Sailing at 7 Knots: Albanian hospitality

Leaving Greece was always going to be sad. We'd spent almost 2 seasons of sailing in Greek waters: from the Aegean to the Ionian. Circumnavigating Greece was a wonderful experience. But the world awaits : at least the rest of the Mediterranean.

Albania was largely unknown to us. A few people we know had been there, but it was basically all to be new. Great ! A new country and culture.

Albania was an ex communist country like Eastern Europe. The Greeks had referred to them as a country of gypsies, a Russian sailor I met in Corfu said they were bandits and would never go there. The coast is rather inhospitable. After he first few days I wondered why bother. But our visit to Butrint archaeological site in Sarande, Tirana the capital and now Durres has convinced me this is a place worthy to spend some time. As cruisers we need to watch our euros, Lek ...so for this Albania is great. Cheaper than Greece in most things. The absence of good anchorages or facilities for yachts is problematic, but not insurmountable.

Pavlov in Durres commercial port

Pavlov is now in Durres next to a high concrete dock. Our latest visitor is a large steel ship on bow. See Steve's blog for pic.

Hospitality must be an Albanian characteristic. We have been an oddity in the streets. Everyone stares at us? Steve says it might be his shorts! But all people we meet are very helpful and generous.

A few examples of this hospitality: in Sarande a 17 year old girl took me to change money because the bakery couldn't change my 5ooo Lek note. She spoke excellent English and wants to study psychology in Norway. She happened to listen in to my attempts at conversation and offered to help.

In Orikum I went to the village to get money and some food, leaving Steve on Pavlov in the only marina in Albania. Walking back from the village a car stopped and a man said" port?" I clearly stood out again. After doing so many auto stops in Turkey I studied the man and car , and decided he was genuine. First hitchhike in my life. Safe to say I made it back to the boat with two ice creams barely melted at all.

In Durres we were beckoned over to 3 men sitting in local coffee shop. They asked us to stay for a drink" raki" ? We said ok for coffee. It was only 9 am. It turned out that they were from a large ship nearby called Roger?! they said it was their way, to offer hospitality to strangers.

In Durres yesterday, we stopped for a coffee after shopping in the open air market. A young man began to speak to Steve. He was a professional soccer player. His dad owned the coffee shop and offered to buy us the coffee. Wonderful hospitality.

History is another interest of mine. When The National museum in Canberra was built it was very controversial. It reflected a different view of our past. History and its presentation certainly is not objective. Albania has had a violent past. The twentieth century has witnessed war after war. Studying photos of 19th and 20 th century Albanians often show men, women and children holding guns. The reputation Albania has a country in which blood feud still operates has some basis in fact. But the country still is coming to terms with its communist past: like the rest of Eastern Europe.

The National Museum in Tirana is a typical static, not modern museum. The period after the war when the communists were in power is presented as the period of terror. There is no other information on the period 1945 to 1990. The period of the war is missing, where a Nazi collaborating government was in power. Yet when you visit places like Durres there is an emphasis on monuments which celebrate the efforts of the partisans in standing up to the fascist invasion in WW2. They were communists. Statues stand to remind all today of the fight. In other excommunist countries such statues were pulled down. but they commemorate Albania standing up to the Fascists and the Nazis, so they stay.

There is a conflict here. Truly representing the past is a difficult thing.