The Odyssey: Albania

The 40th country of our Odyssey, and the first alphabetically is Albania. A unique country in many ways, as you shall soon discover...

Berat, in Southern Albania, is a beautiful town of white houses and medieval fortifications.

The town was important for both the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires.

While the days of foreign domination are lone gone, the locals can't help but celebrate victories over Turkey.

Also banished to the past are memories of Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha. During his rule, the letters "E-N-V-E-R" were written on the side of Mount Shpirag. However, a local farmer has recently managed to rewrite the sign as "N-E-V-E-R".

Across Albania many houses remain unfinished as their owners wait to earn more money. While unprotected from the weather, they are protected from evil spirits by teddy bears (this is not a joke).

After the quiet countryside we found ourselves in hectic Tirana where every time you cross the road, you and the squadron of pedestrians that you've attached to, celebrate another victory. Actually, the Albanians had a legitimate reason to celebrate, as the country commemorated 100 years of independence on 28 November 2012. Hence the gigantic flag.

The Et'hem Bey Mosque and the clocktower. (While most Albanians are Muslim, only 15% of them are religious. As you can see, even the mosque had some Christmas decorations)

A fancy cocktail in the revolving Sky Bar.

The extremely unusual and unused Pyramid of Tirana.

Evidence of Tirana's gravity problem.

The History Museum.

During communist rule, 700,000 bunkers were built across the country, still dotting the landscape today.

Famous Albanians include John Belushi, Adil Hoxha and of course Mother Teresa.

The final thing worth mentioning about Tirana was that our hotel bathroom had a panoramic view. Please note that we have edited this photo to protect the stranger's identity.