Durres and Tirane, Albania
Welcome to Albania! Many of us never thought it possible to hear these words, but Albania is now a country newly emerging from the deep wounds of 50 years of isolationist communism followed by a few tragic and consequential false starts in free market capitalism. It is a country of paradox and enigma, littered with remnant bunkers and incomplete construction, crowded with swarms of new automobiles on undeveloped roads and insufficient traffic management. With determined western support, Albania is looking to a steady and stable future, and the young generation is excited and optimistic to join the western world.
We began our day at the industrial port of Durres, Albania’s largest commercial port, as we followed the ferry from Bari, Italy in to the harbor. The fascinating morning drive took us to the foot of the limestone mountains and the old capitol of Kruje. This was home to the great Albanian general George Kastrioti, or Skanderbeg, who consistently defeated the Ottomoan Turks in the 15th century and set the western boundaries of the Ottoman Turk empire. Considered one of the saviors of Christianity, he is regarded as one of the best generals in history and is Albania’s national hero. We visited the beautifully displayed Skanderbeg Museum and a very interesting 18th century farmhouse that has been converted into an outstanding ethnographic museum. We finished with a walk through the Kruje medieval market, where anything and everything from the last few centuries seemed to be for sale.
One of the inspirations of our yearly expeditions to Albania is getting to know the optimistic youth of the country, who are learning English, studying hard and committed to a brighter future. We were happy today to meet our friend Shenasi Alushi, who first enthusiastically introduced us to the national hero Skanderbeg about five years ago. Every year he keeps us abreast of his studies and the realities of Albanian youth, and here he poses proudly with a statue of his national hero.
Departing from Kruje, we weaved our way through the light Sunday traffic and randomly painted buildings of the modern capitol of Tirane, to a sumptuous spread of Albanian fare, accompanied by Albanian beer and wine, and highlighted by the music and dance of an exciting Albanian folk dance troop. There was no shortage of volunteers from our group to join in the dancing, and everybody was ready for a good nap as we took the recently completed highway back to the port of Durres.
