I spent a couple of days in Tirana and id some serious wandering because there is much to see and experience if you take the time to look. Biloku was active and vibrant every time I wandered through and there are plenty of places to eat and drink One place in particular is a pastry shop I stopped at late one night after looking in the window and decided everything looked good. One thing I love about Eastern Europe is food is prepared close to or at the time it's ordered so quite fresh. These little shops are a great place to grab a snack and enjoy yourself. So, I grabbed a cherry cheese cake, some coffee and watched the people wander by in the night. I learned quickly that there aren't a lot of English speakers in Tirana as everyone I spoke with was bit surprised when I met them. The woman working the counter was typical of what I experienced and had a look of surprise when I spoke to her, again the language and she must not hear English as a general rule which is to be expected.
But it's fun to see the expression when someone is surprised by the fact that I’m a foreigner as I think I do a great job of blending in wherever I go, that is if the cultural complexion isn’t significantly different to the west. After the cheesecake, I wandered back to my place for a good nights rest and to move my stuff to the new hotel I chose the previous day. In the morning I ate my continental breakfast, grabbed my things, hailed a cab and headed over to my new digs. This place was much nicer than the previous one and cost a bit more but it was closer to the bus stop which I’d be leaving from the next day. So, I checked in and unpacked. The desk clerk was friendly but that was the norm for my entire trip and I chatted for a bit. She gave me more pointers and I headed out into the city.
In my opinion you gain more when you walk and experience cultures on the ground rather than from a car and I'm able to cover large areas, walking the side streets, dropping in to the restaurants for a quick bite and trying to start the occasional conversation. Fun.
Towards evening I was on a street adjacent to statue in the city center and noticed one of the sidewalks had a center portion that was lit up and it led down a path so I followed it. I guess it was a way to create foot traffic though a restaurant and store area as that what the entire thing appeared to consist of but it was interesting wandering down the path to see where it led. I walked over to the bus stop to be sure I was in the right place and decided to grab a bit to eat. Another example of how the people treated me while I was there was when I tried to explain to the hostess what type of sandwich I was looking for but to no avail as nobody spoke any English. No problem though as someone appeared that spoke broken English and diligently tried to explain what it was I desired.
What came out was reasonable close but it was quite fun working out the problem with a small group of people all trying to be helpful. I just loved it. The Albanians were all great and after I ate I made my way back to the hotel and chatted with the desk clerk for several hours and went up to my room. In the morning I grabbed a bus and departed with some great memories.
The bus wound it’s way back the same roads and I snapped a bunch of pictures of the rolling landscape, buildings and people we passed along the way. The border experiencewas similar to the one I had when I arrived. The guard smiled when he saw my passport and walked right by. Hopefully when I return I’ll have more time to visit other cities and perhaps the beach and I expect I’ll enjoy it just as much.
Again, if you have the chance, visit Albania I don't think you'll be disappointed
Wizard of where
