Beauty who just woke up-Albania

Official account of WeChat: Coconut Travel Diary

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My parents still have some ideas about Albania, a country with strong feelings for New China. But for the younger generation, it is a bit confusing, and many people can't remember its geographical location for a while. If it weren't for work, it would be better for me to talk to it than nothing. I often fly to Europe, and my impression of Albania is mostly negative: most of the thieves we are most afraid of in major cities in western Europe come from this "backcountry".

Albania is located in the southeast of Europe, facing Italy across the Adriatic Sea and strait of otranto in the west and bordering Greece in the south. Sitting in the most secluded sea area in the Mediterranean, the little-known wild charm here is attracting more and more senior players. Lonely Planet has given it high honors for many times-"2065438+08", "20 19" and even called it "a beauty who just woke up". Even The New York Times, USA, rated it as "the most worthwhile tourist destination".

If you travel by Mediterranean cruise, some rare routes will also reach Saranda, the most famous seaside resort in Albania, which attracts many experienced tourists from Europe and America as a private summer resort. The top seawater and beaches are much cheaper than those in Italy and Greece next door. No wonder westerners set their sights on this place. Two years ago, I took a cruise, and once I stopped at Corfu Island, Corfu Island, Greece (also a very small destination, which will be written in a separate issue later). The fairyland-like Corfu Island is far from the Greek mainland and close to the Albanian coast. One day's round trip to Saranda, Albania is enough. That year's trip left time for Corfu, so I passed Albania.

However, in recent years, the tourism fever in Balkan countries has gradually warmed up. From 20 18, Albania extended an olive branch to China, granting China tourists visa-free policy during the tourist season (April-10). The visa-free policy has greatly increased the number of tourists from China to Albania. 20 19 Albania's visa-free period was advanced by one month. From March 1 to1October 3 1, China citizens can travel in Albania without a visa.

The implementation of the visa-free policy has made Albania taste the sweetness. The consumption brought by a large number of tourists from China finally made Albania know who the real rich dad is. So in early 2020, Albania officially lifted the restriction that China passports are only exempt from visas during the tourist season, and formally implemented a comprehensive visa-free policy for China.

Since you are so sincere, I'll take you to uncover this beauty in advance before Balkan tourism catches fire!

Tips:

1. Visa:

Albanian tourists from China are now completely visa-free, and a European country has been added to the list of those who want to leave the country.

2. Language:

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

3. Money and consumption level:

Albanian currency is lek, and the exchange rate is 1 RMB = 17 lek. Traveling all over Europe, I can almost say that Albania's consumption is the lowest in Europe. It's paradise to come here with euros. A cup of coffee is less than one euro! Euro and Lek can be used almost at the same time, but it is suggested that Lek should have some small change, and some places do not accept Euro.

Step 4 transport

Plane: At present, there is no direct flight to Albania in China, so we need to transfer to Albania.

Train: Albanian train service is generally used for cargo transportation and also provides passenger service, but the conditions are backward, the speed is slow and the transit time is long.

Cars: There are long-distance bus services in many big cities in Albania, which generally cover all parts of the country and neighboring Montenegro, Greece and Macedonia.

Kruja

Kruger

The medieval town of Kruja is located 32 kilometers northwest of Tirana. We took the land route from Dubrovnik, Croatia. The mountain road is rugged, but the scenery along the way has slowly dragged us into the third world. Along the way, it passes through the beautiful Lake Skutai, which is the largest freshwater lake in the Balkans, close to the border between Montenegro and Albania, and the lake is owned by both countries.

The name Kruja comes from the Albanian word krua, which means "the fountain of water". This is an important military stronghold for Albanian national hero Skand Berg to resist the Ottoman army. Now it has become a famous tourist city in Albania, but the town welcomes tourists from all over the world every day.

The winding road leads to Skand Berg Castle on the grey hills. At the entrance to the left of the ancient castle, there is a memorial statue of a famous national hero. This statue is an Albanian national hero who was born in Kruja Skandebe. He United and led the whole Albania to resist the invasion of Ottoman Turkey, and also publicly abandoned Islamic beliefs and converted to Catholicism. During the war, Scanderbeg used the black double-headed eagle as its symbol, which later evolved into the flag of Albany. Therefore, we can see the statue of this hero in many cities in Albania. Interestingly, in the war with Turkey, Skand Berg pretended to be a soldier with a goat shining behind his back, pretending that there were many people, so many murals and souvenirs in Albany had goat horn helmets.

At present, there are two national museums in the castle. One is the Scandinavian Museum, a national hero. This paper briefly introduces Scanderbeg's achievements. The other is a folk museum that shows the customs of18th century. The history of the castle can be traced back to the 5th and 6th centuries, and now the museum itself was completed in 198 1 year.

The most famous old market in Krugia is located under the castle. It is one of the oldest markets in Albania, with a long history of more than 500 years since Scandinavian times. It is also the starting point of free trade for businessmen in this city, so it is not only a scenic spot with a long history, but also a market where you can buy the most authentic Albanian souvenirs.

There are many workshops on both sides of antique cobblestone streets, and most of the goods are hand-made by craftsmen on the spot. Here you can buy hand-woven Albanian carpets, local handicrafts, national costumes and other souvenirs at the cheapest price. There are many dusty old objects that make people see things in a blur, such as copper hip flask, coffee pot, old-fashioned watches, and countless ancient coins and silver ornaments. If you are lucky enough, you can also find the Albanian version of Quotations from Chairman Mao and magazines or books related to the 1950s and 1960s in China.

Handicraft talents who have always adhered to tradition are the soul of Kruja Old Street. They continue the ancient crafts and pass on the ancient culture from generation to generation. There are only a few traditional handicraft gathering areas in Albania, and Kruja is definitely one of the most representative areas.

Overlooking the whole valley from the castle in the old city, Albania, the country of mountain shadows, has a panoramic view. The arrow of the geographical coordinates of the city reminds me that it is nearly 8 thousand kilometers away from the motherland. Halfway through the 20-day trip to the Balkan countries, I have begun to feel a little homesick. On the one hand, traveling is a little torture. From a familiar place to a completely unfamiliar environment, it is a long process to re-observe and experience another way of life and be willing to change and adapt. Otherwise, there is a high probability that you will encounter too many setbacks and distress.

At the entrance of the quaint and vicissitudes castle, an Albanian accordion artist played an exciting Game of Thrones BGM. When we approached this wave of oriental faces, it was quietly replaced by March of the Volunteers. Along the way, Balkan countries have extended more and more welcome hands to tourists from China.