After an exciting night of electrical storms under the mountains of wild Montenegro, we change the pace of the voyage for the next two days in the enigmatic country of Shqiperia, or Albania. Isolated for 50 years under the rule of their delusional dictator Enver Hoxha, the country is now in its adolescence after a shaky and corrupt introduction to capitalism that saw the country tumble through a series of government-acknowledged pyramidal banking schemes. Anarchy saw the country in ruins, and the delicate situation facing the ethnic Albanians of neighboring Kosovo motivated the western governments to prioritize the economic stability and growth of Albania. Today, Albania is a country “under construction” that prides itself on their religious openness and tolerance, and cherishes their long relationship with the United States and the American people.
Today we explored the country from many angles and aspects, starting in the large industrial port of Durres, driving up to the base of the Dinar Mountains to the old medieval capital of Kruje, returning into the central basin of the modern capital of Tirane, and even transiting the busy agricultural crossroads of Fushkruje, where a friendly, waving statue in front of the Bank of Tirane commemorates the 2007 visit of American President George W. Bush. We were introduced to historic characters like the national hero Skanderbeg, who defected from the Ottoman Turk janissaries in the 15th century to hold of Islamic influence in the Balkan Peninsula as a defender of Christianity. We heard about King Zog and his relationship with Mussolini, the isolationist period of dictator Enver Hoxha, and the visionary planning of the former Tirane mayor and current prime minister—the 6’8” Paris-educated artist and basketball player Edi Rama.
We also sampled a number of Albanian dishes at the Restaurant Sarajet, a former Ottoman Turk villa, where the big surprises were the outstanding red wines of Albania and the riveting dance troupe Shqiponia, which dazzled us with their rhythms and folkdance. We returned to Sea Cloud in Durres with a dizzying new perspective on this little country, which historian Rebecca Ingram put into context with her overview lecture on the Ottoman Empire. It was an exhausting but unforgettable day. Who knew?
