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Albania - the unknown one of the Mediterranean
08-05-2013, 09:56 AM
Real information on Albania seems to be lacking in this thread, so I hope I can enlighten some of you with my modest experiences in the country. I would hesitate to call this a data sheet since I'm game newbie and my only results were a makeout and getting an e-mail address (see below). Also, I only stayed for around five days this March during which I did not go to any clubs. Maybe you can use some of these observations to your advantage if you happen to be in Albania, though.
1. The Country
The title of this thread is accurate. Even among my Balkan friends back in Germany, no one has ever been to Albania which aroused my interest to visit it after my equally short stay in Macedonia. Being the North Korea of Europe under the bonkers dictator Enver Hoxha up until the end of the cold war, the country used to be completely isolated and the lack of development is still visible almost everywhere you go. It's supposed to be one of the poorest countries in Europe, right after Moldova and Kosovo. Unemployment and corruption is high.
The infrastructure is bad as fuck, even for Eastern European standards. My trip from Berat to Gjirokaster (distance: 186 km) took me six hours in a public mini bus due to terrible road conditions. The only acceptable highway is the one between Durres and Tirana. Other than that, you will need a lot of time to get from A to B. Heck, there is not even a decent railway you can use to travel around!
Also, there is no RyanAir or other cheap airlines that head here. If you are on a budget, you should try to get a cheap WizzAir/easyjet/ryanair flight into Macedonia or Greece and enter Albania from there.
The landscape is pretty awesome with Hoxha's bunkers scattered throughout the entire country. I can't comment on the beaches as I haven't been to one of them but I only heard good things.
Albania is untouched by mass tourism. Everything is cheap. On the other hand, several cab drivers tried to rip me off, so be careful.
I got randomly greeted by many strangers who seemed to be genuinely surprised that there are actually Westerners who visit their fatherland. Popular sentiment is pro-EU and pro-American because of Nato's intervention during the Kosovo War.
2. Cultural Observations
Among all the countries that I've been to in Europe, this one has definitely the most conservative society. Family is big here and given the small population (2,8 million), be sure that almost everyone knows everyone which makes it not exactly a convenient environment to pull a girl. Macho culture is deeply entrenched, feminism largely unheard of (despite the communist past) and, on top of that, blood feuds are still common in the north of the country. Yes, people are generally friendly but I had a feeling that Albanian guys can get really wild once they find out you fuck around with their women. Cockblocking is endemic and public places, even in Tirana, are clearly male-dominated.
Despite Hoxha's die-hard atheist policies, and a slight majority of Albanians today consider themselves as Muslims, but I suppose this is largely a matter of national identity. Most people I met were not overly religious, you can buy and drink alcohol everywhere, headscarves are scarce, and Islam should not be your concern as opposed to the above mentioned societal mores.
Individualism is almost non-existent. Albanians all live and dress pretty similar, so next to no subcultural hipster, goth, punk, artsy or intellectual types of people in sight here.
Personal space may be an issue for some. You can literally feel the breath of the person right behind if you wait in a queue.
There is a unsettling admiration for the Nazis, because the Germans didn't consider Albanians as an „inferior“ race (as opposed to other Balkan peoples) and united Kosovo and Albania during WW2. I didn't see many places that sell books, but in those that did, Hitler's „Mein Kampf“ was always in the shelves.
3. Language
This I found the biggest challenge for meeting girls. Conversational English is extremely rare; most people struggle even with the basics. Instead, Italian is by far the most spoken foreign language due to the huge Albanian diaspora in Italy. German also helped me in some situations. Albanian itself is tough to pronounce and but it's not worth to learn if you just go there for some days or a week to meet girls.
4. The Women
Albanians have Mediterranian looks with a strong Turkic influence, attributable to the Ottoman era. There are some blondes, too, but tanned skin and dark hair plus medium sized-breasts is basically what you get here when it comes to women. People tend to be of short stature. Almost no fatties in Albania just like in all of Eastern Europe.
I quite liked the general female appearance in Albania and would prefer it to the much revered Slavics on this forum. There is not much diversity, though, when it comes to different clothing styles. Typical contemporary Balkan fashion which reminded me of how average Turkish girls dress in Germany. So, some girls may look really classy but clothes are the only thing they spend their little money on.
I could only talk to three or four Albanian girls properly because of language barrier. My impressions of their personalities therefore might not be accurate, but it is safe to say that they are friendly but rather unambitious. Getting married early is important in this culture and after that women lag behind. SNLs seem to be rare. University students may be a different breed, but I didn't meet one. Intellectual game will lead probably lead you nowhere, but even when talking to a more simple-minded girl you can drop a remark on Ismail Kadare, the only well-known Albanian author. Everyone is very proud of him there and you can thus tickle her nationalist proclivities.
Most girls (and guys) live with their families if they are not married. One Albanian guy even told me that you are considered a loser by society if you move out of your parental home without a good reason (e.g. a job).
Coming from a Western country is definitely a plus for them. Tell them that you have a job (even if it's just bartending) and how many countries you have visited and the girls will be impressed immediately as they most likey have never left Albania (unless they have family ties to the diasporas in Switzerland, Italy or Germany). Remember: Visitors from the West still have the novelty factor which you should use to your advantage.
5. Places to go
Tirana – The capital with its characteristic colorful house fronts and some megalomaniac monuments from the communist era. The city is not that great. Too many ugly neighborhoods, no nice waterfront, not much diversity (even for a capital city). Nonetheless, I think this is the place to be if you want to meet the few cool, modern and English speaking chicks out of reach of their protective brothers or cousins. Day game spots: the areas around the Skanderberg memorial and the National museum.
Durres – Haven't been there but it is the second biggest city in the country and a popular holiday destination because of the beach. Should be worthwhile, especially in the summer.
Berat – Greatest place for sightseeing and hiking. Small town, though, and lots of attention for you and your girl.
Gjirokastra – Birthplace of Enver Hoxha and Ismail Kadare. I only spend the night there and left on the next morning for Greece. Nice view on the Albanian Alps and some interesting architecture. Beware when walking around, it's ridiculously steep.
6. My Experience
Most of my approaches ended nowhere. I received plenty of IOIs by women but when I tried to talk to them, the majority just said „sorry, no English“. In other cases, random guys would turn around and just yell at us, but this mostly happened in Berat. It remained frustrating till the very end of my trip, even though bitch shields were not high.
In Tirana, two hours before I left to Berat, I went into an international bookstore near the square around National Museum. The saleslady was initially very kind to me and her English was the best that I encountered in Albania. She was only a 6 but cute. She inquired about my trip, what I study, what books I like, etc. and she asked me if I'd like to hang out. As I had to leave, we eventually swapped e-mail addresses but I never got back to her.
Berat was more difficult. I hardly saw any unaccompanied women and gave it up soon. Went to a fast food restaurant and ordered food. In came 18 year old boy and with him a solid 7 of 26 years with curly brown hair. Turns out they are siblings from a village nearby. The boy chatted me up as he wanted to practice his English and most of the time he had to translate for his older sister. When he went to the restroom, I tried to make her grasp I would like to meet her later in the evening as I had to leave the following day. She didn't quite understand me, so I dropped her a line on a piece of paper. She nodded and we later met to climb up the town's old fortress. Communication attempts from my side failed mostly, so I decided to kiss her. We made out for some minutes, then she suddenly got a call and said „I have to go back to my two sons“. We walked back down to the town and away she went to her village in Central Albania.
7. Conclusion
Albania is an overlooked and surely interesting country to visit but think twice before you come here for hooking up. Those who crave for the flag and who have good game and better logistics than me can certainly pull some quality women here, but in general this is a tough place, especially because of the omnipresent language barrier and the conservative and cockblocking culture.
Then again, I only stayed for five days during March with rainy weather most of the time. My impressions possibly would have been different if I went during the summer and checked out the beaches. Also, I can't say anything about the club culture, but I suspect most dance clubs would be huge cockfests, anyway.
My advice: If you're in the region, go to Greece. Better women, better food plus a more interesting and diverse culture. Albania on its own is not worth a trip for guys with sexual intentions.
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