Another border to cross as we set off on the four hour journey to Albania. One of the peculiar things we see are bunkers which are dotted all over the country. They were built by Enver Hoxha who was the communist dictator from 1945 to 1985. Hoxha feared that the USA or some of the neighboring countries would declare war and he wanted to be ready for them – it never happened!
We are overnighting in the rarely visited town of Berat which was lucky to escape destruction during communist times. It’s a small town, built into the side of a mountain on either side of a river.
Our hotel is very cute and situated in one of the small cobbled streets.
After a quick orientation and lunch (kebab 😋), we set off to explore this picturesque little town. The people of the Balkans love displaying their flags…. me doing the symbol of the double eagle on the Albanian flag:
Later in the afternoon we meet back up with our group and Bashkim, our guide, takes us to the fortress at the top of the hill. He explains the history of the town and shows us the letters NEVER that are etched into the side of another mountain. Apparently they used to read ENVER (the aforementioned dictator) and they were recently changed! Entrance to the fortress:
There are a number of old churches in the fortress grounds, this one being the best located:
A couple of other older churches (all Orthodox) have some interesting frescoes and we are able to take photos as they’re no longer working churches:
There are fantastic views from the top of the mountains and the town…
In the evening we enjoy a traditional Balkan dinner with our group. Our guide orders a variety of dishes so we can sample everything and we also try some locally produced wine. It’s all really tasty, in particular a dish called chomlek (a type of pork stew) and the roasted cheese….. so tasty! The wine is really good too. After dinner we take a walk on the promenade which is a pedestrian area full of bars and restaurants.
Next day after breakfast, we transfer to Tirana, the capital of Albania. The journey takes approx. three and a half hours. On arrival, we embark on a guided tour to get our bearings for the next couple of days. Although Tirana is the capital and the biggest city, it’s still small and compact, and has architectural influences from Italy and Turkey. Recently many buildings have been painted to alleviate the Soviet block feeling that pervaded.
It has a huge main square which is mostly empty but has water sprinklers that are not turned on as it’s not that warm yet. A large statue of a man on a horse (this seems to be a common theme in the balkans) stands opposite the historical museum which has a great mural on the front
We visit a museum called Bunkart 2 which details the history of the police in Albania and the role they played during the communist era. It’s housed in a bunker (hence the name) but there’s not much art. It’s interesting but dull and somewhat depressing!
Next morning we take a half-day trip to the mountain village and former Albanian capital of Kruja. On the way we drive through another village that has a statue of George W Bush, a bakery named George W Bush and a cafe with a seat no one is allowed to sit in since the president sat here when he visited in 2007. The Albanian people have a strong connection to the USA as they were a big support when moving from a communist country to a democracy. A major outcome from the US visit was Albania joining NATO in 2008.
We visit to the ethnographical museum housed inside the fortress and learn about how the Albanian people lived.
Also within the fortress walls is the history museum where we learn about Skanderbeg – the national hero of Albania. He was educated in Istanbul and fought for the Ottoman empire but ultimately ended up fighting against the Ottomons for Albanian independence. (he was the guy on the horse in the main square)
We return to Tirana in the early afternoon so have plenty of time to discover more of the city. First it’s time for lunch though and we really want to try the local burek. We’ve had plenty of cheese and spinach versions but today we get a meat slice.. it’s fantastic and I’m happy in my belly! We check out the abandoned “Pyramid of Tirana” which was originally built as a museum to Enver Hoxha but now sits derelict as a reminder of that time.
We continue to find statues of Momma T., this one outside the main catholic cathedral.
In very close proximity you can see Orthodox and Catholic Churches side by side with mosques… the Albanian people pride themselves on living in religious harmony. Apparently in the last census, well over 50% of the population identified as Muslims but of those 90% had never been to a mosque. They don’t take religion too serious in this country.
We visit the National art gallery and see some very peculiar modern art but then some really interesting paintings from the communist era
Around the back outside the building there are statues of Lenin, Stalin and Hoxha
I needed a visual on this Hoxha guy:
Our last museum to visit is called The House of Leaves or the Surveillance Museum and it’s another dark tale of how the regime bugged residents homes, spied on visitors and nationals and interrogated and tortured those who were anti-communist. Gonna need a beer after this place…
Tonight we are supposed to have a team dinner but the restaurant is close to the prime minister home and there is a big protest happening this evening so it’s been cancelled. Our guide tells us we are not allowed to go near the area as it could turn nasty.. sounds a bit ominous so of course we comply and make sure we are nowhere near by going for a few beers and some food near out hotel. It’s all kicking off just a few streets away though and we can hear some shouting. Although it didn’t get too out of hand apparently tear gas was fired!! We watched a bit of coverage on the news but couldn’t understand anything they were saying!
The last town in Albania that we get to visit is an ancient city called Shkoder, on our way out of the country the next morning. Shkoder is one of the oldest cities in Europe and now the main commercial centre and largest town of northern Albania. We check out the fortress which again overlooks the town (just like the many fortresses we’ve seen)…
It’s raining when we arrive into the town centre so we don our raincoats and venture through the wet streets. We visit a the Marubi National Museum of Photography which tells the history of a local man Pietro Marubi and the legacy of his photo studio. The photos are amazing….
We have a group lunch in a very fancy building which apparently was the family home of mother Teresa‘s mother and sister for years until they were kicked out when communism arrived. Mt. T came from a very wealthy family. After lunch we are back on the bus and driving to our next country – Montenegro.
odohertyelaine 