We officially entered the unpronounceable Republika e Shqipërisë, also known as the Republic of Albania, and began our time with a short stay in the capital Tirana. We were surprised to see the magnitude of construction currently underway, with an emphasis on innovative modern architectural design. The new buildings are rapidly replacing the tired old eastern block structures.
But Albania’s brutal communist era is still front and center with several museums dedicated to documenting the brutality of the dark years between 1944 and 1997. Bunk Art Museum is a maze of underground cells and interrogation rooms, some containing photographs and lists of the victims of the communist dictator Enver Hoxha’s reign of terror.
The unassuming House of Leaves Museum documents the history of surveillance by the once all powerful national intelligence service in the former headquarters building.
The home of the former dictator Enver Hoxha is unmarked, fenced off and closed to the public. The property is unoccupied and symbolically left to crumble and decay. The neighborhood surrounding the former leader's compound is now a trendy hot spot populated with shops, bars and restaurants, celebrating the new Albania.
We continued through central Albania stopping in Berat, the town of a 1000 widows. Surrounded by mountains, the area also boasts several wineries featuring grapes unique to the region such as Vranac and Shesh, among others. We can attest to the fine quality of these local varieties produced here in a region with a wine making tradition dating back to the 8th century BCE.
The remainder of our time in Albania was spent at the coastal resort town of Himara, exploring rocky hilltop ruins and walking coastal trails to discover remote beaches. In short we indulged in the simple pleasures best appreciated in flip flops: sun, surf and lunches of white wine and Seafood Saganaki!
Our next destination is the Greek island of Corfu, a short ferry hop from the Albanian port of Saranda.
Side Note: During the communist era Albanians could see the many lights emanating from the island of Corfu, and the government would explain that unlike the Albanian people, the Greeks were so unfortunate that they were forced to work both day and night. Not sure how many Albanians truly believed the Propaganda.
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