Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Albania, New Jewel of the Med.


We're getting a lot of attention this week here in Albania, some of it negative but most of it has been really positive, and that's nice. Most foreigners who live here have a secret joke that we don't tell our friends back home just how good it is to live here. We let them think it is a real hardship post and encourage them to feel sympathy for us. But it's honestly far from a bad place to be. We like it, we really do.

According to David Browne in the article Albania is the New Jewel of the Mediterranean ,

"Albania is a country blessed with natural assets of rugged mountain landscape,
a long Adriatic coastline and a prime geographical location across the sea from
Italy, with Greece on its southern border. This is a country poised to become
the new jewel of the Mediterranean region and it aims to boost its potential as
a tourist destination."


This is the kind of positive attention this country needs and deserves. Yes, it's still in the infant stages of tourism development, but the potential is huge. In the future it will offer just as much as Croatia, Montenegro, and Greece. The natural beauty is stunning. And the people are incredibly warm and friendly. I encourage you to forget everything you may have heard about Albanians and to open your heart to the possibility of a future vacation here. Of course, it is still sort of an 'adventure destination', and 5 star facilities are few and far between, but I promise you you'll never forget a trip to Albania, "The Land of Eagles"!

7 comments:

oreneta said...

You are reading my mind on this one, I have been thinking about going there...what airlines are most common within Europe??

Miss Kim said...

We almost always fly via Vienna using Austrian Airlines, but Lufthansa has recently flying here as well as British Airlines.
It would be great to have you come for a visit!

belle_fleur said...

Kim, thanks for the positive words and publicity about my country. Its nice to hear these words come from a foreign that lives in a country that still has so many things to learn and catch up with the rest of the world. Hopefully, more people will read what you had to say and change their opionin about this country that is full of surprises, good and bad:))

© DAI - 2004-2014 said...

Brava Kim! Help us all to publicize Albani's touristic potential. Now even american ocean cruisers stop in Saranda, as already pointed out in my blog. Have a good summer and hope to see you again in the near future.

ps - have had a terrible time with my google account since I'm back in NY - hope this msg goes thru

Jeff Gromen said...

I'm coming over but just for a weekend with my sister and brother in law in 3 weeks. I think we're going to stay close to Vlore. There is a ferry that goes Brindisi to Vlore in 2 hours on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday! Perfect for me. I don't miss any work.

Jeff

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this post. Hope to make it down to Albania this summer. I was so close already, but my friends refused to cross the border.

Ginnie Hart said...

If ever we decide to travel there, Kim, you'll be the first to know!! :) It actually looks and feels a bit like our time in St. Petersburg, away from all the glitz.