| | Traditional
Mediterranean charm and Soviet-style inefficiency. It is a giddy blend of religions,
styles, cultures and landscapes, from Sunni Muslim to Albanian Orthodox, from
idyllic beach resort and rocky mountain peak to intensely cultivated field. Relics
from one of the longest dictatorships in Eastern Europe rub shoulders with citrus
orchards, olive groves and vineyards. Decrepit, Chinese-built factories stand
next to breathtaking mosques; ornately decorated Orthodox churches face off 'Soviet
Brutal' palaces of culture. Kicked
around by the Balkan big boys for millennia and turned upside down by its very
own Maoist Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, Albania is now tentatively embracing
democracy, the outside world and a few foreign travellers. Some things won't ever
change, though: the spectacular forested mountains, the warm Mediterranean sun,
and the heart-rendingly blue waters of the Adriatic all endure the country's ups
and downs. "With
its unspoilt beaches and stunning mountainous scenery Albania is set to become
a destination for future tourist and travellers. In order to achieved this, however,
a fundamental change is taking place through the development of new facilities
to cater for the expected increase in tourists. As such new hotels and guest houses
are being constructed across the country. In the short term however, it is likely
that Tirana will remain as the starting point for foreign travellers and to this
end a number of new developments are taking place. " Albania
Flight from UK |
