Albania must surely have to rank as one of Europe's lesser known countries and I can count on one hand the number of people I know who have visited the strip of land on the Balkan Peninsula which is lapped by both Adriatic and Ionian sea coastlines.
Of those who visited, the majority were on military deployments but all came back raving about a fascinating and beautiful country, where the people are genuinely welcoming and proud to show off their homeland to the rest of the world.
In fact, to say Albania is fascinating is probably an understatement.
Until 1992 the country's borders remained closed and nobody was allowed in and out, meaning that the country is still in its infancy as a travel destination.Albanian citizens were forced to live under the rule of hard-line communist leader Enver Hoxha, who kept control of his populace through a combination of fear, paranoia and brainwashing until his death in 1985 of a heart attack.
Farmers were made to hand over the majority of their crops to the state for redistribution and any private enterprises were strictly forbidden.
Money was in parts of the country replaced with tokens which would then be exchanged for a carefully regulated amount of goods.
As you travel through the Albanian countryside you'll notice curious markings in the luscious green mountainside which our informed guide told us was a result of farmers being forced to pointlessly plough even when there were no crops to produce, all in the name of work, discipline and ultimately hardcore communism.
Following tedious passport inspections both leaving Macedonia and entering Albania (between the borders there is a couple of hundred metres of no-man's land), we finally crossed the border near St Naum and entered the city of Pogradec after passing a few tacky looking resorts on the shores of the southerly end of Lake Ohrid.
Pogradec's bustling city centre was an assault on the senses with some locals going about their daily business whilst others hung out on the street corners, selling everything from rugs to live rabbits in an area where unemployment is rife.
After stopping briefly for a caffeine hit which arrived in the form of a cappuccino, we hopped back on the bus and headed inland towards the student city of Korçë, population 80,000ish.
A flat tyre resulted in an enforced stop in the Albanian countryside, where we were able to take in the splendid view of country houses backed by the towering mountain landscape.
The brief pause also allowed for us to examine one of Albania's most common sites, bunkers.
All across Albania Hoxha built huge bunkers, often in people's front gardens, in a bid to convince his people that the country was under threat of foreign attack and that his word should be followed indefinitely.
Bunkers still lie in gardens, on the side of roads, in fields and in cities and many of them have since the fall of communism and Hoxha's death, been converted into colourful murals and innovative indoor spaces.
As our bus chugged past the bleak factories and heavy industry that surrounds the perimeter of Korçë, the skies darkened as we pulled into town.
We again disembarked the bus and set about strolling through the chaotic market where animated salesman peddled out some of the freshest looking produce I've ever seen.
There was barely room to swing a cat in the market and we soon excited exhausted onto the city streets flanked by that stereotypical high-rise tower block housing, clearly a hangover of the communist regime.
A couple of twists and turns later and we found ourselves in the newer part of town and what a contrast it was.
We browsed the modern cobbled streets dotted with bars, restaurants and clothes stores and strolled alongside Korçë's huge student population, who arrive from all over the country to study at the city's universities.
At the top of the newer end of town sits the grand Orthodox Church of St George, again sitting beneath the imposing mountains.
In Albania various cultural influences are evident including that of the formerly occupying Ottomans, and these days the south of the country is predominantly Christian and the north, Islam.
After a thoroughly enjoyable few hours in the hugely contrasting city of Korçë, we headed to the countryside and the settlement of Pustec.
In impoverished Pustec we were greeted by friendly locals who even at some points welcomed us into their homes.
Pustec is interesting in that the population is largely aged under 18 and over 40, with the majority of young people leaving the rural areas of the country to move to the city to study and in search of work.
Curiously despite parts of Pustec resembling the villages featured at the start of the comedy film Borat, a number of grand houses exist just a short walk from the considerably more modest farmers' shacks.
Despite spending less than 12 hours in just a small part of Albania, the visit left me wanting more.Known mostly for the mafia and dodgy roads (a lot of improvements seem to have been made to road surfaces), Albania is a melting pot of culture, friendly locals, natural beauty and a rich and varied history and I would wholeheartedly recommend anybody with an interest in the region to go and discover for themselves how a country can find its feet after emerging from the dark shadow of communism.
Albania must surely have to rank as one of Europe's lesser known countries and I can count on one hand the number of people I know who have visited the strip of land on the Balkan Peninsula which is lapped by both Adriatic and Ionian sea coastlines.
Of those who visited, the majority were on military deployments but all came back raving about a fascinating and beautiful country, where the people are genuinely welcoming and proud to show off their homeland to the rest of the world.
In fact, to say Albania is fascinating is probably an understatement.
Until 1992 the country's borders remained closed and nobody was allowed in and out, meaning that the country is still in its infancy as a travel destination.Albanian citizens were forced to live under the rule of hard-line communist leader Enver Hoxha, who kept control of his populace through a combination of fear, paranoia and brainwashing until his death in 1985 of a heart attack.
Farmers were made to hand over the majority of their crops to the state for redistribution and any private enterprises were strictly forbidden.
Money was in parts of the country replaced with tokens which would then be exchanged for a carefully regulated amount of goods.
As you travel through the Albanian countryside you'll notice curious markings in the luscious green mountainside which our informed guide told us was a result of farmers being forced to pointlessly plough even when there were no crops to produce, all in the name of work, discipline and ultimately hardcore communism.
Following tedious passport inspections both leaving Macedonia and entering Albania (between the borders there is a couple of hundred metres of no-man's land), we finally crossed the border near St Naum and entered the city of Pogradec after passing a few tacky looking resorts on the shores of the southerly end of Lake Ohrid.
Pogradec's bustling city centre was an assault on the senses with some locals going about their daily business whilst others hung out on the street corners, selling everything from rugs to live rabbits in an area where unemployment is rife.
After stopping briefly for a caffeine hit which arrived in the form of a cappuccino, we hopped back on the bus and headed inland towards the student city of Korçë, population 80,000ish.
A flat tyre resulted in an enforced stop in the Albanian countryside, where we were able to take in the splendid view of country houses backed by the towering mountain landscape.
The brief pause also allowed for us to examine one of Albania's most common sites, bunkers.
All across Albania Hoxha built huge bunkers, often in people's front gardens, in a bid to convince his people that the country was under threat of foreign attack and that his word should be followed indefinitely.
Bunkers still lie in gardens, on the side of roads, in fields and in cities and many of them have since the fall of communism and Hoxha's death, been converted into colourful murals and innovative indoor spaces.
As our bus chugged past the bleak factories and heavy industry that surrounds the perimeter of Korçë, the skies darkened as we pulled into town.
We again disembarked the bus and set about strolling through the chaotic market where animated salesman peddled out some of the freshest looking produce I've ever seen.
There was barely room to swing a cat in the market and we soon excited exhausted onto the city streets flanked by that stereotypical high-rise tower block housing, clearly a hangover of the communist regime.
A couple of twists and turns later and we found ourselves in the newer part of town and what a contrast it was.
We browsed the modern cobbled streets dotted with bars, restaurants and clothes stores and strolled alongside Korçë's huge student population, who arrive from all over the country to study at the city's universities.
At the top of the newer end of town sits the grand Orthodox Church of St George, again sitting beneath the imposing mountains.
In Albania various cultural influences are evident including that of the formerly occupying Ottomans, and these days the south of the country is predominantly Christian and the north, Islam.
After a thoroughly enjoyable few hours in the hugely contrasting city of Korçë, we headed to the countryside and the settlement of Pustec.
In impoverished Pustec we were greeted by friendly locals who even at some points welcomed us into their homes.
Pustec is interesting in that the population is largely aged under 18 and over 40, with the majority of young people leaving the rural areas of the country to move to the city to study and in search of work.
Curiously despite parts of Pustec resembling the villages featured at the start of the comedy film Borat, a number of grand houses exist just a short walk from the considerably more modest farmers' shacks.
Despite spending less than 12 hours in just a small part of Albania, the visit left me wanting more.Known mostly for the mafia and dodgy roads (a lot of improvements seem to have been made to road surfaces), Albania is a melting pot of culture, friendly locals, natural beauty and a rich and varied history and I would wholeheartedly recommend anybody with an interest in the region to go and discover for themselves how a country can find its feet after emerging from the dark shadow of communism.
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