The New York Times has named Albania as its Budget Destination of the Year. Matt Gross, the paper's frugal traveller, whose piece on Tirana was published a few months ago, writes this time about his trip to the South of the country, taking in Gjirokaster, Sarande and Butrint.
The death of communism in Albania brought a flourishing market economy to life just as it did across Central Europe and Russia. On the streets of Tirana people are buying and selling, trading goods and services in predictable, or sometimes novel, ways. The shops are the most obvious expression of this. The streets are lined with little stores selling almost everything you could want. Freed from the choking grip of state bureaucracy Albanians are now at liberty to buy whatever they can afford. No matter how absurd the demand, someone will create the supply. Hence the preponderance of shoe stores in this city of muddy streets and torn up footpaths. Especially outlandish is the fashion for high heeled white boots - about as impractical a style of footware as could be imagined. Dotted across the city are the market stalls, sometimes just one person selling bananas, elsewhere a whole street lined with sellers of fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, fish and spices. Those who cannot bring thei…
Comments
This is Absurde and False. Most albanians are atheist and only a small minority practices religion.
It's a good feeling to get such "rare" positive articles from major newspapers like The New York Times
It's not right to call them morons. They referr to us as muslim probably because he wanted to let the American viewers know that not "every muslim" country country hates them.
But yea i agree with you, it's not right to generalize like that. They often do throw "muslim Albania" "poorest Albania" for no reason even when the topic has nothing to do about religion or economy.
"Are you Catholic or Protestant?" the gunman asked.
"I'm an athiest!" the terrified man replied.
Said the gunman, "Yes, yes, but are you a Catholic Athiest or a Protestant Athiest?!"
"Are you Catholic or Protestant?" the gunman asked.
"I'm a Jew!" the terrified man replied.
Said the gunman, "Thanks be to Allah, who has led me to this Jew!"