1. What made me go to Albania in the first place
If you live in Berlin, chances are, you already had some culinary experiences with the albanian cuisine and for me travel like love always goes through the stomach to end up at my heart, so I wanted to visit the country of this unpretentious, but delicious little balcan country to get to know the real flavor. Second, I heard of the amazing alpine region and the very famous Theth to Valbona (or verse visa) hike and thought this could be a perfect alternative to the overcrowded (though still amazing) German or Austrian alps, which moreover can only be hiked during the summer months. Last, but not least I wanted to feel the history of a country that has been closed up for decades (and I am talking no international relations/alliances), where people told us that they tried bananas for the first time only less than 30 years ago and where actually more Albanians live outside the country than inside.
"Wherever you go, go with all your heart" by Confucius 