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Albania in one day

For Russians, with the May 25, 2013 opened the possibility to visit Albania without a visa during the summer tourist season, and to discover this once-socialist country, and since 2009 - member of the "club" of NATO.

To go from Montenegro to Albania for long, but the mountain roads. The scenery is beautiful, but the heart ekaet the height and narrowness of the roads. To improve transport links with its neighbors the Albanians almost half a century did not have much desire. The country was what is called a closed, self-contained to some extent on the resources. For the Soviet people (rather political reasons), and then for the Russians - is unrepentant terra incognita, which has yet to be discovered. In the summer season there can come without a visa for Russians, Ukrainians. We have solved the issue by Azerbaijanis and Georgians.

Albanians themselves call their country skipper. The coat of arms shows a two-headed eagle. Their language is not like languages ??geographical neighbors, the country has a rich historical past. Very revered national hero Skanderberga. When Albania was part of the Ottoman empire, George Kastrioti, the son of an Albanian prince John Kastrioti, according to the rules given by the then Sultan Murad II as a hostage.

Sultan fell in love with the boy as his son. Albanian was given a new name Iskander Bey (in honor of Alexander the Great for valor), or Skanderbeg. The boy received a considerable privilege, raised him and taught the art of war, then he got his start at 5 tys.yanycharov. With them he toured the territory entrusted to him and to restore order. One day he brought the prisoner with an important letter for him. This letter was written by his dying father, who revealed the truth about his origins. And Skanderberg turned against the Ottomans, renounced Islam and successfully fought for the interests of Albania. Died of malaria. On the main square of the capital - a monument Skanderbergu. In Soviet times, shot the film "The Great Warrior of Albania Skanderbeg" (in collaboration with the Soviet Mosfilm). The result is close to the historical truth of life adaptation of the Albanian hero. And last year, Albanians celebrated the anniversary of 100 years of liberation from the Ottoman Empire.

In the suburbs of Shkodra preserved in remarkable condition cultural monument since Illyrians - Castle Rozafa V in. BC There was a legend in the folk memory: the construction of the fortress all that was erected for the day by three brothers, was destroyed in the morning and the construction did not come on. The three brothers went to a wise man who said that the woman who first come on the scene in the morning, to be immured in the vault of the fortress. Two brothers, under various pretexts, have advised against their wives to go to them on the scene. A third brother, the youngest, is very fond of his wife, she blurted out. Then she said that she let her immure, it will leave a chance to feed infant son, swing it, he would cry. This was accomplished. The fortress was named in honor of the brave beauty Rozafa, the structure still exists.

In one of the buildings - the Museum. In the courtyard the gift shop - selling silverware, traditional handbags, etc. On top of the fortress of the valley with great views. Not far from the fortress Lead Mosque, she mnogokupolnaya, architectural rarity.

Shkodertsy come to the castle on their wedding day. And marry and marry prefer to ethnic Albanians their own. Mixed marriages are rare. When friends with the Soviet Union, the students went to study in universities in the Union, married a Soviet citizen. Then, during the cooling of relations, mixed families have set conditions, either divorced or - sorry. Many Russian woman as dekabristki stayed and brought out all the problems associated with it. Now intermarriage as a rarity, half-breeds prefer not to advertise their origin.

Outside the window, the tour bus - a nice little houses and cultivated fields or gardens with fruit trees and olives. And that shows the city - the capital Tirana. Visible political advertising on billboards, banners, buses. In Albania, a little more than 3 million inhabitants, and the parties say, almost 60. Dominated by two - a democratic socialist. Headquarters of the main opponents are practically across the street.

A special song heritage of the past. Monument to victims of dissent looks like a symbolic figure of the human body: without a head (can not think freely), hands-free (does not protect), without the feet (do not run). There are monuments to the heroes who died fighting the Nazis. One of them stands in the park - a young Albanian man 22 years old, was tortured, his chest and back the Nazis slaughtered star.

Original monuments of the - its bunkers. Enver Hoxha, a long time unchallenged leader of the country, feared invasion by the powerful states. Therefore sought to ensure the safety of every citizen, he ordered the construction of the bunker for every family. Almost every garden was a refuge. Now someone takes it out of the ground, hands over a wreck. If not himself, then for the bunker come as scrap metal. Next to the building of the socialist party, literally, in front of the windows of the memorial office of Enver Hoxha, the bunker is, the strength of which he personally checked on the three ministers, in which point-blank shot tank. And not far from the tank - part of the Berlin Wall donated by the Germans Albanians as a symbol of destruction of the old. It looks like the skeleton of an unprecedented animal.

A little further down the street - the age-old plane tree and a coffee underneath. Outside the fence, the presidential palace and near the parliament building. The President biologist by training, has two children, suits everyone.

Socialist Albania legalized their religion - atheism. Now there is no problem with the believers - where you want to, you can go there and worship and. In the center of Tirana, close to each other: the Orthodox church, a mosque (it is said that it was built at the expense of one of the UAE sheikhs) and a Catholic cathedral. To some extent, there is now a real confessional "virgin." Christians (Catholics and Orthodox) and Muslims, roughly equally. Not far from the temples of the pedestrian zone of restaurants, jewelry shops, specializing in products made of silver filigree. A lot of children on the streets. Teens spent some campaign to collect signatures for a petition. That it was not boring - staged performances and an exhibition of works in painting, and their procession was accompanied by police officers.

In the shade of a tree sitting elderly, said that those who are older than 50 well remembers the Russian language - during their adolescence he had been taught in the schools so that the head of the republic, ambiguous Enver Hoxha, admired Stalin. Then the countrys friends. With N.S.Hrushevym, the head of the Soviet Union, so the relationship did not work out. In Tirana, built on the model projects a lot of "Khrushchev". Now they are in a bad condition, as, indeed, in Russia. Gradually their break and build modern high-rise building.

After cooling of relations with Khrushchev Hoxha switched to China. You can still find Albanian, running under the Chinese umbrella against the sun. I must say that at the time of Khoja were banned television and radio. After Hoxhas death in 1985, the country has lived through inertia in isolation for another 10 years. The mausoleum, which he had prepared for himself - in a barbarous state: the construction and graffiti, marble tiles brought down inside - the club of "The Mummy". Hodge is buried in the cemetery visiting the grave of his son, an intelligent person.

On the streets of the city you can see the women of the village, which can be found on the worn on the head with a handkerchief. Or quite peaceful picture: decorum and peace of wool on the spindle thread weaves an elderly Albanian, simultaneously selling seeds.

Business is easy to open. We must get to the administration, to buy and to fill in a form and on. Someone is obtained, someone is looking for a better life abroad. From there, they are sending money to their relatives.

Sometimes it comes to strange, for example, are allowed to build a business in a historic building. At times, not without damage to its cultural value. Thus, in the center of Tirana is a historical wall, and it built a modern plastic window. And in the ruined fortress on the road is a restaurant, the owner of the business has built it right into the fortress walls with a long history.

In the industrial zone at the entrance to Tirana - there are many representations of foreign majors - the factory "Pepsi-Cola", Ukrainian retail chain, banks, etc.

Come across a beggar on the streets, they say that it is the ethnic Roma.

The architecture of the buildings appeared pseudo-Hellenic style building built in the style of haytekovskom of glass and concrete, often in their representation of foreign business. Multiply construction of hotels, buildings, entertainment industry cafes and clubs. This changes the city is changing outlook on life Albanians.

Many monuments to Mother Teresa, or as they call Nene Teresa, the most famous Albanian. The temple in her honor - a modern building, in no tinsel and glitter, the bench delivered a semicircle. The temple is decorated with stained glass paintings depicting life nuns, the sun shines through them. Right from the entrance of a large picture on the wall - a portrait of Mother Teresa of shells, covered with varnish. Confessional looks like an office. Pray for the repressed can be in a separate corner.

All information about the country have been drawn from the story of Tana guide firms «Prometheus» ». Too bad it was not possible to find out more about the social, cultural and economic life of the Albanians. However, even these nuggets of information, designed for superficial tourist interest, offer an interesting side of the country, give the idea of ??it from the positive side.

If you want to know more - go ahead!