Original subtitles

ELIZA DUSHKU: Dear Albania,

I'm Eliza Dushku,

an Albanian-Danish-American from Boston.

I've always been curious about you and fascinated by your mystery.

My grandparents immigrated to America by boat in the 1930s.

I never knew these grandparents.

They passed away before I was born.

I never had strong feelings of attachment to you...

...until now.

Growing up, I wasn't the only one

who didn't know very much about this once secluded country.

Before its communist government fell in 1991,

Albania was arguably the most isolated country in Europe.

Now, the borders are open

and the people are eager to welcome those who for so long were strangers.

Though only an hour by plane from Italy and Greece,

much of Albania remains virtually untouched by the masses.

From the sapphire beaches of the Ionian coast

and the ancient settlements of Apollonia, Berat and Butrint

to the energetic capital city Tirana,

Albania offers a lot for the curious traveler.

Off the grid, the Albanian Alps

preserve the fiercely independent spirit of the mountains.

It's a place with controversial stories of vigilante justice,

but also, where villagers warmly invite travelers into their homes.

It's a visit from a man named Fadil Berisha

that inspires my Albanian pilgrimage.

Fadil is not only a successful photographer,

he's also the ultimate Albanian ambassador,

uniting artists, singers and talents throughout the world

who share Albanian heritage,

urging us to discover our roots.

Fadil told me the land of my grandparents was calling for me.

And also, that Albanians considered me something of a hometown hero,

along with the likes of Jim Belushi,

and Mother Teresa.

It was time for me to dig deeper into my past.

So I gather my boys,

including my brother Nate...

It doesn't get better than this. I'm serious.

...and my friends, Rick...

-(SPEAKING ALBANIAN) -Yeah.

Say it with a little flair. (SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

Little European. Nice.

...Blerim...

(SPEAKS ALBANIAN)

-What does that mean? -I love Albania.

ELIZA: Ah. (SPEAKS ALBANIAN)

...and Fadil.

And we set out to canvass the country

from the coastlines to the highlands,

to meet the people and to explore this jewel of the Balkans.

We're visiting 15 Albanian cities in four different countries.

First stop, Tirana,

the capital of Albania,

home to Skanderbeg Square,

the city's main plaza named after the 15th century lord, Skanderbeg.

Since 1991, Tirana has been in transformation.

When we arrive, Skanderbeg Square is under construction

and Mayor Lulzim Basha shows me around the municipal buildings.

They say this is a boulevard without a city.

ELIZA: Mmm.

But it became a city with a beautiful boulevard.

So it's a lesson from, 80, 90 years ago.

Soon to be even more beautiful.

And a lesson we should incorporate in planning and building

Tirana of the 21st century.

So this is the, uh, Clock Tower, the symbol of the city.

It was recently restored

and Sulejman led the work for restoration.

-(GREETING IN ALBANIAN) -Nice to meet you.

SULEJMAN: The clock tower of Tirana

was built in the first years of 19th century,

1820.

ELIZA: I brushed up on my Albanian history

starting with our ancestors, the Illyrians.

LULZIM: Albanians are very ancient people.

More than 3,000 years ago we have the first traces of Illyrian civilization.

-Uh, pre-Roman civilization... -ELIZA: Mmm-hmm.

...which developed side to side with the Hellenic civilization.

You know, we're surrounded by Italy and Greece

and everybody knows these places.

Why has Albania had such a history

of not being recognized by the rest of the world?

It's true. Albania and Albanians have been at the center

of European history from the very beginning.

But, uh, as history developed,

the nation remained an orphan nation

and entangled in the big game of powers and empires

-that came and went. -Yeah.

LULZIM: Rome and Constantinople. Byzantium.

Later, the Ottoman empire.

And Albanians gave so much to these civilizations.

-And also took from them. -Mmm-hmm.

The big empires were responsible

for shading Albania away from the eyes of the rest of the world.

I mean, you said earlier

Albania has been an orphan country.

Indeed. Years and centuries of isolation

has left a mark on our history.

But it never harmed Albanian's unique, uh, hospitality.

Hospitality is the quintessential virtue of Albanians.

Sold.

ELIZA: My grandfather, on the eve of the First World War,

found his way to Boston.

Over the years, he kept in touch with his family in Albania through letters.

And my father and uncles held on to the addresses of these relatives

after he passed away.

In 1991, when the borders of Albania

were open to travelers for the first time in 45 years,

our father went to visit.

It was a moving experience,

both gratifying and shocking at the same time.

In Tirana, I got to meet for the first time,

my loving uncle, Anesti Dushku,

and his wonderful family.

I'll never forget the look of surprise and joy

when he answered my knock on their door.

Even though I had written to them months earlier,

they had not received my letter and were not expecting me.

Looking at Anesti standing at the open door

in a T-shirt and pajama bottoms

was as if I had aroused my own father.

The resemblances were remarkable

and I was much taken by surprise.

ELIZA: Anesti passed away the next year and we lost touch.

Hopefully, his daughter Elvira and her family

still live in Tirana.

All we have are two old addresses and a disconnected telephone number.

So our friend Agest, a local, helps us track them down.

(DOORBELL RINGING)

Our first attempt to ring a bell.

We came to the blind road, number 101, but the numbers have changed.

Some of them are marked on the wall, but those are the old numbers

and now there are new numbers,

and we rang a bell and a little old lady

said that she didn't recognize the name and they weren't here.

(SPEAKS ALBANIAN)

Do you know the Progri family? Elvira Progri?

(AGEST SPEAKING ENGLISH)

She said their father worked with Elvira's husband.

They used to work together for a long time.

Can you just wait for a second? I'll ask her now for sure where it is.

We have a lead.

(AGEST SPEAKING)

The house where they lived, now it's a tall building.

(INDISTINCT)

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

Does Fillota Progri live here?

His son lives here, but he lives in another building in a high rise.

Is his son in?

Flori, this boy is looking for you. Here, talk to him...

My name is Agest Kopellaj.

I have come with Eliza Dushku.

I believe you are relatives.

We are searching for your family, Fillota and Elvira,

but as luck would have it, we found you.

(MAN ON INTERCOM IN ALBANIAN)

Oh my God, are you kidding me? You are downstairs right now?

ELIZA: We find our second cousin Florian,

Anesti's grandson.

Because I didn't know there is someone...

ELIZA: He calls his sister Neli, and their mother Elvira.

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

Elvira shares with us the story of how her father Anesti

played matchmaker to our grandparents,

George and Villermini, from over 4,000 miles away.

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

(IN ENGLISH) The uncle Anesti now

was urging your grandfather to get married.

And the deal was not to just get married, but get married to an Albanian.

Thank you. Ah.

NELI: To get Albanian wife.

ELIZA: This is kind of strange.

Someone who had a girl that wanted to be married,

they would make beautiful picture of her

and give it to many people. They would present it.

ELIZA: Oh, wow.

So you pick a bride.

Yeah. Kind of.

So George picked our grandmother.

I don't know how many photographs were presented to him, but...

(ALL LAUGH)

They first met through photographs and then...

-She was in Korça? -NELI: She was in Korça.

She comes from good family...

So that's when George came back to Albania for Villermini.

NELI: She was the most beautiful girl of the house when she was raised.

FLORIAN: He liked her very much.

And for a short time, they lived in Korça in the same house

where Vanja and Aleksandra and Anesti...

Since that time they didn't come back.

ELIZA: We never knew that our grandparents met via the postal service.

They married in their hometown of Korça,

moved to the US together in the 1930s

and never returned to Albania again.

In need of a coffee, I meet up with Blerim in an area called The Block.

Why "Block" because

if you see left from you,

this building was from leader from Albania in communist time,

Enver Hoxha.

Everything was close.

In this area, from 1945 till, uh, 1991,

we have new buildings, new bars

and parties, I will show you

-maybe another time. -Yeah.

So, where are we gonna start out on this road trip?

The Albanian road trip?

What do you hope that we experience?

We have beautiful places.

I keep hearing so much about how beautiful the beaches are.

What's your favorite beach?

I love Durres for example.

Half an hour. It's very close to Tirana.

-So you can go in the morning... -Right.

...enjoy the sun,

5:00, back to Tirana, have a shower. Let's go and have fun.

Everybody moves fast in today's world.

EDI RAMA: We succeeded to go beyond the gray, uh,

dusty curtain that was practically blinding

the people and making them, uh,

be totally indifferent towards the community and, uh, society.

ELIZA: I head out to go shopping

at an Italian department store called Coin,

which opened in 2010 and carries brands like Valentino,

Guess and Albanian designer Mirela Nurçe.

Mirela is kind enough to show me some of her collection.

Will you show me some stuff?

-Will you maybe help me find a coat today? -Yes.

(CHUCKLES)

Love it.

(SPEAKS ALBANIAN)

Thank you.

I love you.

(LAUGHS)

ELIZA: Nate found out that there was a Dushku in the KF Tirana football team.

So we crashed their practice.

ELIZA: What's your name?

Eliza.

I see, I feel a resemblance. Yeah.

Oh, my gosh. I can't even believe this.

I've never met any other Dushkus in the world

that weren't my uncles.

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

WOMAN: (IN ENGLISH) He comes in America often,

but he hasn't seen you there, he says.

Four-one-one. Information. Call.

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

He wants to know if you can play with them.

-Soccer. -Absolutely.

ELIZA: Pass, pass.

(ELIZA GIGGLING)

(ELIZA CHEERS)

(PEOPLE CLAPPING)

ELIZA: Soccer has long been a pastime of Albanians.

And during the time of communism, soccer players were some of the very few

who were permitted to travel outside the country.

Even today, as Lorik Cana, captain of the Albanian national team

explained to me,

soccer is still a platform for connecting Albanians around the globe.

I think sport, like acting or modelling

or something to do with art,

when you wanna represent your country or the nation you come from,

it's an amazing ambassador of your country

and it's maybe a small thing for some people,

but for Albanians it means a lot.

It means that they have their own voice and people can listen.

And I try, wherever I play,

and I play in Lazio in Rome, to give a great image of our country.

-ELIZA: Absolutely. -I have some tattoo.

-You have an eagle? -Yeah.

ELIZA: That's beautiful.

-And, uh, it writes "Illyria" down here. -Uh-huh.

And Illyria is the name of our ancestors, the Illyrians.

Think that we deserve to tell people about what we were, what we are

and what we can give to the rest of the world.

We are a small nation, but we are proud to be Albanian

and we don't wanna be the best,

but, uh, we just wanna find our place.

ELIZA: It's time to hit the road for nearby Kruja.

Just like my dad... (BOSTON ACCENT) I love a good bargain.

(NORMAL ACCENT) So I stop by the outdoor bazaar

to look for some souvenirs.

Who doesn't love a good tchotchke?

These rugs... Ah, she's making the rugs in there.

Wow.

Sali Berisha.

It's present for you, miss. It is nice to meet with you.

I have my own Sali Berisha to drink coffee out of.

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

We head up the hill to Kruja Castle.

Home of the Skanderbeg museum

dedicated to Albania's revered national hero.

In the 1400s, the Ottomans ruled over the Albanian people.

Through sheer force of will, Skanderbeg,

an Albanian warrior serving in the Ottoman army,

secretly organized 300 Albanian soldiers

and seized the castle at Kruja.

Skanderbeg declared himself the avenger of the Albanians

and raised the red flag with the double-headed eagle.

He went on to defend his people against the Ottomans

for a quarter of a century,

creating the first unified Albanian nation.

Though after his death, the land would again fall to the Ottomans,

Skanderbeg is the ultimate founding father of Albania.

It would be 444 years

until Albania once again declared its independence

as a modern republic in 1912.

-(SPEAKING ALBANIAN) -WOMAN: (IN ENGLISH) As you can see,

these are the original walls of the castle.

Over there is Tirana, Durres,

and Montenegro.

ELIZA: The Ottomans weren't the only great empire

to leave their mark on Albania.

The Greeks and Romans also influenced many of the great structures

and amphitheaters as we see here in Apollonia,

which thrived in the Roman period

as a respected center of philosophy and learning

and was named in honor of the sun god, Apollo.

This is Lule.

She lives in the courtyard surrounding Santa Maria Church.

According to Fadil, she'll give us a tour if we buy her a steak.

Our guide and translator, Ani, gives us a tour of the ancient city.

ANI: This is Apollo, the sun god.

Here he represents a god that protects the animals and arts.

See, all the pictures in the frescoes, they don't have their eyes.

ELIZA: Why? ANI: It's superstition.

The people from this region believed that if they take the paint from the eyes,

put it in water and drink it, it's good for them.

They believed the eyes of the saints could help them get over their problems.

NATE: This is something else.

ANI: Yeah. Magnificent.

Apollonia was quite important

but even Augustus gave a special status to this city,

calling it a free city.

They didn't have to pay tax to Rome.

Do a lot of brides come up here?

ANI: Yeah. It's tradition.

I wanna be an Albanian bride. (LAUGHS)

ANI: Something they can remember for the rest of their lives.

ELIZA: Apparently, Apollonia is the destination for wedding photos.

NATE: And how many brides did you see?

This is our sixth.

From the sun god to the heavenly beaches,

Albania is a vacationer's paradise.

Its mix of hospitality, historical relics and scenic beauty

have earned it the title

of Lonely Planet's number one travel destination.

We hit the Albanian Riviera

which stretches from Vlora to Saranda.

We got Italy over there, Greece over there...

And the sun.

And then Fadil grabs his camera for an impromptu photo shoot.

-FADIL: Beautiful. -(SHUTTER CLICKING)

You look gorgeous.

This side. One second, one second.

Love that.

FADIL: Perfect. Move the hair. Yeah.

(LAUGHS)

Perfect. That's nice, that's nice, that's nice.

Gorgeous.

ELIZA: Back on the road, we make our way out of Vlora

and climb high into the Llogara Pass.

The winding alpine road

is one of the most panoramic routes of the Ionian coast,

where one can go hiking or even paragliding.

Air currents running through the pass

have caused certain trees to bend and contort.

Like the Pisha e Flamurit, or Flag Pine.

We see a bunch of beehives by the side of the road

and decide to take a pit stop.

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

This is fresh honey.

(IN ENGLISH) Is beekeeping an Albanian tradition?

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

It's been passed on through the family for many years.

FADIL: (IN ENGLISH) Albanian honey, watch out.

ELIZA: You want some honey, honey? FADIL: Oh, honey, honey, bunny.

FADIL: What's it taste like? Alcohol?

-It does taste like alcohol a little bit. -Vodka?

And this?

Propolis.

ELIZA: Propolis? Bee propolis.

FADIL: So you know about that? How come you know about that?

ELIZA: You can get it in protein shakes in LA.

Whoa!

-What is it like? -It's intense.

It made my whole tongue tingle.

-Really? -Taste it.

(CHUCKLES) That's some potent propolis right there.

How you do it? (LAUGHS)

No, I think really, it has a bitterness.

I'll take one. You got any money, honey?

-FADIL: Yeah, honey. -(ELIZA CHUCKLES)

ELIZA: Fresh local food is easy to find.

Albania shares a traditional Mediterranean diet with its neighbors.

You'll often find that lamb, fish, cheese, tomatoes,

yogurt, olives, honey, fruit and other delights

make up much of what fills the Albanian table.

We wind back down to the coast and nestle into the village of Dhërmi.

(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)

After our jam session, it was time for another adventure.

Fadil hires a boat and we zip out onto the Ionian sea

where concrete bunkers speckle the coastline

all built during the communist reign of Enver Hoxha

in preparation for a foreign invasion that never happened.

We pull into Gramata Bay,

a pirate cove where ships have anchored since antiquity.

Names and initials stamped on the steep rock faces

date back to the 4th century BC,

and include those of prominent historical figures such as Mark Anthony.

EDI: If you watch, uh, all the Mediterranean coast,

the Albanian side is still more intact

and there is still a very high potential of developing in a reasonable way.

Although it's not easy because the pressure

-of interest is very strong. -ELIZA: Sure.

But I think we can do something special,

uh, if we will be, uh, all

committed to develop by protecting.

ELIZA: At the southern border lie the ruins of Butrint.

An important settlement in Hellenistic times,

the peninsular city was a sanctuary

praising the Greek god of medicine, Asclepius.

ANI: This is the most important place in the ancient city, the temple.

These are legal documents written in stone.

When they would set a slave free, they would write it on stone.

He would be free forever.

It was a gift to the gods.

ANI: You're gonna like this. ELIZA: Ah.

This is the theater built in the 3rd century BC.

The first line of stones, you see, they have like, wider steps.

-ELIZA: Mmm-hmm. -The important people would sit there.

Like, shows that lasted for three or four hours...

-Maybe days. -Days... (CHUCKLES)

Look at the dramatic faces in the pillar.

NATE: This is where it all began.

This is where my roots must've come from.

(CHUCKLES) The drama.

(MOCK PANTING)

(ELIZA CHUCKLES)

Why you always got to play the village idiot?

(LAUGHS)

This is the beginnings.

Welcome.

ELIZA: During the Roman age, a basilica was built.

The whole floor of the cathedral

was covered by a beautiful mosaic.

A little remain, so we can appreciate it.

(ELIZA GASPS SOFTLY)

And you see the circles, they're continuous.

They represent eternity. They never end.

ELIZA: Yeah. What a treasure over here.

I feel something here.

Like the old, old heartbeat of the country.

Butrint and Apollonia were abandoned in the Middle Ages

after raids, earthquakes and flooding.

But one city in Albania has been continuously occupied for generations,

Berat.

Situated in central Albania,

it became an important citadel in the Middle Ages

and remains a city filled with inhabitants today.

As a result, its structures are remarkably well-maintained,

and the entire city is considered a UNESCO world heritage site.

Many people live in apartments sectioned off within the ancient bulwark.

In other words, some of Berat's apartments are over 1,500 years old.

And just around the corner here, we will reach the Cathedral of St. Mary.

The masterpiece here is the konostas.

Beautiful, hand-carved walnut

woods, gold-plated.

The icons are the master work of Onufri,

the famous Albanian painter.

The konostas has double-headed eagle in the center

representing Byzant and Rome. The unification of the two empires.

One empire, two heads.

NATE: We've heard many explanations about the double-headed eagle.

Church and State, east and west,

a myth about a bird dying and then another bird coming to rescue it.

-They're all true. (CHUCKLES) -NATE: All true?

ELIZA: We wander the areas around the castle

and see how life still courses through the old walled city.

He's got some fresh figs. Would you like to try them?

Ooh.

-ANI: They're very sweet. -(ELIZA SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

Look at that.

These are figs from the castle. He just picked them up, uh,

minutes ago or something.

Oh, my gosh. That is the sweetest...

-Wow. -They're very sweet.

...thing ever.

Mmm.

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

Bye.

What are they playing?

ANI: They're playing dominoes. ELIZA: Dominoes.

People still live in the castle for many generations now

and they're very well-known for their hospitality.

Like, inside these doors?

We could try.

If we knock on the door, I'm sure somebody will answer.

(GREETING IN ALBANIAN)

Eliza Dushku.

(SPEAKING ENGLISH)

-I'm Nate. Nice to meet you. -My brother.

ELIZA: Do you live here with family?

(ANI SPEAKS IN ALBANIAN)

ANI: She said that they've been here since 1930s.

Her husband was a tailor.

NATE: Could you ask her if we could take her portrait?

(ANI SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

ANI: Yes, you could. ELIZA: You're beautiful.

You're so beautiful.

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

ANI: (IN ENGLISH) Actually, you're not the first people

that want her photograph.

(SHUTTER CLICKS)

(SHUTTER CLICKS)

Are you, uh, engaged or married or anything like that?

I have a boyfriend. He comes to town on Friday.

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

(LAUGHS)

-Well, get it over with. -(LAUGHS)

What's the secret to having a successful and long marriage?

ANI: (TRANSLATING) One piece of advice my mother gave me, she said,

"When your husband comes home,

"better lunch be ready."

-(ELIZA LAUGHS) -You don't wanna start then.

NATE: Better lunch be ready? ELIZA: Okay.

I won't tell my boyfriend.

(LAUGHS)

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

ELIZA: Korça, the birthplace of our ancestors.

The sun shines a beautiful light on a quaint little city

where shepherds tending their flocks

still share hillsides with tiled rooftops.

This is where the heart and soul of the Dushku family lives.

ELIZA: Whee! You made it.

Here. I can't speak a lick.

I... Okay... The basics, okay...

-Po. -Po.

Po means "yes," but you shake your head "no."

-(LAUGHS) -What?

Po. What's "no"?

"No" is "Yo." You say "Yo" for "no."

That's all you need to know right now.

We have translators. They're pretty good.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

So Fadil, what part of, uh, Albania are you from?

The north and everybody's lighter, taller, blonder,

but they're the mountain men, so it's a whole another...

-NATE: What about the women? -Huh?

They're like mountain men too.

(LAUGHTER)

That's what they look like. They are.

Right? They're very strong and they're beautiful.

There's your byrek.

ELIZA: Ah. This is what my grandma made.

But my grandmother used to make this,

that was one of the main traditions she passed on

and she taught my mother how to make the spinach pie

with the filo dough.

We used to make it as kids and then on New Years',

we would put coins wrapped in tin foil

and we would put them into that.

And whoever got the coin, it was... Meant good luck.

Cheers.

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

ELIZA: It doesn't get any better than to stumble into Korça,

on the first night of Beer Fest,

one of the biggest festivals of its kind in the country,

until Korça's own, the illustrious Eli Fara,

begins a serenata and invites us on stage.

(SINGING IN ALBANIAN)

Just a short stop.

ELIZA: The next morning at our hotel,

we bump into Junik and Monika,

who say they're also our cousins.

It took a year for us to figure out how we're actually related.

Our great-grandfather, Vani, was orphaned at a young age

and raised by his uncle Pando,

whose great-great-grandchildren

are Junik and Monika.

It's so nice to finally meet you.

We've heard that we had family members in Korça.

Last night we were at the Beer Fest,

and some people would run up and say,

"Look at my driver's license, my identification.

"It says 'Dushku' on it. I'm your cousin."

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

ANI: If he's from Korça and he's Christian, he's your cousin.

(LAUGHING)

ELIZA: So our ancestors are Christian.

Christianity spread to Albania through Roman influence

and its historic churches reflect the early enactment of the religion.

However, today, Christianity is the second largest religion

after Islam.

In the 14th century, the Byzantine Empire's power waned

and the Ottomans turned Albania into a Muslim territory.

Upon achieving independence in 1912,

religion was systematically removed from national culture.

A solid precursor of the secular or neutral country that it is today.

During the communist reign of Enver Hoxha,

Albania became the only constitutionally atheist state in the world

from 1967 to 1990.

To Hoxha, perhaps religion was too much of a threat from the outside.

He was set on maintaining an Albania that was autonomous.

Hoxha outlawed all forms of religion,

and swiftly closed or repurposed churches and mosques,

some of which have been restored or reopened in the past 20 years,

including the oldest church in Korça.

Watch your head.

They said these frescoes are from 1390.

This is gorgeous.

(CLATTERING)

Oh, my gosh.

NATE: Wow... ELIZA: I have chills right now.

NATE: (SOFTLY) Do you feel a stillness in here?

I feel like my heart is beating so fast.

Wow...

ELIZA: The church of our grandparents.

ELIZA: Albania is not just a place, it is a people.

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

Today, over half of those that consider themselves Albanian

live outside the country.

About 3.2 million within Albania, 1.7 million in neighboring Kosovo,

700,000 in Macedonia to the east

and over a million more live across the globe.

Some in neighboring countries such as Montenegro, Greece, Italy and Germany,

and others in distant ones, from Australia to the US.

After the fall of communism in the early 1990s,

800,000 people fled the country,

nearly 20% of the Albanian population

and 45% of its academic and educated class.

And yet, Albanians maintain an identity without borders,

connecting more with their shared history.

The language, one of the oldest in western civilization,

is remarkably distinct,

showing no close affinity to any other surviving languages.

The largest use of it today

defines a territory that is often referred to as Ethnic Albania,

a region which continues to evolve from a history of disputed borders

that don't always reflect demographic realities.

Here, many ethnic groups live interspersed.

And so, we travel beyond the border

to visit Albanian cities in neighboring countries,

starting with Tetova,

in The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,

which declared its independence in 1991.

We visit The Painted Mosque,

built in 1438,

and rebuilt in 1833.

Over 30,000 eggs were used

to make the paints and glazes that adorn the mosque.

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

ELIZA: (IN ENGLISH) What about Masha Allah?

(ANI AND MAN SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

(IN ENGLISH) Like for example, somebody's wishing for something,

they say "Masha Allah," God willing.

ELIZA: Thank you for this.

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

ELIZA: Mother Teresa was born in Skopje, now the capital city of Macedonia.

She went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize,

and create a legacy of service to the poor and to those in need around the world.

Next, we tale a jaunt into the country of Kosovo.

The vibrant, youth-driven capital city of Pristina,

is where Fadil spent most of his childhood,

and is currently undergoing a cultural and political resurgence

since the Kosovo War came to an end in 1999.

We stop by Radio Television of Kosovo,

and are welcomed by a surprise visit from an old friend,

Tony Dovolani.

Tony Dovolani! (GASPS)

This is amazing.

I set this up with Fadil.

You did... Were you here?

No, I flew directly from Hollywood.

In fact, this is a very special place because before I came to United States,

I was born and raised in Pristina.

I didn't know that!

I know you were Albanian, but I never knew that.

Yes, actually, I'm a political refugee.

When the war started, my dad had to literally pick up his family and leave

because we were chased out of the country.

Oh, my gosh.

And this is the very stage where I started my dancing.

Literally, I used to dance on TV, when the TV Top 40,

I used to breakdance in the background when they were playing and all that, so...

So when I came to the United States, I seeked out dancing

and the rest is history, you know.

Won two world titles for America and...

Talk about saving my life.

America did not just save Kosovo, they saved my life too.

I had no idea, and so how often do you come back here?

I come here now twice a year.

-Twice a year? -Yeah.

What's it like? I mean, how much has it changed?

You know what's amazing is that you can see the happiness on people's faces.

They know this is a free country now.

They're not... They don't have to look over their shoulder.

They don't have to look down a gun barrel

in order to just walk across the street.

I remember being followed with a sniper to go get bread for my parents, so...

You know, to be able...

At first, when I arrived,

I have to be honest, I did have those feelings.

I had to look over my shoulder to see who is looking at me,

but when I met the first border patrol guy,

he said, "Welcome home" in Albanian.

(GREETING IN ALBANIAN)

It was the best words. I get goosebumps right now.

Tell me about Albanian or Kosovar dance.

-Is there a traditional dance? -Oh, there's...

-That's how I started. -That's how you started?

Yes. Folk dancing is Shota here in Pristina.

-Shota. -Yes.

How does the folk dance go?

The folk dance, you put your arms out to the side,

and the hands kind of move like this.

And then you move your feet like this.

One, two, there you go. One, two.

ELIZA: As we say goodbye to Kosovo,

Tony decides to ride with us back into Albania

into the northern region of Tropoja.

At the border, our local hosts and most of the village

have come down from the highlands to greet us.

(FOLK MUSIC PLAYING)

(TONY SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

ELIZA: And up the mountain we go following the crystal clear Valbona River

all the way to the picturesque village of Valbona.

(FOLK MUSIC PLAYING)

We are welcomed by rhapsodes, or singing poets,

that create multi-voice songs known as kung,

which weave together history and current events.

Their instruments date back over a thousand years,

including the two-stringed çiftelia.

(STRUMMING)

(SINGING IN ALBANIAN)

...Eliza Dushku

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

(SONG CONTINUES)

(INAUDIBLE)

(APPLAUSE)

-(MAN SPEAKING ALBANIAN) -Thank you so much.

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

MAN: (IN ENGLISH) Wrote this song just for her.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(MAN SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

(LAUGHING)

MAN: (IN ENGLISH) I love it.

Bravo! Very good!

(CLAPPING)

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN) Mmm.

It's perfect.

(LAUGHING)

Yeah, that was a first.

-(LAUGHTER) -I am blown away right now.

-(FOLK MUSIC PLAYING) -(APPLAUSE)

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

(IN ENGLISH) Long live the Dushkus.

ELIZA: We wake the next morning

and drive our cars right onto the Komani Lake ferry.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

It wasn't long before the car ferry became obsolete

as highways have now been built from Kosovo to the coast.

But a small passenger boat still makes the ride.

After we dock, we travel to the northern city of Shkoder,

home of Rozafa Castle, which dates back over 2,000 years

to the time of the Illyrians.

NATE: This is the oldest and the biggest castle in all of Albania.

The legend goes, they were trying to build the castle

and everything they would do

to build it by day, by night was ruined.

So, they went to the oracle

and the oracle told them that they had to sacrifice a young woman

-in order for the walls to stand. -Of course.

-(CHUCKLING) -So the three brothers were like,

"How do we choose which of our wives is gonna be sacrificed?"

So the three brothers said,

"Whichever wife of ours brings us lunch tomorrow

"is gonna be the one that goes into the wall."

So they made a pact that they wouldn't discuss with their wives

so it would be, you know, destiny who came.

And the two oldest brothers didn't keep their promise

and they went and told their wives not to come.

So the youngest brother,

his wife was the wife that came and brought the lunch.

And she said, "Well, I'm willing to make this sacrifice,

"but only if you put half of my body into the wall."

Because she was pregnant with a child

and she wanted to have one eye where she could see her son,

and one breast so she could nurse her son,

and one leg with which she could rock the cradle.

They made the deal and the castle was built.

I think downstairs there's a tunnel with lime

where they represent her breast milk.

And it symbolized the sacrifice that Albanians have made

for so many years, even all the way back to the Romans.

They would make sacrifices so that they were never kept

under someone else's rule.

And that they were free like the eagle.

The eagle, the double-headed eagle.

ELIZA: Across the border in Montenegro, we travel to the town of Ulcinj.

Once the pirate capital of the Adriatic,

the beach town is now the center of the Albanian community in Montenegro.

During the summer months, it becomes the getaway of choice

for Albanians and world travelers alike.

Cheers!

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

It's hopping. There are so many people!

(MUSIC PLAYING OVER LOUDSPEAKERS)

Bravo!

And now, we're going to a very good, very special place, there.

-The tower. -The tower.

-Kalaja e Ulqinit. -Kalaja e Ulqinit.

-Let's do it. -Let's go.

We're going off to the theater.

Ah, the theater in the tower?

The tower, yes.

ELIZA: Do you know where we're going?

-(LAUGHS) -Yes, of course!

-Straight and then... -Straight and then...

Left, then right.

ELIZA: Left or right? Left or right here.

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

Where am I now?

I am nowhere.

I am a nobody...

...who suffers for everything.

Your self-righteousness...

...your behavior.

You disgust me.

And not only me...

...everyone.

ELIZA: It's that voice that I recognize in so many Albanian artists.

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN) Oh my God.

Oh my God.

ELIZA: Opera star Ermonela Jaho shows a similar artistic conviction.

(OPERA MUSIC PLAYING)

(APPLAUSE)

I think maybe the dramatic roles for the Albanians

-are, you know, our strong point. -Mmm-hmm.

And so I gave something from the Albanian, that kind of passion,

because Traviata is a very romantic opera, really dramatic.

The sacrifices, the love and everything in this opera,

you have to give emotion because the music,

the art, it's the language of the heart.

So that's why the opera and the music exists.

We Albanian, we can do something really, really, really huge, really special.

ELIZA: Albanian opera legend Inva Mula

voiced the ethereal opera diva in the film, The Fifth Element.

Inva comes from a family of opera singers

and has been performing around the world for over a decade.

My family come from Korça.

I wanted to sing the beginning of a very nice song from Korça.

-ELIZA: Mmm. -Only for you.

(SINGING OPERA)

(APPLAUSE)

(INDISTINCT)

A gift for you.

ELIZA: On the other side of the musical spectrum,

Albania and Kosovo have many exciting pop artists

and a strong hip-hop movement that emerged from the tensions of the Kosovo War,

giving voice to a new breed of Albanian artists.

(SINGING IN ALBANIAN)

-(HIP-HOP MUSIC PLAYING) -(SINGING) It has becoming at your face

Ain't respect a thing, no man

Tell 'em bloodah

He be bleeding on his face I told him he don't listen

(RAPPING IN ALBANIAN)

(SINGING HIP-HOP IN ALBANIAN)

(RAPPING) Rappin' my game Get my skull to your real thing

We're livin' life on the fast lane

They know we good, they know we bad

They know we hood, me and my gang

(RAPPING IN ALBANIAN)

ELIZA: One of my favorite songs is called 1990.

A playful nod to a breakout year.

(SINGING IN ALBANIAN)

(SINGING IN ENGLISH) Baby so fair, fair, baby so fair, fair

(SINGING IN ALBANIAN)

(IN ENGLISH) Growing up here, it made me strong.

It made me real.

I'm surrounded by people that always tell the truth.

(CHUCKLES)

They don't care what you think, they always say it. (CHUCKLES)

Um, and I think growing up here made me a better artist.

ELIZA: Though Aurela's musical stylings

range from jazz to traditional Albanian songs to pop,

her work bears a continual mark of Albanian influence.

She shared with me about the song she performed

when she was chosen to represent Albania at the annual Eurovision song contest.

(SINGING)

I chose to go there with music that sounded Albanian.

To present my country in the best way I could.

And I couldn't have gone there in a better way,

because I was showing 43 other countries

that we have a music.

Even though we're a small country, we have a lot of passion here.

I wanted to put some Albanian, uh...

-Flair -Flair!

Right? So in my song I was saying...

(SINGING) I'm like an eagle in the open sky

I'll never land, I'm flying high

(SPEAKING) I wanted to put the eagle there. (CHUCKLING)

And of course, um, I dressed kind of like an eagle.

Everything on stage was made with the flair of the Albanian sound and...

-Nature, yeah. -I love that.

ELIZA: That Albanian pride that Aurela expressed,

that open-hearted, outspoken pride,

is certainly one of the people's defining qualities.

But the warmth and kindness of Albanians,

their hospitality,

made an even bigger impression on us.

We learned that many of these qualities stem from an Albanian code of honor

called "Besa".

Back in Tirana, we ask our cousins about it.

-FLORIAN: Oh, Besa. -Besa?

Have you heard of this book Besa or the word, "Besa"?

-FLORIAN: "Besa" means to... -To promise?

-FLORIAN: To promise. -Yeah.

Somebody gave us this book and it's about how Albania and Denmark

were the only two countries during World War II

that protected the Jews,

NELI: The Jewish. NATE: Oh, the Jews.

-We're very proud of... -We should be proud of it.

NELI: When it happened, it happened in Albania.

-They would hide the Jewish families... -Mmm-hmm.

...in the, um, basements of the houses.

They would not tell a word.

NATE: Or turn them in...

No way. No way.

Mmm-hmm. They were passed as Muslims. Muslims are locals.

So not Jewish.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

Was Besa mainly a Muslim thing or was Besa, all Albania's?

No, virtually all over Albania.

All over Albania?

(OVERLAPPING CHATTER)

NELI: Besa means,

I put myself in your hands.

I believe in what you say, I believe in Besa.

I trust you with my life.

I trust you with my...

-To a complete stranger... -To a complete stranger.

Or do you have to like meet them?

NELI: It doesn't have to be someone you know.

But how well do you have to know someone

before you would kill your own son to protect them.

NATE: It's a feeling.

ELIZA: Wow!

So if other people do respect me, they have to respect even you.

I'm very that way.

People always say I'm very protective of the people that are close to me.

-NELI: I'm sure that they feel it. -They're under my Besa.

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

FLORIAN: (IN ENGLISH) Albanians, through their actions,

show that they are faithful to somebody or to be trusted.

Because they're protecting somebody.

-Yeah, plus... -They covered somebody.

ELIZA: How do you reconcile this idea of Besa?

Of protecting a stranger who may have different beliefs,

while having such a strong sense of loyalty to one's own?

How can a country be both fiercely proud and incredibly nurturing of outsiders?

We're not, uh, close-minded people.

We are open-minded people. We love everything that's beautiful.

We love America, we love Japan, we love everything.

Right? But if you don't know where you come from,

you can't love nobody else, right?

ELIZA: Inside all of us is a desire to know where we came from.

That desire was at the heart

of why Albania was a place I wanted to get to know

(VIDEO PLAYING ON LAPTOP)

ELIZA: On the last day of our visit,

Neli unveiled a slideshow she had lovingly crafted

of old family photos.

We sat and watched faces go by.

Our grandparents, George and Villermini.

We saw, for the first time, the faces of our great-grandparents,

Jovann and Aleksandra.

Then, childhood photos of our uncles.

Nicholas, Victor, Charlie,

our father Philip, and his little sister Gloria.

In 1990, Albania's capital city Tirana had only one stoplight.

But now, the capital is a bustling hub of traffic.

This simple symbol reveals how Albanians have seized their destiny,

emerging from their isolated past with warmth, dignity and a hope

that opportunity will continue to flourish

not only outside of its borders, but also within them.

Our last bit of business in Tirana,

a meeting with the presiding prime minister,

Sali Berisha,

who presented me with more than just a parting gift.

(BOTH GREETING IN ALBANIAN)

-(CHUCKLING) -ELIZA: Thank you.

This trip has been beyond what we could've...

...imagined.

It is, the more you visit this country, the more you love it.

-ELIZA: Yes, absolutely. -Absolutely.

Now, this,

your Albanian passport.

Ah, with the photo from Vlora.

(BOTH CHUCKLING)

They spelled my name right and everything.

(CHUCKLING) This is great!

I'm so excited.

Yes, we'd love to come back.

-We're in the clouds. -NATE: Oh!

ANI: Whole city there.

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

(CHUCKLES) Long live Albania!

EDI: Our mysteries, our strength in this moment,

we wish to get lost amongst many big countries.

Being, uh, the last mystery

would help us, but we should do it in a way that,

uh, it's a mystery, but it's, um, possible to be accessed.

ELIZA: When I was a kid, our father taught us to say...

(SPEAKING ALBANIAN)

I realize now, it's one thing to say it,

it's another thing to mean it.

With all my love, Eliza.