Why Albania? A number of people have wondered why I, or anyone, would go to Albania (and North Macedonia).

Some were actually dismissive, as if they had an idea what Albania was about, or had even given a second’s thought to the matter. One person was downright snobbish. I thought to myself, what failures of imagination!

These old Soviet style streets. One of the people I was talking to, who has a furniture company, said that the interiors are spotless and beautiful, and that people have learned to really make these old buildings work. Tourists want to think it’s all dilapidated and bad, but it isn’t.

I’m thinking about how the large middle section of billions of humans beings live. Not poor, but in the middle. There is this large part of the world population that has a middle “per capita“ income. I read an article about those in world who make between five and $12,000 a year. Something like six billion people. The average Albanian person makes $500 a month and lives in an extended family household.)