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The BUNKERS, ALBANIAIf you can handle a hike that seriously puts your life at risk, walk out of town in the direction of Saranda. There are no sidewalks. There is barely any space for a pedestrian. Cars raced by way too fast and close. Seriously, take a taxi. However you get out of town, get out of town. You can explore some of the bunkers built by that dictator, Hoxha, during his forty years in power. |
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The bunkers are mushroom shaped stuctures that dot the countryside. Many of the 700,000 bunkers (one for every four inhabitants) have been destroyed since the fall of Communism, but they once averaged 24 bunkers per square kilometer. The bunkers were built because of the imminent invasion of the United States. In each bunker I explored, there were windows where guns could be mounted to shoot down any and all invading airplanes. |
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Obviously,
the construction costs drained the Albanian economy of funds that could
have helped the country's housing shortage, built much needed roads
or bolstered the country's schools. But, they are still so cool to explore!
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| Copyright 2014 by Phillip Martin. All rights reserved. | ||
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