Word for the Travel Wise (11/29/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

While I’ve certainly slacked off of giving the Albanian language any real type of love, Neil keeps Albania alive in his Red Corner pieces. If you’ve forgotten he also explored parts of the country earlier this year, so if you missed his good words of knowledge and travel tips perhaps it is time you revisit our Albania category.

Today’s word is an Albanian word used in Albania:

kujtesë – memory

Albanian is spoken in Albania, Kosovo, Greece, Serbia and Montenegro, and the Republic of Macedonia. It is in its own independent branch of the Indo-European language family with no living close relatives as stated by Wikipedia. Argjiro is a pretty new site with a long way to go, but there are a few things there to help a beginner in the Albanian lang get a foothold. Start with the English-Albanian dictionary. Single-Serving online has an awesome Albanian phrase guide for the tourist with audio files. For history, lessons, and other useful knowledge on the tongue of Albania visit, Albania World.

Past Albanian words: muaj

Red Corner: Albania’s Bad Rap

by Neil Woodburn on

Albania doesn’t exactly have the same reputation for travelers as a place like Italy or France. Those who tend to visit, however, come back with glowing reviews. Well, most of them do anyway. We posted a few months ago about a piece by A. A. Gill who basically ripped the country apart.

For those of us who have visited this wonderful country, his article not only disappointed, but angered as well.

The most recent rebuttal to the “disservice” Gill has heaped upon Albania comes to us from Alex Wade writing for The Independent. Wade, who has visited the country four times, passionately defends Albania and fondly reminisces about…

sitting on a veranda in Gjirokaster, sipping a glass of raki, watching the sun set on the Lunxheria mountains. I think of swimming in the glistening Ionian sea, drinking coffee in Tirana, wandering among the exquisite ruins of Butrint.

Wade accomplishes what all good travel writing does: it inspires the reader to pack his bags and visit some far off land. Gill’s piece unfortunately did the opposite. Sure, Albania is challenging and not the ideal vacation locale for everyone, but those willing to rough it a bit will be extraordinarily rewarded.

Red Corner: Balkan Odyssey Tour

by Neil Woodburn on

We’re usually not in the habit of plugging group tours here at Gadling, however, I recently came across one highlighted in the LA Times which covers many of the same places I recently traveled during my Balkan Odyssey this last summer.

Kutrubes Travel is offering an 18-day trip through Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia/Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia & Herzegovina. While such a trip can certainly be done on your own, it isn’t Western Europe and travel through this part of the world still presents challenges.

The ease of group travel, however, is going to cost you. The trip runs $3,802 to $4,783 per person, and does not include airfare. I probably spent half this amount on my trip–although some of it unfortunately included hitchhiking, which is probably not on the itinerary.

Red Corner: Historic Albania

by Neil Woodburn on

When I visited Albania a few months ago, I had to choose between the north of the country where the stunning Alps reigned supreme, or the south where gobs of ancient Greek and Roman ruins lay scattered about.

I chose the north and had a wonderful time. The south still remains a curiosity and hopefully a place to explore in the future.

Rose Dosti, writing for the LA Times, however, headed south and seemed to enjoy it equally as much.

Albania’s Ancient History Surfaces explores a region of Albania where Illyrians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Venetians and Ottomans invaded poor Albania as regular as the tides. This melting pot of cultures left an impressive array of archeological sites and remains. In the town of Durres alone, Dosti comes across a 14th century Venetian rotunda, Roman baths, a 15th century mosque, a 2nd century amphitheater, and more.

This wonderful cache of history is virtually unknown outside of Albania. This is partly due to the fact that an isolationist communist government cut Albania off from the rest of the world from 1944 to 1992. Thankfully, mass protests put an end to this silly system and Albania is once again open for curious archeologists and history buffs.

Red Corner: Polluted Albania

by Neil Woodburn on

Having recently returned from a trip to Albania, I was disappointed to run across a rather frank assessment of the pollution problems which currently plague the developing nation and negatively effect its tourist trade.

Transitions Online, which covers problems faced by nations emerging from communism, reports that some of Albania’s most popular beaches are horribly contaminated and that “pollution in the coastal waters is between two and six times the levels allowed by the World Health Organization.” Even the guidebook I traveled with warned about rashes which afflict swimmers at some of the beaches.

The air isn’t much better. The Albanian Institute of Nuclear Physics discovered that Tirana’s air is laced with toxic metals from the regular burning of trash and solid waste.

It is certainly a sad report to read. I found Albania to be extraordinarily blessed with beautiful beaches and mountains when I visited. Such natural resources, if treated properly, will be the source of a tourist boom one day in the future which will bring with it much needed cash and employment.

In the meantime, rash-causing ocean swims, aren’t really helping the cause.