Albania

Nver been there, but I heard that this country still has some problems, I would do a lot of research about it.
Check out tripadvisor.com , you will find a lot of good info.
I am not affiliate with this site in any way, I just consider it very useful.I think lonelyplanet.com is a good start point too.

I can't give you any specifics on the country, because I have never visited Albania. However, I spent almost a year in Kosovo and Macedonia, so I am familiar with Albanian culture. Outsiders, with the possible exceptions of Serbs and maybe Russians, probably are about as safe from violent crime as anywhere else in Europe. Albanians' reputation for violence (deserved or not) stems from the long existence of blood-feuds between clans as a means of justice. Although clan identity is still important to Albanians, blood-feuds are now largely relegated only to the criminal underworld. Albanian cuisine is, roughly, similar to southern Italian with less emphasis on pasta and more on vegetables. Some notable dishes include shopska salata (a delicious pepper, tomatoe, onion, cucumber and feta cheese salad) and a burek. What is a burek? As best as I can describe it, imagine a large buttery phylo dough roll, with a Philly cheesesteak on the inside.

The book, "The Pillars of Hercules-A Grand Tour of the Mediterranean" by Paul Theroux has an amazing chapter (16) on the author's visit to Albania. It would certainly be worth your time to read his account of his experiences in this country. His book is a fascinating read.

I haven't been to Albania, but a friend of mine (who has traveled a lot) went there three years ago and reported that it's pretty rough around the edges. For example, she was on a bus where most of the bus seat cushions were missing--stolen? And for what reason? The Albanian language is unrelated to any of the Balkan regional languages, and few Albanians speak English, so language can be an issue. Having said that, if you are looking for a true "back door" to Europe, where food and lodging are cheap, tourists are not coddled, and you'll need to have your wits about you to get around, give it a go and report back to us. And, by the way, my friend reported that, as a single woman, she did not feel at all unsafe in Albania.

Michael Palin has a new travel series. I think it's called Behind the Curtain. He tours former Eastern block countries. He visits some beautiful places that were once all but inaccessable to the West.

One of his visits is Albania. The show took Albania off my wish list, at least for the present. It doesn't look very good. It's still mired in poverty under a totalitarian dictator. He had trouble booking passage to Albania because no one wanted to go there.

If your heart is set on Albania, find his show. It may have some helpful information.

Brad's description sounds very much like author Paul Theroux's account of Albania from 1995. I had been wondering if much change had taken place in the last decade, but it sadly sounds pretty much the same.

I saw that Michael Palin episode as well and although Tirana didn't look appealing, Albania is now a democracy. The dictators were overthrown about 15 years ago. If you remember the mayor he interviewed is one of the country's top artists. No dictatorship would allow an artist be become mayor of it's capital city:)

I've never seen Michael Palin's visit to Albania, but he was probably referring to the dictator Enver Hoxha, who died in 1985. Albania has been a multiparty democracy since 1990, if not exactly a shining example.