This post will probably be a bit less educational, but I will see what I can do. I had the fortune to travel to Albania the past weekend, and here is what I have to say:

Albania is a potential candidate for accession into the European Union and although it has reformed, much more needs to be done. I am not going to regurgitate this article, but like Kosovo, and other countries in Balkans, corruption and rule of law (i.e. judicial actions, legal recourse) are two areas that need to be improved for approval into the EU; however this can take years, since Albania is just a potential candidate for accession, not an actual candidate on the path to accession. To this end, through the EU Commission, Albania is under the initial phase of Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (Kosovo is as well). This basically means that the EU is assisting Albania on building democratic and transparent institutions and is also eligible for cross-border cooperation with other potential candidates, such as Kosovo, as well as candidates and EU member states.

Approximately 95% of the population is Albanian, but there is around a 3% Greek population, and actually the area of Chameria, in southern Albania that borders Greece is contested between the two states. Traveling throughout Albania, especially towards the south, one can see graffiti that reads "I [heart] Chameria" and "F*ck Greece." (Sorry was not able to get any pictures, and there was only one reference to "F*ck Greece," but I imagine there are more closer to Chameria). Further regarding the population, 70% is Muslim, 20% is Orthodox, and 10% Catholic, and they all tend to be more secular (although there are always reports of Islamic fundamentalism being more of a force as well as the Orthodox trying to save their religious places and blaming Islam for the destruction of some of their churches/monasteries). In the capital Tirana, they are actually building a Catholic church (see below), and although the city is built up nicely, much of the development has occurred in the past 20 years.

(this is the main square)

Albania will most likely have an economic boom in the years to come as vast amounts of oil and natural gas reserves were found in the country in 2008. Yet to export their resources, Albania will have to stabilize and further develop its infrastructure, here meaning highways as the country is very mountainous and rugged, but its valleys are quite traversable.

Currently Albania is completing its main highway, (contractor is Bechtel Corporation, an American company) and much is complete; however there are times when one is driving in the mountains on dirt roads or very narrow roads. The trip from Pristina takes about 8-10 hours to the town of Dhermi on the southern coast of Albania, and I was told before the highway it would be closer to 16-18 hours (and you can still see the dirt roads alongside of the mountain that were once the old highway). Interestingly, this highway, under Bechtel, is also being constructed in Kosovo, so that there will be one main road from Pristina to the ports of Albania, which will make transportation much smoother for these countries.

I stopped in the town of Durres, which is on the Adriatic and stayed in the town of Dhermi, which is on the Ionian Sea, which is basically the Mediterranean Sea. Durres is much more developed and tourist-y, and many Kosovars come here for vacation because Albania is one of the few countries a Kosovar can travel without a visa (the visa issue is a big issue for Kosovars). The beaches of Durres are heavily crowded and dirty, as you can see by the pictures below, but still retains its beauty because the town is on the Adriatic Sea. It is also on a valley, so Durres is much more accessible to the general population (and closer to Kosovo, whereas Dhermi is another 2 hours or so from Durres). Also, I did see a man walking a bear down the street in this town - twice actually - while passing through (sorry, no picture).

There is trash lying the ground everywhere, and the water probably isn't the cleanest.

Case in point, there are trashcans practically in the water, and most are overflowing with trash.

My guess is that within a few years, Dhermi will be a major tourist attraction all summer long, and one for internationals as well (I don't want to mislead anyone, internationals do go to Dhermi). It is a town in the mountains, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and absolutely gorgeous. The water is crystal clear but the beach is rocky (this can be overlooked instantly). The beaches only get crowded in July and August, so any time in June is best. The town is pretty desolate when one gets closer to the water, so unless one wants to hike up the hill, then all your supplies are bought at the resort restaurant (you need to come prepared). The roads to get here are long and windy, up and down mountains, with some close turns. There are some grave stones (some with elaborate head pieces) as well as Orthodox prayer stations along the way. I am sorry I did not get any pictures, but they were neat to see. There are also roadside vendors that sell olive oil and honey - the beehives were next to the road as well, and although at certain points when the mountainside flattened there were 2-3 vendors selling the same products, there really is no other job opportunities in that area for the local population.

- the blue, white, and yellow boxes are beehives.

Unfortunately, there is always the trash problem. Sanitation services are a must in Albania.