The Delightful Surprise That Was Albania.

Albania- Yes, Albania. If you would have told me last year at this time that over the course of the next 365 days I would have been to Albania, I would have done one thing. Looked quizzical at you and said you were crazy. But here I am 365 days later, Albania has came and gone in my life and taught me things I didn't realize were going to happen.

I am a firm believer you never go into a country's border and out of the border the same person. That experience happened in Albania. The minute we crossed over into the country, everything changed. The landscape, the poverty, everything was drastically different from Montenegro.

We had spent the morning driving along the Montenegrin Riviera in a bus without air conditioner. The word to describe Albania upon first glance was rough and dry. The Alps seemed stepper and more rocky. The ground went from an earthy green to a harsh hue of yellow.  The countryside was lined with small homes with their laundry out to dry. The more into Albania we ventured, the more the communist roots showed. There were abandoned bunkers on hills and concrete structures in the middle of construction left to be worked on another day.

Albania lacked everything Europe stood for. It lacked romance, character, and the quintessential story book charm. Nothing about it looked inviting and yet, at the same time it was alluring. It was alluring in its vacancy and it's ability to be something. Albania was so vulnerable. A place where scars showed but they were being pulled back to expose new growth on the horizon.

Our first stop was in Tirana, the capital city. As we made our way into the city, we found an environment that was very comparable to northern Africa. The buildings were short, colorful and dirty. A lot of people find "third world" destinations repulsive to travel to, but I find something uniquely intriguing about other cultures and their lack of cleanliness and food restrictions. In America, we are so trapped with laws, qualifications, and rules. The question begs to be asked, "Our we really free at all?"

We spent the first few hours touring the city on foot. Walking through the city market where fresh cheese, fruit and meat were sold in abundance. I had all these expectations of Albania and most of them created from watching the movie Taken. I wasn't looking forward to Albania at all, but it was probably the most important part of my Adriatic adventure because it was the place that made me feel the most uncomfortable. The place that made me feel like a real traveler, traveling for experience rather than comfort.

 We only had about 16 hours in Albania's capital, but it was the place were our group of ten strangers became a group of ten friends in an outdoor patio of a hostel. This was the turning point in our 9 day trip and this 16 hours brought us together mainly because for all ten of us, we were stepping into our unknown.

 Each time I travel I find myself more and more accepting of trying things I don't feel comfortable with and I think that is the true test of why it is so important to travel. Books, the internet, and routines can't prepare you or make you grow like traveling can. Traveling doesn't have to be elaborate. Something can change your perspective as simple as a home-cooked meal full of flavors you can't recognize and ingredients you can't pronounce. One bite and your walls come down and you find yourself not questioning anything anymore. There is something so ironically comfortable about putting yourself in uncomfortable situations.

 As we left Tirana, I was excited to venture more into this mysterious country. It was now time to head to the coast. With it's crystal clear water and rocky beaches, the Albanian Riviera is a beautiful yet underdeveloped resort destination that is a secret to the Western world. Albania is a secret. I think it enjoys its mystery and aloofness.  People who want to discover it will, and what they will find is a treasure along the Adriatic sea.