I flew from Los Angeles to Zurich, then Swissair to Tirana, Albania, one of the few airlines that flies there. This time I went with a British tour group, as it is the easiest, most efficient way to get around since very few people speak English and independent travel is discouraged.

When we arrived, there was a red carpet and officials waiting, how generous, I thought, to welcome us to their country this way!! But as we waited to get off the plane, we found out the entire First Class cabin was restricted to the President of Albania and his party, so they got off first as we peered out the window for all the pomp and circumstance!!

We then went to our hotel, the Hotel Tirana, overlooking Skanderbeg square. There are few vehicles, but many bicyclists and pedestrians walking around. The main medium of exchange in shops is the dollar, but like Russia, there is very little to buy.

Nearby, in the capital, is the main shopping street, where it is interesting to look in the stores (I bought many nice postage stamps from the philatelic store where the manager was Albanian but educated in Cuba so we could speak Spanish!! ) There are no stamps at the main post office. The National Museum is great, the Palace of Culture, the Museum of Popular Culture, and the Enver Hoxha memorial which is very beautiful, surrounded by a park that is perfect for picnicking, with a view of the city. The Mother Albania monument there has a changing of the guard.

I also went to the Albanian TV network which was very, very interesting for me. They had modern equipment like we do here, and all the technical personnel is female (here, it's about 10%). They told me it's because women pay more attention to detail!! They were as fascinated to meet an American TV worker as I was to meet them.

Albanians are famous for their folk dancing, so we went to a dancing and music concert which was very good, then got back to the hotel where there was no water. One day we got only cold water, the next day only hot!! People smoke a lot and spit on the street so things aren't as clean as we're used to. In Cuba, there is an appearance of a good life, with fruit and bread and meat, but in Albania we live almost as the Albanians, with one kind of meat, mostly rotten fruit, and okra.

I don't expect modern luxuries when I travel so it's just more adventure for me, but there was a French group and they complained so much about the food they actually got cake one night, so when we saw it we asked for cake too!!

One thing about Tirana is that women never walk alone and you never see one after dark on the street anywhere--not that it's dangerous, but the men just stare at you and say things (in Albanian) so you hope it's just that they're curious.

I also went to Durres, on the Adriatic Sea, where the weather is beautiful and the hotel very nice. It was the best food we had in Albania, beef and potatoes and chocolate mousse!! Durres has horses and carriages and bicycles and a few cars, and people walk in the street because they're not used to traffic!! The Archeology museum is excellent, an amphitheatre from the 3rd Century AD, the train station is interesting to see and there are some souvenirs, though the stores are dark.

You see bunkers along the roads everywhere, from the Hoxha days. Kruje has the Skanderbeg museum and a nice castle and the old buildings are very interesting. Kavaje has a beautiful church with old icons, and the caretaker told us he'd go to jail if we took photos, so we didn't!!

Lushinje and Fier are also small towns with a long history, and visited Appolonia, a roman ruin. There was a lady selling cold drinks but when we arrived, it was time for her lunch so she packed up and left (they still have to learn about salesmanship!!) Berat is a beautiful town, perched on a hill, with a thriving textile industry. There is a river and a castle and mountains. They also have a beautiful church with icons where a wedding had just taken place; there was a lively reception with Italian music on a cassette tape!!

I also spoke to students who were well informed about the outside world and only wished for an opportunity to go abroad, and I was interviewed by a newspaper, about America, I never thought of myself as a spokesman!!

The flight back to Zurich was uneventful, and as I flew back, I was so glad to have visited this mysterious, Eastern European country off limits for so long. Hopefully they will find a stable future and economic growth, and it would be interesting to return in a few years to see the changes.

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