This is somewhere I’ll definitely return to for some heavy duty hiking in the last of Europe’s wilderness areas and to see the last of its wild rivers.
The spring waters, welling up from wherever at Syri I Kaltër are the most crystal clear I’ve seen. The dense forests of oak, birch, pine and fir are a glimpse back in time of a Europe lost long ago elsewhere. The coast around Dhërmi is so stunning - I hope it isn’t turned into another Kavos-like hell hole.
There are many ruins from the Soviet era, including a nuclear submarine base tunnelled into the side of a hill and the odd abandoned pillbox where, I imagine, overlooking the Mediterranean it would have been better than most places to be stuck manning a heavy machine gun with a bottle of vodka and a sack of turnips.
Finally, Tirana, the capital - a very multi-ethnic, multi-faith community with rich Illyrian, Roman, Ottoman and Soviet history. Everyone seems to get on.
Albania is a member of NATO and on its way to EU membership. It just needs to do a bit more about its mafia which currently controls people and drug trafficking in Europe, with tentacles reaching into the US.
There’s a lot of money being washed via public works such as massive infrastructure and tourism works. That, unfortunately, is built on plenty of human misery. Such as it ever was.
Good governance must prevail.
Where I slept: Empire Beach Resort: Imagine the Spanish coastline before it was ruined.
Where I ate: Some street vendor in the middle of Tirana selling bbq lamb from a spit. The best I've ever had.
