We were on holiday in Montenegro and the guide offered us an excursion to Albania. It was only a 2-hour bus ride from Budva. The border is very conditional. Two checkpoints. They put a small stamp in your passport and that’s it. We spent about 20 minutes in total. We only had time to run to the toilet, buy souvenirs, and drink some great draft beer. The latter was simply heavenly honey. They don’t even have beer like this in the Czech Republic. We drove another 30 minutes after the border and found ourselves in Shkoder. A small provincial town. But what we saw amazed us. Construction is going on all around.
The quality of the work is such that the brickwork seems painted on. The culture of workmanship is at the highest level. And there are many reasons for this. But now let’s talk about Albania in order. After the curtain of isolation fell, the country confidently embarked on the path of economic development and democratization. It joined the European Union. And then it suddenly turned out that despite the 362 kilometers of gorgeous coastline on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, tourism in the country is not developed. There are only a few hotels and boarding houses. Foreign investment has started flowing into the country. In 2009 alone, more than 700 million euros were invested by EU structures. And for such a small country, these are crazy investments. And this is not counting private capital. By the end of last year, GDP growth was more than 4.9%, inflation was only 3.4%. Which allowed Albania to dramatically outpace many dozens of developed countries. In terms of investment attractiveness, the country took 25th place in the world! Russia did not even make it into the top hundred. The most favorable conditions have been created for investors. Many Russians have started to look at and buy real estate in Albania. Just 3-4 years ago, a two-room apartment in a resort area could be bought for 16-18 thousand euros. Today, prices have risen, but remain at a quite acceptable level. You can become the owner of a one-room apartment for 20-25 thousand euros. The amount is not small. But quite acceptable for Russians. It is better to buy an apartment with all the amenities at a resort than to pick around in the garden and run to the toilet in the yard. Thus, by selling a summer house in central Russia and adding just a little, you can provide yourself with a luxurious vacation for life. Food in Albania is inexpensive. Therefore, there is no point in growing it yourself. In addition, there is a guaranteed opportunity to rent out your property at least at 6% per annum. In addition, I would like to say that the beaches of Albania are recognized as the last cleanest beaches in Europe according to UNESCO. The country is also recognized as a state with a Green Energy Scheme. Which means that energy resources are renewable due to the energy of the Sun and water. Of great value to Europe are the reserves of the purest fresh water in Albania. Mountain rivers together provide a volume of it in an amount exceeding the total area of the country by 6 times! The huge number of healing springs make Albania not only a country with beach tourism, but also allow the development of ecological and balneological recreation. To top it all off, I can add that being among the common people you do not feel any hostility. People are quite adequate, friendly. Many old people still remember the friendship with the USSR. They are keenly interested in how things are in Russia. And the last thing. Quite recently, a decision was made to privatize and register all property in Albania. This guarantees the purity of the purchase and sale transaction. And your right to property will forever be protected by law. Until recently, this was not the case. There are no taxes and VAT on the purchase of real estate. When selling, the seller is charged a 10% tax. Considering all of the above, we can safely recommend all Russians to invest money in Albanian real estate. This guarantees you the opportunity to always have a wonderful vacation and excellent investments. And in old age, you can move to permanent residence. Just hurry. Prices are rising, and the coast is not very large. Not enough for all of Europe.
Life of people in Albania.
Life of people in Albania today, pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages.
Among the advantages is of course its nature, beaches and exoticism, 300 days a year the sun shines in Albania. You can get to Albania without a visa.
Products and goods in Albania.
Albania is an agricultural country, but most of the food products are imported, as its agriculture is in its infancy, almost all goods are from Italy, you can also find goods from Greece and the Balkan countries.
Religion in Albania.
Muslims live in Albania, which also leaves a certain imprint on the way of life of local residents. However, let’s remember that in 1967 Albania became a truly atheistic country, mosques were destroyed or turned into God knows what. All the mosques that are currently operating are new buildings that do not represent historical or architectural interest, for this reason there are no excursions with hikes to the sights in the country. Nonetheless, there are 63% Muslims and 31% Christians in the country, and among them exactly half are Orthodox and half are Catholics, atheists make up 5%. 30% of believers regularly go to church.
Wages and prices.
The average salary in the country is quite low, however, the geographical location does not allow these salaries to fall to the level of, for example, Ukraine, because there are more or less prosperous countries around that will at least help with something. Prices for foreign tourists are several times different from prices for their own, this can be seen, for example, in the prices of goods that are popular with travelers.
Albania is a country of contrasts.
Albania is a country of contrasts, tourists are awaited by modern comfortable rooms of plastered hotels, it is not uncommon to find real five-star options with fast service, friendly staff who understand many foreign languages, but leaving the hotel and walking a few meters you can again find yourself in the third world, Albanian resort cities in general are a vivid confirmation of these contrasts. For poor locals, the gap between them and the civilized world has opened up with a frightening depth, when you can only look with regret at people from another world.
Resorts of Albania.
Among the tourist cities, Shkoder stands out with its modern hotels, Durres is so crowded with tourists in the summer that it is impossible to find a free place on the beach or book a hotel, the vast majority of tourists are Albanians themselves, so we do not even know in advance how much we will like the holiday here. Albania has beaches on the Adriatic and Ionian seas, the cleanliness of the beaches is questionable, the environmental situation is pressured by the discharge of waste water and garbage, so the beaches of Albania are considered the dirtiest in the Mediterranean region, relatively clean on the central beaches of the cities and beaches belonging to five-star hotels.
Climate in Albania.
The climate in Albania is very hot, the land is a steppe with sparse vegetation, soil everywhere, the lack of asphalt causes a lot of dust, which remains on shoes and car bodies.
Shopping and souvenirs.
Tourists will understand very quickly what to buy in Albania, most likely they will be offered magnets and other inexpensive souvenirs to choose from, of course, after tourists refuse to simply give money to local children. For statistics, a quarter of the population in Albania lives below the poverty line. The unemployment rate is 12%, 27% of the working population is employed in the service sector, 15% in industry and 58% in agriculture. As for agriculture, they grow vegetables, fruits, wheat, grapes, corn and produce meat and dairy products. Industry is food processing, clothing production and wood processing.
Holidays in Albania.
The main holiday is Republic Day on January 11, the second holiday is Alejandro Day on December 10, Independence Day on November 28 and Mother Teresa’s Beatification Day on October 19.
Women in Albania.
Women work calmly at any job, be it a school, a hospital, an office, women do not need to be ashamed to go out in public, as for example, again in other Muslim countries.
Men in Albania.
Men are focused on family values, this is also typical for all Muslim countries. The power of men is certainly not so unlimited if compared with Iraq or Iran, but perhaps in the north and in the wilderness it is so.
Cuisine of Albania.
It is easy to adapt to the local cuisine, which is a mixture of Arabic, Turkish and European traditions, in general this is Balkan cuisine.
Impressions of Albania.
The country of bunkers, Mercedes, goats, although in fact Albania is the «Country of Eagles» «Shqiperia», but also from the Greek «rough, wild». Despite the magnificent natural landscapes, Albania still does not want to become attractive for international tourism.
People in Albania, Albanians.
Young people in Albania today have begun to forget the pages of history, you can meet young people who are wearing a T-shirt with the USSR logo, a hammer and sickle and ask what is depicted on their T-shirt, you can be sure that such a young person will not be able to say what all this means. The older generation still remembers Stalin, the Soviet Union, even the Russian language, again I will note that Albania is already a member of NATO.
From 1991 to 1992, the Albanian people experienced the most devastating changes, the dictator was taken out of the mausoleum and buried in an ordinary cemetery, all those involved in the repressions were punished, all monuments to Stalin, Lenin and Hoxha were demolished.
Low prices for real estate apartments and houses in Albania.
They usually buy near Durres, but pay attention that in the summer the entire population comes to the popular public beaches in Albania, due to the overabundance of vacationers, the beaches and resorts of Albania are considered the worst in Europe.
The facades of buildings in Tirana are being renovated today, painted in bright colors, which should rid the local population of depressive gray colors, in general, Albanian architecture is monotonous, unremarkable buildings, in Tirana it is impossible to understand where the center is and where the outskirts are, there are slums everywhere.
In the 1960s, Hoxha carried out a cultural revolution, when the government fought against religion, all temples, mosques, churches were destroyed, so now there is practically no historical architecture in the country, from this point of view there is nothing to look at.
Reviews and life experience, personal experience.
The Albanians themselves are understanding of their past, perhaps now they regret that the country was isolated and that people were fooled by Hoxha, but they still look to the future with optimism.
Today Albania looks like a young, developing country, Albanians themselves today are a tolerant people, fraternal towards neighboring countries, Albanians today are building a completely new life, and I would like to think that all the worst is already behind us.
The most famous Albanian is Mother Teresa, the main airport of the country is named after this woman, there is a huge monument in her honor in Skador, in mid-October, the day of canonization of Mother Teresa is celebrated.
Cars and streets.
The choice of an old Mercedes in Albania is justified, the car is reliable, cheap spare parts, for local off-road conditions it is just what you need, other brands simply will not withstand such wear.
However, on the streets of poor Albania you can see elite Italian sports cars like Maserati, Ferrari, Lamborghini, British Bentley, many of them are very old and beaten up, Albanian businessmen like to show off. Stolen foreign cars are supplied by the Albanian mafia.
Cars that can no longer move are abandoned right on the streets and country roads, which creates free nature for zombie apocalypse films.
Medicine and education.
Albania has free medicine and education, in general the situation is exactly the same as ours. Wealthy students can study at private universities and pay up to $2,000 a year for tuition.
Sights of Albania.
One of the significant sights of Albania can be a pillbox, or rather 700,000 bunkers that were built over 40 years, the construction of bunkers stopped in 1985 after the death of Enver Hoxha, so there is one such military fortification for every 4 local residents, some of them can be found on the beaches, now they are either changing rooms or kiosks.
The capital city of Tirana is somewhat reminiscent of Minsk in its architecture, there are wide streets as if urging the working masses to go out to communist parades, there are majestic bas-reliefs on the buildings, a complete lack of entertainment venues, supermarkets, restaurants and at the same time a lot of police. The central street of Tirana is named after Mother Teresa, who was born in Albania. But modern Albania is no longer communist, but Islamic, during namaz, believers flock to mosques, the main difference of local mosques is that women are allowed in, with their heads uncovered and their feet open, shoes can be left on inside, namaz is performed on their own mats. The huge Palace of Congresses of the Communist Party is gradually falling apart and looks more like a palace with ghosts, so that the devil of communism does not break free, all the doors and windows are boarded up, monuments to Stalin and Lenin are buried in the ground, the walls of the palace are covered with disparaging words.
Is it worth buying real estate in Albania.
According to the Prian.ru portal, Albania entered the Top 30 popular countries for buying foreign real estate in 2016, taking 27th place in the rating. In just one year, it has risen five positions at once. Experts asked how promising are investments in real estate in one of the most unknown countries in Europe.
According to the British publication «Sunday Times», Albania is in second place among countries where buying real estate is considered a «must have», along with Thailand and the Apulia region in Italy.
Experts clearly note that Albania is gradually turning from the most mysterious country in Europe into one of the most attractive for investment. An actively developing economy, clean sea, developed medicine, cheap life, inexpensive real estate — all this seems too ideal to be true. However, the facts say otherwise: Albania is steadily gaining momentum and is already ready to provide good competition in realizing the dream of a serene life by the sea to its neighbors — Montenegro, Croatia, Greece. It is noteworthy that housing prices in this country are several times lower than in these two countries. Experts are heating up — for now.
Albania is steadily gaining momentum and is ready to become a good competitor to its neighbors in realizing the dream of a carefree life by the sea.
Source: artikagroup.ru
