I spent 6 days in Tirana, Albania at the Hilton Garden Inn. The hotel was located in a residential area that resembles those ‘work, eat, play’ areas. The apartments and restaurants appeared to be fairly new, while a few blocks further up the road you could see the older buildings that hadn’t received much care. And let me say, this is not just happening in Albania, I saw this in several other countries. It seems that most were concerned with newer hi-rises instead of maintaining the current housing structures. I see this as catering to the influx of foreigners. A little pressure washing would go a long way.
I visited the Skanderbeg Square, which is a huge space (about 40,000 square metres). One of the first things you notice is an unusual looking building in the shape of a face. Google indicates that it’s a large bust of the Albanian national hero, Skanderbeg. It’s a mixed-use building with residences, offices and retail.
In and around the square is also the opera house, national library, clock tower, the national historical museum, and a couple of other buildings. In front of the opera house were a couple of cafes. I decided to have lunch at one and ordered a club sandwich and a hot chocolate to keep me warm while sitting outside, like everyone else (Europeans love to sit outside, even when it’s a bit chilly). To my disappointment the sandwich came with the best looking meaty French fries. I was disappointed because I gave up potatoes for Lent. I said to myself, girl just have one! But I’m proud of myself for not having any. Then there was the hot chocolate. Let me preference this by saying, I’ve had hot chocolate in a couple of other European countries. However, I have NEVER had a literal cup of hot chocolate. I mean, a cup of hot melted chocolate!! It came with a spoon in it, and I could tell it was thick. I thought, give a stir to help bring up the liquid that’s hidden underneath. Nope… there was no liquid, just thick melted chocolate! I tried 2 spoons of it and just couldn’t. I’d rather just have a Hersey’s chocolate bar. Note to self… be careful what you ask for. (I’ve learned to ask if the hamburger meat is beef, because it’s not in Portugal… LOL)
I walked around the square for a bit and came upon a former nuclear bunker that was turned into a museum known as Bunk’Art 2. Bunk’Art 1 is located across town. The entrance to the museum was dome shaped and had pictures of victims of the Communist-era regime along the walls. The portraits serve as a memorial to those who suffered under surveillance and political repression (as per Google). There were steps leading down into the bunker, and me being the scary person that I am, said nah… not tah-day! This being the off season, there weren’t many people around. Had it been full of tourist coming and going into the bunker, I would have gone in.
I also got a chance to visit one of the city’s parks. The Grand Park of Tirana was located in an upscale residential neighborhood situated around a lake with great views of nature along the path. This is one of the things I miss… my daily 3 -4 mile walks in my neighborhood park, where I would decompress for the day.
My reason for visiting Albania wasn’t because it was on my list of places I must visit, but It was the warmest European country for my timeline of not arriving in Greece when it’s cold. I can handle cool weather, just not frigid cold. The weather has been in the low 60’s, but with the sun it’s much warmer. Wearing my jacket or sweatshirt was sufficient.
