MY BEAUTIFUL ALBANIA

First of all I would like to thank Mohamad, for inviting me to be a guest in his blog!

In this post I will write about my country, Albania (Shqipëria).

As I am not sure if you know Albania , I will shortly describe it , being aware that in this post, I cannot write everything about my country.

Albania is located in the Southeastern Europe, part of Balkan peninsula, bordered by  Montenegro, Kosovo, Republic of Macedonia and Greece , with a coastline on the northern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, the Adriatic Sea to the west, and the Ionian Sea to the southwest, where the Albanian Riviera begins and less than 72 km from Italy across Otranto which connects Adriatic Sea with Ionian Sea.

Some Famous Personalities from Albania are:

-Mother Teresa named Anjeze Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, the woman with a beautiful heart who  was awarded the  Nobel Peace Prize and dedicated her entire life to  people, known as well for her wise words amongst which I would like to mention: “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love” ;

-Ismail Kadare-Albanian novelist and poet, nominated several times  for Nobel Prize, winner of Man Booker International Prize, translated in many languages all over the world the world;

-Inva Mula ,Albanian well known  opera lyric soprano;

-Ermonela Jaho , well known Albanian soprano;

Albania is a post communist country and has been isolated and under oppression for many years(1945-1990). Nevertheless the country has changed a lot since then. The difficult times we have been through, have influenced in raising awareness in people about the potential they have in building a better present and future, and in promoting every beautiful thing that our country has been gifted with.

We are blessed with a good weather, beautiful landscapes,  and many countryside hidden gems ,stunning coastline , great local food.Albanian people are well known for their generosity in welcoming guests, honouring and respecting them, which is a notable part of our traditions.

Some of the main cities of Albania  also visited from many tourists from are:

City of Tirana ,capital and largest city, with around 1 million people, which is visited from tourists from all over the world. The city has a vivid cultural life, museums, green spaces and other entertainment spaces around the city.

-City of Berat, the 2400  year old town, known as well as “the town of a thousand windows” UNESCO World Heritage ;

-City of Gjirokastra , located in southern Albania  which is  called “the city of  stone roofs” because most roofs are covered with flat dressed stones, is a very popular tourist attraction  and UNESCO World Heritage;

City of Vlora ,with beautiful seaside, where the mountain and the sea are close to each-other. Llogara, Dhermi, Himara, are only some of its pearls, but the historical part of the city like the Museum of Independence, Ethnographic Museum etc  are great attractions as well;

–City of Saranda the city where during the night people enjoy walking across the seaside enjoying music and life;

–Pogradec the city with the beautiful Ohrid Lake, the swans and the  wonderful panoramic view;

–National Park of Butrint, a very precious archaeological site protected from UNESCO as well;

I would not exaggerate, if I say that Albania is full of surprises, and  it is a perfect combination between panoramic mountains the Albanian Alps, Southern Albanian Riviera, Adriatic and Ionian sea, organic, fresh and tasty food, nice and fun loving  people , young generation speaking fluently English, people engaging in a lot of sportive activities like bikes, paraglide, rafting,marathons, cultural activities and night life, art museums, outdoor festivals, concerts in squares with people gathering having drinks and fun with friends.  There are many beaches which are quite virgin, and other unique beautiful countryside’s to visit and enjoy at all seasons of the year. The weather in Albania is quite good,  and we have many sunny days all over the year, which make it perfect to be visited at any time of the year.

In my language “Gëzuar” means “Cheers” and “Faleminderit” means” Thank You”.

If you ever will join with people of Albania, you will be surprised to raise the glasses many times and say: “Gëzuar”.

Faleminderit-Thank you ,for reading this post!

Faleminderit Mohamad, for inviting me at “Around the World”!

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