... so I went for a long walk into the countryside and took photos of a nice old man tending a cow (he unwrapped his headscarf for me and posed for the photo) .......
Enver Hoxha's Communist Paradise
- Albania in 1975.
In May-June 1975 we went on a package holiday to Albania organised by
Regent Holidays. We flew Yugoslav Airlines to Zagreb and on the next day
to Tirana. We returned with an overnight stop in Belgrade. On arrival at
Tirana airport, I and some others were deemed to have hair too long and it
was cut by the airport barber before we were allowed in!
Durres
We stayed at the Adriatik Hotel by the sea near Durres, and went on escorted trips to other parts of the country. We weren't allowed to wander freely and were told not to go outside the hotel grounds ...
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... so I went for a long walk into the countryside and took photos of a nice old man tending a cow (he unwrapped his headscarf for me and posed for the photo) ....... |
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... an animal-powered water cart watering the fields
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... and a shepherd tending his flock. Then the
walk came to an abrupt end when I was stopped and arrested by a policeman
on a motorcycle, who had to flag down a lorry, tell the passengers to get
out and then take us back to the hotel where the film with the rest of the
pictures was confiscated. |
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We had a half-day trip to Durres town, museum, Roman amphitheatre and a State farm. Religion was banned and the church bells were gathering dust at the back of the museum. |
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Meanwhile, at the State Farm Enver's picture was
encouraging the tomatoes to grow. |
Central Albania |
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We went on a two-day trip to central Albania, through the mountains to Elbasan, Pogradec on Lake Ohrid, the Korca plateau, staying the night in Korca and returning via Tirana. These are the dark, brooding hills near Korca. |
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On the way we saw 'student volunteers' repairing the road. |
Tirana |
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We visited Tirana, the capital. View of the mosque
and tower from the library steps in the main square. |
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Tirana University, down a wide, traffic-free road. |
Shkoder |
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We went on a day trip to Shkoder in northern Albania where we climbed to the castle at the top of the hill for the fabulous views and the ruins of the church at the top. |
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Back in Shkoder town there was another bustling
main street full of traffic. |
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We went on a three-day trip to southern Albania, through Fier and Gjirokaster to Sarande where we stayed on the coast opposite Corfu, visited Butrint Roman ruins and came back through Gjirokaster. Gjirokaster has some lovely picturesque old Ottoman houses ... |
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... including Enver Hoxha's house which is now a museum, but it was closed ... |
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... and a captured United States Air Force
fighter plane, now a feature in the castle grounds. |
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Back by the sea in Durres, the sunsets were spectacular.
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