"The beauty who just woke up"——Albania

Public account: Coconut Travel Diary

Traveling to sixty countries and seeing the world in depth

Our fathers have a lot of feelings for Albania, this country, and New China. Most of the countries that are worried still have some thoughts about it. But for the younger generation, it is a bit confusing, and many people can’t remember its geographical location because their heads are buzzing. If it weren't for work, my interaction with it would be better than nothing. I often fly to Europe, and my impression of Albania is mostly negative: most of the thieves we are most afraid of encountering in major cities in Western Europe come from this "backcountry".

Albania is located in southeastern Europe, facing Italy across the Adriatic Sea and the Strait of Otranto to the west, and bordering Greece to the south. Sitting in the most secluded waters of the Mediterranean, the little-known wild charm here is attracting more and more experienced players. Lonely Planet has repeatedly given it high honors - "Best Travel Destination in Europe in 2018", "Top Ten Best Value for Money Travel Destination in 2019", and even called it a "beauty that just woke up". Even the American "New York Times" rated it as "the most worthwhile tourist destination".

If you travel on a Mediterranean cruise, some rare routes will also reach Sarand?, Albania’s most famous seaside resort, which attracts many senior European and American tourists as a private summer resort. With top-notch seawater and beaches, vacation costs are much cheaper than those in Italy and Greece next door. It’s no wonder that Westerners will set their sights here again. I took a cruise in the past two years, and one of the stops was Corfu, Greece (also a very niche destination, I will write about it in a separate issue later). The fairyland-like island of Corfu is far away from mainland Greece and close to the coast of Albania. You can visit Sarand? in Albania in a day trip. The itinerary that year left time for Corfu, so we missed Albania.

However, tourism in Balkan countries has gradually become more popular in recent years. Since 2018, Albania has extended an olive branch to China and granted Chinese tourists a visa-free policy during the peak tourist season (April-October). The visa-free policy has greatly increased Chinese tourists to Albania. Albania’s visa-free tourist season in 2019 has been advanced one month earlier. From March 1st to October 31st, Chinese citizens can enter Albania without a visa.

The implementation of the visa-free policy has brought great benefits to Albania. The consumption brought by the large number of Chinese tourists finally made Albania know who is the real financial backer, so he made a big move in early 2020. ——Albania has officially lifted the visa-free restriction for Chinese passports only during the peak tourist season, and officially implemented a comprehensive visa-free policy for China.

Since I am so sincere, let me take you to unveil this beauty in advance before the tourism in the Balkans becomes popular!

TIPS:

1. Visa:

Albania is now fully visa-free for Chinese tourists, and a European country has been added to the travel list .

2. Language:

Albanian is the official language of the Republic of Albania, and Greek is the second most spoken language in the country. However, English is the most common language in Albania, followed by Italian.

3. Currency and consumption level:

Albania’s currency is Lek, and the exchange rate is 1 RMB = 17 Lek. Traveling all over Europe, I can almost say that the consumption in Afghanistan is the lowest in Europe. Arriving here with euros in my pocket is like paradise. A cup of coffee costs less than one euro! Euros and leks can be used almost simultaneously, but it is recommended to prepare some change for leks. Some places do not accept euros.

4. Transportation

Airplane: There are currently no direct domestic flights to Albania, and you need to transfer to Albania.

Train: Albanian train services are generally used for cargo transportation, and passenger services are also provided. However, the conditions are backward, the speed is slow, and the transfer time is long.

Bus: Many major cities in Albania have long-distance bus services, and the service scope generally covers all parts of the country and neighboring countries such as Montenegro, Greece and Macedonia.

Kruje

Kruje

The medieval town of Kruje is located 32 kilometers northwest of Tirana. We traveled overland from Dubrovnik, Croatia. The mountainous road was rugged, but the landscape along the way slowly dragged us into the third world. Along the way, we pass the beautiful Lake Shkodra, which is the largest freshwater lake in the Balkans. It is close to the border between Montenegro and Albania. The lake is jointly owned by the two countries.

The name Kruja comes from the Albanian word krua, which means "water spring".

This is an important military stronghold where Albania's national hero Skanderbeg fought against the Ottoman Army. Now it has become a famous tourist city in Albania. The small town welcomes tourists from all over the world every day.

The winding road leads to Skanderbeg Castle on the gray mountains. At the entrance to the left of the ancient castle, there is a memorial statue of a national hero. This statue is Skenderbeu, the Albanian national hero who was born in Kruja. He united and led the entire Albania to resist the invasion of Ottoman Turkey. He also publicly gave up his Islamic faith and converted to Catholicism. During the war Skanderbeg used a black double-headed eagle as its emblem, which later evolved into the flag of Albany. Therefore we can see statues of this hero in many cities in Albania. Interestingly, during the war with Turkey, Skanderbeg used goats to shine behind their backs to pretend they had many people, so many murals and souvenirs in Albany include goat-horned helmets.

There are currently two national museums built in the castle. One is the National Hero Skanderbeg Museum, which briefly introduces Skanderbeg's achievements. The other is a folk museum that displays local 18th-century customs. The history of the castle dates all the way back to the fifth and sixth centuries AD, and the current museum itself was completed in 1981.

The most famous old market in Kruja is located under the castle. It is one of the oldest markets in Albania, with a long history of more than 500 years since the days of Skanderbeg. This was also the starting point of free trade among the city's merchants, so it is both a historic attraction and a market where you can buy the most authentic Albanian souvenirs.

2 Both sides of the quaint cobblestone streets are densely packed with handmade workshops. Most of the products are handmade by craftsmen on site. Here you can buy handwoven Albanian carpets at the cheapest price. Local handicrafts, national costumes and other souvenirs. There are also many dusty old objects that are dizzying, including copper wine pots, coffee pots, vintage watches, and countless ancient coins and silver jewelry. If you are lucky enough, you can also find rare items such as the Albanian version of Chairman Mao's quotations and magazines or books related to China in the 1950s and 1960s.

Craftsmen who have always insisted on tradition are the soul of Kruja Old Street. They continue the ancient craftsmanship and pass on the ancient culture from generation to generation. There are not many traditional handicraft gathering areas in Albania, only a few exist, and Kruja is definitely one of the most representative areas.

Overlooking the entire valley from the castle in the old city, you can have a panoramic view of the majesty of Albania, the "Land of Eagles." The city geographical coordinate arrow at hand reminds me that it turns out that this place is nearly 8,000 kilometers away from the motherland. We are halfway through our twenty-day trip to the Balkan countries, but we are already starting to miss home. On the one hand, traveling is also a bit of a torture of spending money. Traveling thousands of miles away from a familiar place to a completely unfamiliar environment, re-observe and experience another way of life. It is good to be willing to change and adapt, otherwise you will most likely encounter too many dissatisfaction and distress. .

At the entrance of the ancient and time-worn castle, an Albanian accordion artist played the exciting "Game of Thrones" BGM. When our group of oriental faces approached, it quietly changed to "March of the Volunteers". As the countries of the Balkan Peninsula travel along the way, this land is extending more and more welcoming hands to the gradual influx of Chinese tourists.