Tirana - Capital of Albania

My introduction to Tirana, Albania was intoxicating. Literally. On the way out of the airport, I noticed colourful kiosks promoting local produce. A sales lady invited me to taste the beer. After hesitating slightly, I tried some pale ale that was excellent. Searching for it later in the city, I regretted not taking a picture of the brand. With my inhibitions lowered, I tasted local wines. The red from local Shesh i Zi grapes was the winner. 

Feeling nice and mellow, I walked towards the taxi stand and found randomly parked with drivers standing in groups chatting. Fully expecting to get ripped-off on the fare, I showed the hotel on my phone to a man sitting in his car. He said the fare would be €20. Since I had no idea, I handed him my suitcase and got into the BYD. My first ride in a Chinese Electric Vehicle was surprising comfortable. Driving off, the driver took my phone to add the hotel address on the GPS in his car. At the airport exit, I spotted a statue of Mother Teresa. This connection to my city of birth, Calcutta (now called Kolkata) made me feel good.

On the highway, I did a Google search and found a metered taxi would cost the same that the driver quoted. The well build road went through the country side with mountains in the distance before entering the outskirts of the city. The driver lost his way and entered a residential area where big, walled, well-kept houses had trees laden with red pomegranates and green oranges. After this confusion, I fully expected him to ask for more money, but he didn’t.

My hotel looked newly built, and I saw a lot of construction going on all over the city. 

That afternoon, I took another taxi to the city centre to join a free walking tour at Skanderbeg Square. A trained Ottoman military leader of Albanian descent, Skanderbeg used his knowledge of Ottoman war tactics, and held them back from Europe for 25 years during medieval times. 

The square is encircled by building from Ottoman, Communist and Modern era. Our guide pointed out the 18th century Et’hem Bay mosque, the Clock tower from 1822, the National Historical museum with a striking mural, the Bank of Tirana, the National flag, the Tirana international hotel and more. In communist times, the hotel was the tallest building in the city and meeting place for leaders. I saw the entrance to a underground tunnel, which reportedly snakes under the hotel. We walked past the Prime Minister’s office, the Orthodox Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ and a Pyramid ringed by cargo containers wherein companies offer technology education to youth. At St Paul’s Cathedral, I took a picture with Mother Teresa’s statue near an olive tree. As night fell, a small protest started in the Square, and everyone walked towards the Boulevard of the Martyrs of the Nation. 

The next day we rode a cable car to Mount Dajti National Park. Having heard horror stories of cable cars in general, I was reluctant to go on the ride. It didn’t help that I got into an argument with a tour operator and his group that cut the line. For €15 return trip, the ride turned out to be a bargain. 

I glided for 20 minutes up the mountain slopes and over the valleys to an altitude of 1,000 meters. The clear blue skies, amazing views and perfect temperature made it pleasant to walk in the National Park. I reached an empty restaurant on a mountain edge and sat by a window to eat chicken soup with local bread made from corn and yogurt. The view below stretched from the city till the Adriatic sea in the distance.  

In the evening, I visited the House of Leaves museum. In the Communist era it was the headquarters of the notorious National Intelligence Service. The German Gestapo was there during the World War 2. After the war it was the office for investigation of the Albanian communist party. Seeing the meticulously curated exhibits, I somewhat began to understand the life in Albania from 1944 to 1991 under the dictatorial communist regime. After that, I started to notice the domes of the bunkers everywhere, by the road side and in the hills. 175,000 bunkers of different sizes were built across the country, and most now looked abandoned. 

On the last day, I was introduced to ‘hide’. A small fruit that looks like a chestnut and tastes like an apple. I then visited the Bunk’Art 1 museum. It is a 5 storied anti-nuclear bunker built during the Cold War. It is accessed through a tunnel in the mountain. The door to enter is 8 feet thick and hidden in dense vegetation. Inside there are several rooms and halls with documents, pictures, and appliances used by the communist regime. It sheltered the political and military leadership and shows the technical collaborations with countries with similar systems. The preserved objects in one room had a musty smell, to help understand the living conditions. 

For dinner, I had delicious Chinese food cooked by an Albania chef. On the walk back to the hotel with a gelato, I saw people sitting and reading books in the Mother Teresa Square. What a monumental way to end a tour of a city with gentle people.