I can't BELIEVE this is Shkodër, Albania 🇦🇱

[@KatietheGreat]

Thank you. I left Albania 24 years ago. This is my city ❤️.

[@Maartentravels]

Beautiful! Thanks for watching 🤗

[@Fegga1955]

👏🏽🙏👌❤️🙌

[@iangiles3360]

Some of the bikes are 70 years old. There used to be a bicycle factory there.

[@theCART00N1ST]

I'm going to Albania tomorrow for a week, I'm starting off in Tirana and heading to Shkoder later on in my trip, can't waaaaaaaaaaaait

[@Maartentravels]

Enjoy bro!

[@davidheiser2225]

was in Shkoder last year - very charming city.

[@gerijahja4517]

Hello :) my family owns the art gallery, I can confirm it’s still open as an art gallery and painting school! and the paintings are beautiful!!

[@Maartentravels]

That's good to hear😄

[@adrianog4148]

14:55 thats a roma village.

[@eaglempire_mapper]

Unë jetoj në Shkodër dhe fatkeqësisht ai vend ka mbetur në mëshirë të Zotit... Duhet rregulluar

[@Gwenzzzfrifz]

15:01 the cutest little kid ever

[@Maartentravels]

He was very nice!

[@alexodaini]

Nice video and informative

[@Maartentravels]

Thank you so much!

[@BİLALİ-c5f]

Lovely and Fantastic Traveler ❤

[@sequence_artist]

I'm sorry that the police were so impolite. Usually they are very respectful and helpful in Albania 👍

[@Maartentravels]

It was okay, maybe a misunderstanding.

[@ToniLixSim]

i left Shkodra 10 years ago :(

[@Maartentravels]

Why did you?

[@BRUNILDA_TERNOVA]

The doves do not have an owner, they belong to the city and are not used for games or anything else, they are free. The municipality built that little house to give the doves a shelter and there are several in the city and people feed them freely. Albania is not of Muslim majority, indeed the religion does not represent us and as a nation we don't care about it.. in our families we have people of different religions and this has been our strength for survival over the centuries. When the Turks invaded us, in Albanian families it happened that a member of the family pretended to convert to Islam - in this way he protected the entire wealth of the family and the tribe. This was a ploy to not pay taxes to the Turks or pay low taxes. That is, before the Turkish authorities they pretended to be Muslims when in reality they were Catholics, Orthodox. In Albania there are also Jews.

[@Maartentravels]

Thank you for the extra info!

[@ToniLixSim]

u will not see so many bicycles in any city in Albania, it is only Shkodra who use bicycles it is historic :D

[@Maartentravels]

I love it!

[@Mulmgott]

Shkodra is in the katholic majority area of northern Albania, the middle of the country is majority muslim and the very south mostly orthodox. Of course there is a lot of overlap in general. But you can generally divide it into these 3 zones. Also most people are very liberal when it comes to religion and most don't strictly adhere to their faith.

[@IllyrianMapper]

The fact that they overlap is very true, I’m a Muslim Albanian from Shkodër.

[@Maartentravels]

Thanks for pointing that out

[@SabrjnIsaja]

Hi am from London but my parents are from shkodra. It’s quite a nice city but most of the younger generation have left because of poverty and low wages

[@Maartentravels]

That's a pity. Where did they go?

[@SabrjnIsaja]

@@Maartentravels they left Albania around 1998 and I was born in 2000 and we lived the rest of our lives in London since then

[@SabrjnIsaja]

@@Maartentravels sorry do you mean where did the young people go abroad. Was that the question

[@Maartentravels]

Both 😁

[@Maartentravels]

I didn't expect to see so many cyclists 😳

[@tellallimedium]

It's called City of Bicycles during Communism

[@JayandSarah]

It is known as the city of bicycles.

[@darwinism14]

Shkodra is the city of bikes.

[@ardityt4819]

Im the guy with the 👍 at 8:08

[@Maartentravels]

I didn't even notice until now 😁

[@pxshka8597]

When you were there bro? In the summer or are you now there

[@Maartentravels]

September

[@danielcj13]

Do you know if there is any sunny days during february?

[@censura1210]

​@@danielcj13lots of sunny days in February here. Albania has in average about 300 sunny days a year.

[@albaberberi6020]

​@@danielcj13Otherwise, in Shkodër mainly from October to April there are many rainy days.

[@MrObeytok]

Albania is not a Muslim country, mostly agnostic, very few people practice the religion or have read the Quran or been inside a mosque

[@eaglempire_mapper]

59% are Muslims, 38% Christians, and 3% atheists or agonists.

[@eaglempire_mapper]

Most Albanians, Muslims or Christian are secular (they don't include religion in their work or everyday life, it's just a personal choice), but that doesn't mean that they are atheists. Most Albanians accept the existence of God.

[@MrObeytok]

How many Albanians have read the Koran or the bible? Who goes to the mosque or church? less than 10% @@eaglempire_mapper

[@Enimo17]

Very secular and modern open society

[@user-irj1nxa3cof2z]

Albanians are atheists. Doesn’t the video show you just that ?? You’re more likely to encounter more Muslims in Western Europe than Albania. Albania itself is older than Christianity itself lol

[@JayandSarah]

The police don't want you filming them, that is the problem there. Pretty obvious.

[@eaglempire_mapper]

They maybe didn't want to be caught on camera, it's common😅

[@censura1210]

If you'd go just less than a mile in the direction you were going, after that bridge you'd go in Shiroka, which I think you'd love the place there. It's a quiet place but with full view to the lake. Where you played with that kid is the roma community village, that's why it's less urbanized and very different than the city itself 😂

[@Maartentravels]

Sounds nice! Thanks you

[@tellallimedium]

Thank you! Nothing 😅😅😅😅

[@BRUNILDA_TERNOVA]

Kushedi ku e ka "mesuar" anglishten .. duhet te thoshte "You are Wellcome"..

[@PLASMAGRANDAUTO]

Shkodra

[@SS-lj9gz]

Must be Skadar, old Serbian town.

[@eaglempire_mapper]

It was never Serbian. Shkodra, the third oldest city in Albania, created in 400BC by the Illyrians

[@eaglempire_mapper]

​@@SS-lj9gzIt's also the cradle of Albanian culture

[@nebifejzoski8556]

You luck like Gabriel the traveler

[@Maartentravels]

I don't know him but I hope it's a nice person :D

[@StreamLabs34]

Brother please come Bangladesh if it's possible. Hope you will pass some good time 😊❤❤ Also you will have some Bangladeshi kind Followers like me 😁🤗 🇧🇩

[@NewYorkGirl88]

🙏🏼🇦🇱🇺🇸💪👍👋🙏🏼🇦🇱🇦🇱🇦🇱

[@user-irj1nxa3cof2z]

Albania isn’t Muslim country lmao . Albania itself is older than Christianity and any other religion that has ever existed. Islam is part of Albania just because we were conquered by ottomans which we had to fight them ALONE since Western Europeans were terrified to come and help 😇… Just like they are to help Ukraine against Orthodox conquers … Uh oh if it wasn’t for Albanians (Gjergj Kastrioti and our Military alliance League of Lezhe) ottomans would have been German’s neighbors

[@sotirangelovski4080]

I know about the polish people fought the ottomans and stop them from spreading across the Europe, didn’t know that about Albanians did the same thing, this has to be the greatest country in the earth

[@user-irj1nxa3cof2z]

@@sotirangelovski4080 Check battle of Albulena 🇦🇱8k VS 80.000k🇹🇷 .. We were always outnumbered by huge numbers and still won. We gained west 25 precious years of time to prepare against a foreign invasion, when west left in the mercy of the fate

[@eaglempire_mapper]

​​@@sotirangelovski4080Albanians did it before the Polish. After Skanderbeg died we got conquered unfortunately

[@jamsaanich4993]

I just found your channel. I like your style. Stop using "Guys" to address everybody. Be original. Guys is so overused, impersonal, and lame ass contrived. Be original. Come up with your own trademark greeting and how you address your audience. Stand out from the crowd.

[@Maartentravels]

I'll try thank you. But I don't plan what I'm saying

[@robbyroman4119]

I dont understand is it the 2th biggest city or the 5th

[@danielcj13]

Good video bro

[@Maartentravels]

Thank you Daniel!