Election time Albania

I am in Tirana, Albania for a few days, returning to Rome on Thursday. I arrived in Tirana during what is the last week of the general election campaign to elect a new Parliament. To think that before 1991 Albania was a hard-line North Korea style dictatorship, closed off to the rest of the world, impossible to get in and impossible to get out, it is today a completely different place. On my first night here I decided to take a stroll down the only main avenue of the Capital. In front of the now empty and abandoned pyramid mausoleum of the late dictator Enver Hoxha was an open air Jazz concert sponsored by one political party, good music and a festive atmosphere. Further down the road in front of the Ministry of Defence another concert, Albanian Hip Hop music, again the crowd was happy and jumping up and down to the music doing sort of a wave like movement. Who could imagine such a thing on this Roman Pine bordered avenue built by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and named after him, which saw parades by Italian Fascist troops in the 1930's and then mass communist rallies for 50 years, that one day you would have such a happy display of free and open elections. Each night concerts, tonight acid rock, last night new age music, all to attract voters and supporters. The Socialist Mayor of Tirana who belongs to the old guard communist pre 1991, has done a good job of cleaning up the city, planting trees everywhere, etc.... the 2 main squares at either end of the renamed main avenue now called Deshmoret e kombit, need to be totally rebuilt. The Scanderberg Square where the giant statue of the dictator once stood is now without giant statue and looks empty. The other Square called University centre where the great speeches of the late dictator where once rapturously applauded now has a broken down giant fountain and a forlorn tiny statue of Mother Teresa who was Albanian. Also running for a seat in Parliament is the grandson of King Zog of Albania, HRH Prince Leka. His grandfather's Palace is today the home of the President of the Republic.

Tirana is very green, lots of trees everywhere and the Dajti mountains looming on two sides of the city. The current government is largely expected to win again a new mandate on 28 June. The big topics of discussions here are accession to the European Union, visa free regime with the rest of Europe and pension reform for school teachers. Albania just joined NATO, 2 months ago.

Of course I made a comment about how people wear T-shirts, capri pants and flip-flops as if it was a national costume, today I noticed how women wear the most impossible shoes, they look so uncomfortable, high heels, platforms shoes with lots of rhinestones, I wonder who makes such shoes. One lady was wearing these very thick platform shoes with high heels, in what looked like pea green alligator skin, her capri pants where also the same pea green alligator skin fabric matching the shoes with a fluffy chenille like black top and too much make-up, this is considered high fashion here. Yes I am in the Balkans.