeah, we used to do it all the time back in the Communist days!’
Tani launched into a long explanation of the days he and his friends would make the crossing during summer breaks from university, to make some extra cash on the more prosperous island, before swimming back home with their fortunes. Our minds were reeling, so many questions. What did you do with your clothes? What if you were caught? How did you bring your money back without it getting wet? How long did the swim take?
Tani and his mates grew up in the water, so the swim was a breeze for them all. Most would go in a group if two of three mates, although Tani’s preferred to go it alone as ‘other people in his party always held him back.’ It was a normal thing for them to do over the summer months, they didn’t even blink an eye, and everyone was doing it.
The plan was always to set off in the dead of night, timing their swim to miss the routed of the large ferry boats in the crossing. They’d set off slowly, a few belongings tied up in a plastic bag, and paddle out into the dark. Once out into the open water, they would power across as fast as they could, making sure they spent as little time as possible in the crossing waters of the boats.
For Tani, the biggest shock was the first time he arrived in Crete. He knew Albanians were poor, but until he had seen how other people live, he never knew just how poor they were.
Tani and his mates would spend the summer weeks doing odd jobs around the island, raking in the cash from the developing tourist market there. He soon stumbled across a job that would make him the most cash for least effort though, catching snakes from out of peoples rain water tanks. It was no problem for him to jump in and grab the snake, easy cash, and the wealthy greek land owners were more than happy to pay.
They always had to look out for the document checks whilst on the island. If caught it would be straight back to Albania for you and there goes the summers earnings. Luckily for Tani, his looks helped him fit in on the Greek side, with long blonde locks and blue eyes, he looked about as far from an Albanian as you could get.
Once the summer was over, the only thing to do was to ensure your takings could securely get back to you when you were home. Of course there was a well thought out strategy for this one too. Make friends with one of the lovely Greek ladies, usually a local store owner. The women were more trust worthy, leave it with one of the men and chances were pretty high you’ll never see your cash again.
Would you swim back?? We asked
No Way! said Tani.
Getting back was the easy part, no one was going to keep you out of Albania, and they’d already done the hard work getting across there. They’d take a ferry back, a few weeks later to be visited by their lady friend, and the arrival of their hard earned cash.
Tani and his mates would spend their summers like this for many years, stopping only after they came to the harsh realisation that what they thought was a harmless, easy crossing, took the life of one of their friends. He was a good swimmer, probably better than most of them, but one evening he attempted the crossing and was never seen again. No one knows if it was the tides of the boats that got him, and it had never occurred to these boys that swimming 2 km across the midnight sea may be dangerous, but after this tragic night the summer jaunts in Greece came to an end for Tani.
Falling Down Buildings
Albania is particularly blessed with natural beauty. From long stretches of pristine white sandy beaches to extraordinary mountainside views, you can see this country has everything it takes to draw in the tourists in the next few years.
Unfortunately they haven’t quite caught up with the thinking and planning required to preserve such beauty with cities rapidly expanding. Vlorë is the prefect example of this, where the stunning coastline is rapidly being covered by the bleak monotony of characterless and poorly designed apartment blocks, lacking amenities and connectivity, designed for speed and catching the quick tourist dollar, they are completely destroying the potential for this wonderful country.
Ksamil, where were staying with Tani, is at least trying to curb this illegal unplanned development. Only a handful of years ago, Ksamil was a sleepy little village with Tani setting up the only bar to quench the very deep thirsts of the foreign Archeologists who were working down the road at the ancient site of Butrint.
Once the country opened up to foreigners in the early nineties it wasn’t long until they started to head down to Sarandë and Kasamil, and within a few years the sleepy little village started to grow, with ugly cheap concrete box apartments springing up over night. Many didn’t have a planning application, and as punishment the police would go in over night, tear down just one structural column in the unfinished building, and watch the whole thing topple over.
The owners of these unfinished and unstable buildings refuse to spend the money to even clear the site, so many of these strange structures remain around the town, one directly next to Tani’s place. He’s been fighting for years to have the eyesore pulled down but with no luck. I guess on the positive side its nice to see some action taken in the right direction for the development of these towns.
Unfortunately they haven’t quite caught up with the thinking and planning required to preserve such beauty with cities rapidly expanding. Vlorë is the prefect example of this, where the stunning coastline is rapidly being covered by the bleak monotony of characterless and poorly designed apartment blocks, lacking amenities and connectivity, designed for speed and catching the quick tourist dollar, they are completely destroying the potential for this wonderful country.
Ksamil, where were staying with Tani, is at least trying to curb this illegal unplanned development. Only a handful of years ago, Ksamil was a sleepy little village with Tani setting up the only bar to quench the very deep thirsts of the foreign Archeologists who were working down the road at the ancient site of Butrint.
Once the country opened up to foreigners in the early nineties it wasn’t long until they started to head down to Sarandë and Kasamil, and within a few years the sleepy little village started to grow, with ugly cheap concrete box apartments springing up over night. Many didn’t have a planning application, and as punishment the police would go in over night, tear down just one structural column in the unfinished building, and watch the whole thing topple over.
The owners of these unfinished and unstable buildings refuse to spend the money to even clear the site, so many of these strange structures remain around the town, one directly next to Tani’s place. He’s been fighting for years to have the eyesore pulled down but with no luck. I guess on the positive side its nice to see some action taken in the right direction for the development of these towns.
The Blue Eye
A natural oddity as unique as some of the other quirks of the country, the Blue Eye (Syri Kalter) can be described as nothing other than a paradise oasis where you can happily let the hours slip by.
Icy blue crystal clear water bubbles from a hole in the ground of unknown depth. An international dive team in the past has tried to discover the depth of the spring, but the force of the water surging up from the earth has prevented them from swimming down into its depths.
We spent a few hours mesmerised by the area, full of lush green water plants, iridescent blue dragonflies, and water so clear its like staring at underwater life through the glass of an aquarium. After debating weather or not to make the jump into the 10 degree spring, Pete decided it had to be done. Standing on the edge, toes in the water quickly turning numb he finally made the leap in. Emerging exhilarated from the blue waters, the look on this face made it clear Emma had no choice but to follow.
Jumping into the blue eye is like momentarily flying, as the water is so clear for a split second you gaze down into the majestic depths below before the force of the water pushes you across to the shallows again. Its numbingly cold, but terribly addictive and once you have made the jump once you’ll be going back for more.
Icy blue crystal clear water bubbles from a hole in the ground of unknown depth. An international dive team in the past has tried to discover the depth of the spring, but the force of the water surging up from the earth has prevented them from swimming down into its depths.
We spent a few hours mesmerised by the area, full of lush green water plants, iridescent blue dragonflies, and water so clear its like staring at underwater life through the glass of an aquarium. After debating weather or not to make the jump into the 10 degree spring, Pete decided it had to be done. Standing on the edge, toes in the water quickly turning numb he finally made the leap in. Emerging exhilarated from the blue waters, the look on this face made it clear Emma had no choice but to follow.
Jumping into the blue eye is like momentarily flying, as the water is so clear for a split second you gaze down into the majestic depths below before the force of the water pushes you across to the shallows again. Its numbingly cold, but terribly addictive and once you have made the jump once you’ll be going back for more.
No for Yes, Yes for No
To see more of this stunning country, check out our galleries below.
And if all that isn’t enough, just to confuse you a little more while you’re searching for your bus that is impossible to find, or your hotel on a street with no name, Albanians will shake their head when they mean yes, and nod for no.
Its a quirky country which is still growing, but hopefully as the rest of the travelling word discovers the beauty of this place, it will still manage to hold onto these unique characteristics which make it such an amazing place to travel in.
Its a quirky country which is still growing, but hopefully as the rest of the travelling word discovers the beauty of this place, it will still manage to hold onto these unique characteristics which make it such an amazing place to travel in.