<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 5905" data-quote="MTF" data-source="post: 1163635"
class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch">
<div class="bbCodeBlock-title">
<a href="/community/goto/post?id=1163635"
class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump"
rel="nofollow"
data-xf-click="attribution"
data-content-selector="#post-1163635">MTF said:</a>
</div>
<div class="bbCodeBlock-content">
<div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent ">
Next part coming soon...
</div>
<div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div>
</div>
</blockquote><br />
Today the last two more lesser talked about European countries from my travels last year:<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: 22px">1. Bulgaria</span></b><br />
<br />
Bulgaria is one of the poorest countries in the European Union and we spent time in Sofia which is by far its richest city (way, way richer than the average in Bulgaria, particularly in rural areas). This gave me a distorted view of the country.<br />
<br />
We did drive through a part of the country as we entered through Greece and exited through North Macedonia but it was just a small part of the country and so this doesn't speak about the entire country (same for my previous posts where I was only in a small part of each country).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/pxl_20241129_120543010-mp-webp.64785/"
target="_blank"><img src="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/data/attachments/59/59200-6af72cbf154d3b15b6e10ff8fc80b094.jpg?hash=ZBm3eCqebK"
class="bbImage "
style=""
alt="PXL_20241129_120543010.MP.webp"
title="PXL_20241129_120543010.MP.webp"
width="266" height="200" loading="lazy" /></a><br />
<br />
We had horrible, bone-chilling weather, the city was extremely gray, had lots of depressing Brutalist architecture, and yet I instantly felt comfortable in Sofia.<br />
<br />
<b>It reminded me of Warsaw, although still needing to catch up a lot.</b> It felt very safe and we saw plenty of new development and lots of good cars. Service-wise, the people also reminded me of people in Warsaw - very helpful, enterprising, and taking initiative to help when you have a problem. It's not always that you get American-style level of service in Europe and I imagine most wouldn't expect that in Bulgaria.<br />
<br />
Surprisingly, in a country that shouldn't have any great, healthy vegan restaurants, Sofia has one of the nicest ones we've been to anywhere in the world (Vita Rama Vegan Restaurant). It was connected to some health center (all under the same brand in the same building) and looked like it was thriving as a business.<br />
<br />
Sofia definitely doesn't strike me as a city that would be great for tourists but it looked like it was a good area for a regular life. It's right by the mountains and within 4 hours you can be on the Greek coast.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/pxl_20241130_112854481-mp-webp.64786/"
target="_blank"><img src="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/data/attachments/59/59201-f32399beecdb5caebe848f6108ff8c0c.jpg?hash=sougP0qDQR"
class="bbImage "
style=""
alt="PXL_20241130_112854481.MP.webp"
title="PXL_20241130_112854481.MP.webp"
width="266" height="200" loading="lazy" /></a><br />
<br />
Unfortunately, the money seems to end once you leave Sofia. Right on the outskirts, there was a visible drop in quality of life, with crumbling old buildings and obvious poverty.<br />
<br />
On our way to another country, we drove by a small city near the border and saw some of the worst poverty-stricken areas we've ever seen in Europe. I'm talking about (occupied) houses with destroyed roofs, using blankets or rags instead of windows, the entire area covered in mud and trash, located by a river full of trash that looked like Ganges in India. If I teleported you there, you'd swear it was the poorest area of India, not Europe.<br />
<br />
Bulgaria has the highest Gini index score in the EU, indicating significant income disparity within the country, and that gap is very visible. I've never seen anything like that anywhere in Poland or anywhere else in Europe for that matter. I didn't take any pictures as we only drove past that but I'm not exaggerating when I say that it looked like the worst slum imaginable.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/pxl_20241130_095710361-webp.64787/"
target="_blank"><img src="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/data/attachments/59/59202-3c53de2bf0a945a68e94e882d9ab98cd.jpg?hash=lSx0gJr4OL"
class="bbImage "
style=""
alt="PXL_20241130_095710361.webp"
title="PXL_20241130_095710361.webp"
width="266" height="200" loading="lazy" /></a><br />
<br />
Perhaps one day I'll revisit the country but I need to go there during warmer weather. As with most cold places, visiting in the winter doesn't really work since you're too cold to fully enjoy it.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 22px"><b>2. Albania</b></span><br />
<br />
We first entered Albania in September but only to drive through the country on our way to North Macedonia. And our first impression was very, very bad.<br />
<br />
First, the traffic and road infrastructure.<br />
<br />
I have no words for it - in the worst areas, it's so horrible I don't get how people can tolerate it. For example, we got stuck in a traffic jam near a random small city for absolutely no reason. There was nothing happening in the city, no accident, no rush hour, nothing. Just a road completely insufficient to deal with the amount of regular traffic. And we got stuck there for a freaking 1.5 hours - just a few kilometers of a road on the outskirts of the city.<br />
<br />
The drivers had zero manners - whenever there was no incoming traffic, they routinely passed other cars waiting in the traffic jam in front of them, only to advance maybe 100-200 meters and squeeze their way back into the traffic jam. This way, any polite driver had to wait even longer at the expense of the jerks.<br />
<br />
Then we got stuck in a traffic jam in the city and had to enjoy it in the presence of ragged beggars with amputated extremities and other body deformations, clearly the victims of some kind of a beggar mafia. We also passed through another town that had India-like slums - it was as bad as the Bulgarian one but weirdly it was a small area within an otherwise normal town.<br />
<br />
So when we returned to Albania in December to properly explore it, I was VERY hesitant to visit, to say the least.<br />
<br />
It didn't help that our car was thoroughly searched when entering at the border with Kosovo. Thankfully they seemed to follow some kind of protocol as they told each of us (in super broken English) to watch every movement of each border agent. I was worried they'd steal something as I heard of such stories at some borders in the area. After giving a protein bar as a bribe (lol - they were confused why we had several boxes of Greek protein bars with us so I had to give them one to convince them it wasn't something else) we were eventually let go.<br />
<br />
We decided to stay in Tirana, the capital of the country. And that made all the difference and completely changed my view of the country (or I guess, rather, the capital).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/pxl_20241203_112120067-webp.64788/"
target="_blank"><img src="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/data/attachments/59/59203-53d3983870263ad48cc8adaa157fb955.jpg?hash=RuKV0plwVM"
class="bbImage "
style=""
alt="PXL_20241203_112120067.webp"
title="PXL_20241203_112120067.webp"
width="266" height="200" loading="lazy" /></a><br />
<br />
Firstly, few people know it, but Albania is one of the safest countries in Europe and while it may sound like bullshit, it's really not. I was shocked how comfortable and family-friendly it was. I can assure you that you'd feel WAY safer there than in most big cities in Western Europe.<br />
<br />
People enjoyed the city during the day and even more so at night. Entire families, kids, young people, old people, women alone, etc. - zero sketchiness whatsoever. Shops were open all the time and there were lots of modern, clean, fancy-looking mixed-use developments. If I were to drop you in some areas, you'd NEVER ever say it's Albania, that's how nice it was.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/pxl_20241203_123329714-mp-webp.64789/"
target="_blank"><img src="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/data/attachments/59/59204-77347eac93e65a58f939bf1b507cf9ea.jpg?hash=RQbGc2_qjc"
class="bbImage "
style=""
alt="PXL_20241203_123329714.MP.webp"
title="PXL_20241203_123329714.MP.webp"
width="266" height="200" loading="lazy" /></a><br />
<br />
People were super friendly and my impression was that it was a very enjoyable place to live with an optimistic future. The construction is booming, the tourism is growing, and the infrastructure problems are being worked on and solved. The sheer amount of construction and infrastructure work happening in the city was mind-blowing.<br />
<br />
Based on what I saw, <b>I think that it's one of the most exciting cities for adventure capitalists</b> who'd like to move somewhere else, tap into dynamic growth, and grow a local business.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/pxl_20241203_112757418-webp.64793/"
target="_blank"><img src="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/data/attachments/59/59208-76238674b56f7bf1784a38d1b1979ea2.jpg?hash=JrVjYYsTkq"
class="bbImage "
style=""
alt="PXL_20241203_112757418.webp"
title="PXL_20241203_112757418.webp"
width="200" height="266" loading="lazy" /></a><br />
<br />
We walked dozens of kilometers through the city and even outside of the main center it was super chill. Yeah, there were a few beggars here and there, but mostly older women, not any psychotic homeless people. And yes, there was also some graffiti here and there, but nothing that you would pay much attention to.<br />
<br />
Albania has a reputation for stray dogs but I think this is also becoming a thing of the past. We did meet one stray dog that hung out with us. It was super friendly and it had an ear tag so we didn't feel threatened in any way.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/pxl_20241203_101355434-1-webp.64790/"
target="_blank"><img src="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/data/attachments/59/59205-ff81abbfd43d408487c565bcbb0acb72.jpg?hash=v-liqbRkxI"
class="bbImage "
style=""
alt="PXL_20241203_101355434(1).webp"
title="PXL_20241203_101355434(1).webp"
width="266" height="200" loading="lazy" /></a><br />
<br />
New buildings in Tirana have very interesting architecture which looks traditional but with a modern take that makes it look distinct, like nowhere else. Of course, you still have old buildings and buildings that need to be renovated. But when visiting developing cities, I like to focus on and imagine how the city will look like in a few years and it seems to be on a very promising trajectory.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/pxl_20241203_101937946-mp-webp.64791/"
target="_blank"><img src="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/data/attachments/59/59206-0f240c886635d5f8a0a6b87381abac5b.jpg?hash=mRsIW9-AzD"
class="bbImage "
style=""
alt="PXL_20241203_101937946.MP.webp"
title="PXL_20241203_101937946.MP.webp"
width="266" height="200" loading="lazy" /></a><br />
<br />
I love when my expectations get challenged like that when traveling. After my first impression, I never wanted to visit Albania again. After properly exploring it, I feel like, at least Tirana, is a hidden gem. It's well worth visiting to see a bustling city with a promising future and not the usual complaining you hear so often when people talk about the cities in the US, Canada, the UK, or Western Europe.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/pxl_20241204_155629211-mp-webp.64792/"
target="_blank"><img src="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/data/attachments/59/59207-1e07262ec0015b04a535769713a652ca.jpg?hash=B__9H_TyLw"
class="bbImage "
style=""
alt="PXL_20241204_155629211.MP.webp"
title="PXL_20241204_155629211.MP.webp"
width="266" height="200" loading="lazy" /></a></div>
