The best country in the World

I was born and raised in the best country in the world - Albania. Hence, this post is NOT biased at all. Albanians are one of the friendliest people to foreigners, and they love and welcome guests. You should go to Albania if: - You like coffee - The capital, Tirana, has one of the highest densities of cafes in Europe, with roughly 654 bars per 100,000 residents. Our traditional “Turkish” coffee is not for the faint of heart or for those prone to panic attacks. - Good food - Albanian byrek, gyros, or sufllaqe, and traditional cooking like stews, meat dishes, fresh fish, stuffed peppers, and green salads are the best in the world. - Going with the flow and sloooow - Albanians live in the moment, and time is relative. Do not expect buses or anything to run on time. When people gather, they sit around and chat for hours. - Love History and Culture - do you enjoy looking at ancient ruins? Or medieval castles? Or UNESCO World Heritage cities and sites? Or learn about what communism is like? If yes - Albania should be a must - Love nature - pristine beaches, multiple “blue eye” mystery water sources across the country, and barely touched mountain trails; we have it all. Must visit places: - Tirana - the capital is where you’ll find everything, and it’s a must-visit place. There is lots to do, from bunk art (https://www.bunkart.al/) to Albanian Nights (https://albaniannight.com/) and experiencing the culture to good food at Mizri I Zanave (https://mriziizanave.al/) - Mount Dajti is worth a visit, either hiking or taking the tram - Any of the “Blue Eyes”: there are multiple freshwater mysterious springs throughout the country that are worth a visit if you like nature - The coastline - Albanian beaches are the best - The northern Alps are a great place to visit for hiking and more traditional - Gjirokastra - the city of my favorite grandma; it is a must-visit city on the side of the mountain and the “Stone city,” another UNESCO heritage site. - Kruja - the castle is worth the visit. Gjergj Kastrioti is the Albanian national hero and the main reason why most of Europe isn’t muslim and speaking Turkish today. - Berat - UNESCO World Heritage site for fortified walls and historical houses, and nicknamed the “city of a thousand windows”. - Fier - I was born here; there is also a cool ancient ruin called Apollonia nearby - Shkoder - near the Albanian Alps and close to Montenegro; it’s worth a visit, especially the Rozafa Castle - Viola River National Park - visit now before all the foreign investors turn it into a tourist trap and touch it up beyond recognition - Lake Ohrid - border of Albania and North Macedonia, beautiful waters and surrounding mountains, and it’s Europe’s Oldest Lake with unique ancient species - Korce - fun fact: the city was under French occupation from 1916-1920, beautiful and clean city - Ancient city of Butrint has been around since 50,000 BC - There are primeval beech forests in Lumi i Gashit  in the Albanian Alps Must try foods: - Street foods are: - Byrek - try various byrektore - byrek-making places, and some are great, some are meh. Go to where the locals go. My favorites are with cheese, with spinach, and with meat - Sufllaqe - the Albanian version of gyro or doner. It’s a must-try! - Traditional food restaurants: each city has them, and they are worthy of trying. - Agrotourism is a growing trend, and I definitely recommend trying out the vineyards and local farm-to-table places. Fun Facts: - Albania was the first country to declare itself atheist in 1967 thanks to the communist leader Enver Hoxha. He removed religion - used as a dividing tool among the Albanians and wrote it into the country’s constitution. Today that means a large majority of Albanians might be a certain religion, but they do not typically actively practice it or discriminate against others because of their religion. They also generally celebrate most of the religious holidays - Yay! - Albania was the “North Korea” of Europe till communism fell in 1991 - There are hundreds of thousands 750k+ bunkers all over Albania, and you can spot them when driving. It’s a fun game to play - Albanian is its own branch on the Indo-European languages family tree. If you learn it, you might become an honorary real Albanian citizen. - Albanians nod for no and shake our heads for yes. - Albanians love to “xhiro,” ie walk outside in the evenings - typically segregated by gender and look at each other with judgment or stink eyes. It's a really fun thing to do - especially in yoga pants. - There are probably more Albanians living outside of Albania than inside. Logistics: - I recommend renting a car - The country is generally pretty safe - Get some Albanian cash ahead of time, but most places accept cards - Your phone should work - check with your carrier Must learn phrases: - Tungjatjeta - Hello or MayYouLiveLong - Çkemi? - What’s up? - Faleminderit - Thank you