2024 was the first time we visited any of the Balkan Countries. Our 2024 Balkan experience has so far been limited to the Western Balkans, countries on the region’s western edge, along the Adriatic coast.
After spending 3 weeks exploring Montenegro in November, it was time to move on to our next housesitting assignment in Rome Italy for a month over Christmas and New Year.
We decided to first visit Tirana Albania before heading to Rome for 3 reasons:
- We could get an inexpensive direct flight to Rome (something not available from Montenegro)
- We had friends hanging out in Tirana and wanted to catch up
- We had never been before!
So off we went!
Preconceptions of Albania
Having never been to Albania, I really did not know what we were going to experience.
When we mentioned we were going to Tirana many of our fellow travellers said – “You will love Tirana!”
I did have few rudimentary preconceptions of Albania. First of all, I had read the traffic in Tirana was notoriously crazy! Spoiler alert, I was not disappointed.
I also knew that Albania had experienced a repressive, isolationist, and paranoid form of communism – post second world war. I heard the leadership was kinda schitzo and had built thousands of bunkers all over the country in preparation for an imagined calamity in one shape or form.
I also knew that Mother Teresa hailed from this part of the world (well actually North Macedonia to be precise). I had preconceived images of little old Albanian women wandering around wearing babushkas.
That was it basically my thoughts about the place — traffic, communist era bunkers and Mother Teresa look a likes.
Helpful Albanian Phrases
Faleminderit — thank you
Përshëndetje. — hello
First Impressions of Albania – Riding the bus.
The drive from Prodgorica to Tirana should take 2.5 hours in theory. In practice it takes about four by bus. First the driver has to stop for fuel at the beginning of the trip, once all the passengers have been collected, rather than starting the journey with a full tank.
The border crossing between Montenegro and Albania was not exactly a model of efficiency. We had to get out in the rain to walk through the vehicle lanes to present our passports to exit Montenegro, before piling back in the bus only to have to do it again to enter Albania.
Once in Albania our driver exercised the option of stopping on the side of the road, to pick up some live fish. The catch had to be gutted, cleaned and bagged, before the drivers dinner was lovingly placed into the back with our luggage.
Then there was the 25 minute road side stop (smoke break) one half hour before we were to arrive in Tirana. We figure the establishment was owned the by the driver’s relatives.
The things we saw along the side of the road as we drove by just seemed out of place. The first was a house, with a small van perched on top of the unfinished second floor of the building.
There were the huge Greek styled palaces in the middle of nowhere. These places stood in contrast to the general utilitarian building styles you see out in the country side. We figure these weird buildings are most likely casinos (or possibly brothels?)
The highway traffic was such that I am constantly thinking ” am I going to witness an accident today?”
Aggressive overtaking is common place, and there are many road side shrines that would indicate that vehicular fatalities do occur here, luckily our driver was experienced, attentive and did not take crazy risks with our lives.
Other images that stuck were the colourful roadside fruit and veg stands, the country side was a bit trashy in spots and the “Kastrati” branded gas stations. Kastrati apparently is a historical Albanian tribe from near Lake Shkodra. I was thinking if you bought gas there you would end up singing in a high-pitched voice – Kastrati not Castrati silly me!
Off to a Rocky Start in Tirana
Yvonne had booked a place to stay close to where our friends were. We usually like to book for a night or two, depending how late we are arriving then go from there. Yvonne booked for 2 nights in a place near the university and the US embassy.
We also like to communicate through Booking.com creating a record of conversation of our expectations / requirements. Our requirement for this stay was to have a full kitchen so we could cook for ourselves. That is not what we got, it had a two-ring burner, limited utensils and no sink.
The owner of the apartments was not present when we checked in, his mother showed us our room. Nënë was very sweet, but could not give us an apartment with a proper kitchen as we had requested. Apparently, our host was in hospital.
We asked it our host if we could move to one of the other rooms and he told us he was fully booked. However, when Yvonne started looking for something more suitable, according to Booking.com he did have other rooms available.
Therefore, we decided to get out as soon as possible and find a more appropriate apartment for the rest of our weeks stay. We found a bigger, better equipped apartment for less, booked it and advised our host. As nobody was in the building when we departed, we took a video of us putting the cash payment in the envelope for one night’s accommodation and placing under Nënë’s door – just in case.
Later that day we got a series of 9 WhatsApp messages, including a threat of being reported to the police for leaving a day early. I got the impression our host was frustrated by being in hospital. Or maybe he was is hospital because his attitude got him roughed up? Is Batman a transgender – who knows?
Elements of Aggressiveness
There is definitely an element of aggressiveness / ass-holiness in Tirana. Besides the run in with our first apartment host there are the aggressive drivers (and operators of anything that has wheels).
At about 6 am car horns start blaring in residential areas. Horns are not honked here – they are leaned into with alacrity. The blare is usually directed at drivers who block the road by double or triple parking. I can imagine the horns are actuated with one hand pulling on the wheel and the other pushing the horn, until muscle fatigue sets in and rest is required. It is not just usually one car, but groups of cars leaning on their horns in unison. No alarm clocks required here!
Then there are the daredevils on e- scooters and bicycles weaving through crowded pedestrian throughfares, sometimes at high very rates of speed. Apparently, driving motorcycles on sidewalks and bicycle lanes is perfectly ok as well.
Pro advice: As a pedestrian don’t forget to shoulder check when changing direction on a sidewalk.
Our Personal Introduction
We did meet up with our Kiwi/Australian friends who had been in Tirana for almost a month. They gave us an excellent orientation of central Tirana pointing out the following:
Skanderbeg Square the wide-open main plaza in the centre of Tirana.
The Blloku District: the once secretive enclave for the Communist elites. This trendy area is next to the super funky Air Albania stadium / Mariott hotel
Bunk’art 2 Near Skanderbeg Square a unique Albanian history museum, inside a preserved, Communist-era nuclear pit bunker.
The Grand Park of Tirana and its artificial lake, is a wonderful place to get away from the bustle of Tirana. We were introduced to a Café in the park with the most awesome hot chocolate to be found anywhere – it is like a melted chocolate bar in a cup.
Impressions of Tirana
Tirana is the capital and largest city of Albania, which is located in a valley rimmed by hills and mountains. This geographic feature is similar to Los Angles or Mexico City where air pollution gets trapped in a natural basin. We could see the thick brown air in December, I can only imagine what it is like in the heat of summer when you add a bit of ultra violet radiation to the mix.
Being a university town, the centre of Tirana is quite youthful, lively and energetic. The place has a bustling vibe with people socializing in cafes, bustling through the amazing fruit and vegetable markets, or strolling through parks.
The Café culture in Tirana is extremely vibrant and residents here embrace the urban lifestyle. Their love for coffee is served up in charming, social settings where you can chat with friends and watch very attractive, well-turned-out women displaying the latest fashions.
Smoking is almost as popular as the cafes themselves.
There are more mosques than in Montenegro and the speaker systems are functioning perfectly. You get the impression that religious tolerance is practiced here with equal representation by Mosques, Orthodox and Christian churches.
We did see some evidence of poverty in Tirana with a few beggars on the street – usually women with toddlers.
A nice surprise is how easy Tirana is on the pocket book. Compared to many European cities, Tirana is very budget-friendly without sacrificing quality. For example, a fully furnished apartment (with a kitchen and clothes washer) put us back 25 Euros a night.
Tirana felt very safe and welcoming, and it is really easy to get around by foot.
Funky Architecture
Tirana’s architecture is a coalescence of past and present. The eclectic mix is a symphony of styles, to say the least.
Many of the buildings here reflect past influences, ranging from Ottoman & Italian to stark communist concrete brutalist.
Tirana has recently been shedding its heavy, communist concrete skin, by embracing modern design with open arms. Multicoloured, sleek glass towers complete with innovative structures, are redefining the city’s look.
The result is an interesting hodge-podge which is fascinating, but at the same time rather chaotic (similar to my writing style perhaps?).
One thing you can say about Tirana’s architectural aesthetic, is that it is a blend of bold, charming, and quirky that gives you a sense of travelling through time.
Tirana Traffic
If a diplomatic person was to describe the traffic in Tirana they would probably say it was dynamic, spontaneous, combined with less rigid lane discipline than what most people are accustomed to.
Because I have a distinct lack of diplomacy, I would describe the traffic as fricking chaotic and a complete bloody free for all. There are random lane changes, bicycles, motor cycles, e-scooters and pedestrians all thrown into one giant traffic blender.
The food delivery guys are a complete menace to society. Wolt – yes I’m talking to you!
Turning in front of oncoming traffic and forcing others to jam on the binders is a common practice.
Pedestrian crossings may not always be respected, so caution is advised.
There is however, an underlying degree of courtesy lurking somewhere below the traffic chaos. Drivers do yield and let others in. The Albanians on the whole, do come across as really decent people.
Pro tip: Allow lots of extra time for getting around.
When visiting Tirana and you are chewing on the city’s lively traffic gristle – don’t grumble, give a little whistle. Embracing the traffic chaos is part of the experience!
Communism and Bunkers
I do have a piece of advice for anyone thinking of visiting Albania – please give serious consideration to versing yourself on recent Albanian history – especially the communist years from 1946 to 1991.
20th century history in Albania is as terrifying as todays Tirana traffic.
We took a tour of the Bunk’art 2 Near Skanderbeg Square. This is both a museum and a time capsule, housed in a massive underground nuclear bunker, originally built to protect the country’s elite. One feels the oppressive weight of history when walking through its stark, dimly lit, concrete halls and passageways.
The museum showcases a mix of personal stories, historical documents, photographs, and artifacts that explain:
- The role of the Sigurimi (secret police) in controlling and oppressing citizens. Also the role of citizens snitching on their fellow citizens to the Sigurimi.
- The human rights abuses, with accounts of political prisoners and executions.
- How the communist regime used propaganda and indoctrination to control information and the culture.
The museum gave me an insight into what happened in Communist Albania and thus a greater understanding and appreciation of the Albanian people.
Emerging from the bunker into the light modern Tirana is like entering a different world compared to the dark, oppressive atmosphere of the bunker below. This contrast can be seen a metaphor of modern Albania emerging from it’s communist/ totalitarian past.
An Example of Resilience
There are several countries we have visited in the past 2 years, that have garnered my admiration for its people. All of these countries, have experienced a brutal journey through the 20th Century, a recent history that has occurred during my lifetime.
- Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge regime between 1975 and 1979
- The carpet bombing of Laos during the Vietnam War, 1964-1973
- Albania with its communist rule between 1946 and 1991
In my rather simplistic world view, I think the people of these countries would have every right to be nasty and pissed off at the world, because of the trauma inflected upon them. Instead, each of these countries are full of people who are warm, genuine and are just getting on with life.
In my humble opinion, they are all examples of the resilience of the human spirit after being oppressed and brutalized.
Hard times would appear to create strong people.
The People of Tirana
The Albanian people we have interacted with, are welcoming and friendly. Just as long as wheels or hospitals were not involved.
Wonderful Hosts!
Many friends of ours who have travelled in Albania, have stories about how Albanian people have gone out of their way to help and make them feel welcome. We were told a story of a restaurant that fed our friends, even though the restaurant was ‘closed for business’. Because it was ‘closed for business’ the owners refused to accept any payment for the meal.
Our host at the second apartment was very obliging, helpful, and a pleasure to deal with. He rented us a wonderful apartment for a good rate and even arranged a taxi to the airport at “the local rate”.
Most of the eating and drinking establishments went out of their way to make us feel welcome – sometimes offering complementary Rakia – the local firewater.
The people are friendly and engaging compared to other parts of the Balkans we have visited. I believe you can learn a lot about a place by just walking down a street. In Tirana people are accommodating, they acknowledge you and might even smile at strangers. This is in direct contrast to Montenegro where they do not make eye contact or budge a frickin inch. You do not have to bounce off anyone here to get where you are going. In Montenegro, walking down the street was one big game of pedestrian chicken.
You hear many languages spoken in Tirana including Albanian and Italian. English is also very widely spoken. You definitely get a friendly appreciative smile when you say “Faleminderit” (probably because I had butchered the pronunciation into oblivion).
It is very plain to see that family is held in high regard in Albania. When walking around Tirana we often witnessed people attending to their elders with care and patience.
I also get the firm impression that Tirana is full of industrious and entrepreneurial people, people with moxy, who are looking and moving forward in a no-nonsense fashion.
There’s a Gangster Vibe Going On
Tirana also gives off a kind of gangster vibe.
Young men hang out in packs of 2 or 3 or as lone wolves. They are usually standing about at street corners or at intersections on the phone “doing the business”. Their uniforms usually consist of dark clothing – puffy jackets, hoodies, track suits and sneakers. Makes you wonder what’s really going down here?
I definitely get the feeling there is mafia activity in Tirana. For the supposedly poorest country in Europe, there are a lot of expensive, high-powered cars about. Hopped up Mercedes, Audis & BMWs are abundant, with the occasional Bentley thrown in for good measure.
Cash is king in Tirana! Many of the transactions we made were strictly cash only. The underground economy is thriving, as is the currency exchange business.
The Food – meh….
Based on our experience, the food in Tirana was nothing to write home about. The quality of food we were served was very hit and miss. The restaurants we were in, seemed to focus on meat, with a few restaurants serving grilled lamb roasted on a spit. The fresh produce is amazing, but none was to be had at any restaurant we ate at. Or maybe we just didn’t know what to order?
There are many bakeries full of yummy breads, cakes, baklava and byrek – a flaky pastry filled with ingredients like spinach, cheese, meat, or leeks.
I am sure we did not really give Albanian cuisine a fair shake – however being on the road a lot, means we do like to self cater whenever possible. The best food we had, was the food we cooked ourselves.
What really stood out for us were the fruit and vegetable stalls. The quality of the produce was amazing and reasonably priced. There are plenty of side walk vendors – literally selling goods and produce right off of the sidewalk.
The butchers and fish mongers also sold high quality, reasonably priced goods.
Olives and olive oil was plentiful and on display in industrial sized tubs and jugs
Overall Impressions
I was pleasantly surprised and somewhat charmed by Tirana. I found the city to be unpretentious, authentic, and full of character.
Tirana is a place full of contrasts, a blend of old and new, tradition and innovation. There is also a strong feeling of optimism and progress here. The city and its inhabitants project a friendly, vibrant vibe which at times is rather aggressive and chaotic, at the same time never really threatening.
Albania is probably my most favourite Balkan country we have visited thus far, a country that warrants a more in-depth exploration, both in Tirana and the rest of the country.
