A series in Cultural Observations in Albania: Part 1- An overview

So, since there were so many interesting things to see and to think about in Albania, I have decided to place each observation into small digestible "blogettes". That way it'll be easier to read and not so overwhelming to see one long blog post all about albania. So without further ado; Part 1.

While in Albania, we played in three different cities; Durres, Vlora, and Tirana. The first two cities were costal towns, right on the Adriatic sea. The latter of the these cities is the capital of Albania, which of course is where the U.S. Embassy is located, who sponsored most of our trip to Albania. The costal towns were all in varying states of seeming disrepair. Since the country had at one point been under Communist rule, most all of the architecture was very square, very 'functional', and very concrete. Everything was made of poured concrete; walls, stairs, supporting beams, columns, 'studs' for the walls, walkways, porches, balconies . . . Most of the houses in both cities, as well as in between the two coastal cities (a two and a half hour drive by Albanian taxi) were only half finished. The main reason they were only half finsihed is a matter of political loop-holes.

The tax code in Albania states that you only have to pay property taxes on your house once it is completed. Therefore, most of the houses would be two or three stories, and in msot case, only one of the stories was finished, usually the first floor, but on some occasions (where it was two stories) the second was the finished one. All of the houses would also leave partial columns on the 'roof' with rebar sticking out of them, also playing a part in the not yet finished house. The whole house, again, was made of poured concrete.

In Tirana, the capital city, The Mayor/Governor/President (I don't remember which it was) Decided that the city looked to communist, and, with a background in art, decided to liven up the city aesthetic by offering a tax incentive to people if they painted their buildings a bright cheery color. In response, Tirana is now a mixture of pinks, yellows, oranges and the occasional drab gray. It looks more coastal in places than Durres or Vlora do, but it is a little farther inland.