With my wife Dace we continue traveling through Eastern Europe to share it with you and we arrived in Albania, a surprising Balkan country with coasts, mountains and an intense urban life.
While we walk and enjoy the streets of Tirana, the capital of Albania, we will share with you some characteristics about this society, that of one of the smallest and least explored countries in Europe, Albania is a feast for the eyes.
Despite its modest size, Albania's historical greatness is notable. For this reason perhaps, and beyond recent challenges, such as the era of dictatorship under Enver Hoxha and the complexities associated with its integration into the global economy since 1991, Albania has maintained a unique identity.
This identity, reinforced by not only political but also linguistic and geographical isolation, makes Albanian culture a pearl to discover.
To the uniqueness of the culture, the beauty of the landscape and the climate and of course, the feminine coquetry of the Albanians, we must add an architecture that also seems to have its own school. Some buildings have a style that you can really see only in Albania.
Without political correctness, smoking in closed public places, without being regulated in every sense and dispensing with second-order formalities for Albanians such as the schedule, life in Albania is a spectacle worth appreciating, that is why one travels.
Among the distinctive elements that capture the attention of travelers and make it a place worth visiting, gastronomy is undoubtedly positioned as one of the main reasons. Albanian flavors reflect an incredible fusion between East and West.
On the one hand, the Mediterranean and Italian influence, with the use of oils, olives, cheeses and pastas. On the other hand, preparations that incorporate vegetables and spices, which are reminiscent of a mezze of Turkish or Arab origin.
All this is complemented by the exquisiteness of local wines. A good tip is to research the fresh ingredients of the day and let yourself be surprised by the culinary suggestions.
Savoring Albanian cuisine, tasting its liquors and feeling like one of the passers-by, makes Albania a place you will want to return to. It is not without reason that tourism here is growing exponentially.
Albanian society is traditionally patriarchal, meaning that men have a dominant role in the family and society. However, Albanian women today have the right to education, work and political participation.
The home in Albania is the basis of the family, and the family is the basis of society. It is therefore understandable that the participation rate of women in the Albanian workforce is only 40%.
Some numbers, however, speak very well of Albania and others, not so much. The life expectancy of Albanian women is 78 years, the literacy rate of Albanian women is 98% and Albanian women hold 27% of the seats in parliament.
Albania is an unavoidable country if you want to know the Balkans in a comprehensive way. Its particularities, its climate and beauty undoubtedly make it a feast for the eyes.
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🔎 I am Gustavo Llusá, Argentine, after traveling for several years through more than 65 countries I settled in Latvia where I married Dace and learned to know another way of life, on the other side of the map.
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9 янв 2024
