Tirana - where coexistence thrives in a modern city

Albania has a 55-60% majority Muslim population but what's interesting is that as you talk to people they are proud to believe in coexistence and respect to all religions. 

Here it truly doesn't matter what you practice as everyone simply gets along and there are just no issues between people. And most Albanians are very nice and interesting to talk to. 

But let's not forget their difficult past where after WWII, they became a communist country which ultimately isolated itself from the world. 

They cut ties with former Yugoslavia as there communism wasn't proper. Then with Russia because they thought Russia communism wasn't pure enough, then they allied with China until they also didn't agree with them. 

So until 1991, Albania was probably one of the most isolated countries in the world, akin to North Korea today. 

And this isolation came with the usual leaders paranoia, secret police, informants, death penalties, etc. 

Until 1991, people hardly knew about the rest of the world, to the point that they have never seen fruits like bananas or a Coca Cola.

A few people told me stories of how coca colas became a symbol and people use to put a can in their houses as a way of showing change. 

It's history is also complex as Albania, Kosovo and parts of Macedonia shares similar origins and roots but now they are three different countries. 

But what's striking is how modern Tirana has become. It's a city that works and what's impressive is the amount of construction happening everywhere in the city. 

Some of the sights to see are skanderberg square which is the main square (it's not flat so in the summer it can have water to cool off and roll down to the sides as temperatures can reach 45c), the small but cool old bazar, the mosque with it's very elebarotae decoration inside, the pryramid of Tirana, the clock tower, the Tirana castle which is really just a wall and inside you find restaurants and bars and of course bunkers. 

Talking about bunkers, which due to the communist regime paranoia they decided to build bunkers in every corner of the country for the imminent attack of Russia or America which never materialized...but propaganda is propaganda and it worked for a long time. 

Over 210,000 bunkers were supposed to be built and they managed to make over 170,000 of them in different shapes or forms as they had different types. 

But some of the most famous bunkers are now museums as Bunk art 1 and Bunk art 2.

Bunk art 1 (located very close to the Dajti cable car) is one of the largest bunkers as it was supposed to house the government and leaders in case of war and would be the central command of the country. 

This bunker has 5 levels and over 150 rooms. It's currently a very good museum with the history of Albania, particularly the communist period. Definitely worth a visit

The two other museums that provide further glimpse into the communist times are Bunkart 2 which is in the center of town and the Museum of house of leaves which is where the secret police operated and focuses on how surveillance was done on the population 

Personally I think that after seeing Bunkart 1, going to the other two are quite repetitive and not as good. 

And who doesn't like cable cars? Because Tirana has one and it takes you to the top of mount Djati from where one can get great panoramic views of the city. 

The ride is actually long of around 15 minutes as the cable car goes up and down and open all the way to the actual mountain. 

It's a pleasant ride. 

On top of the mountain there's a small amusement park, mini golf, a restaurant with spectacular views and the opportunity to do hiking in the park, there are ATVs, horses for hire and plenty of viewpoints. 

Time to hit the road!

PRACTICAL DETAILS

- Tirana is a very walkable city and easy to explore by foot but on any case there are taxis (most of them electric) almost everywhere and relatively cheap

- FOOD

Mullixhiu is one of Albania top restaurants and they do a tasting menu for 30 Eur. It was ok with a couple good dishes but nothing amazing and their service was below average 

Oda restaurant is a traditional Albanians restaurant including traditional music where the food was quite good (very focused on meat) and the restaurant is actually many rooms each closed so you share the room with 3 or 4 other tables. 

Bars

- the Blloku area is full of places to go to. My favorite for their very cool cocktails was Nouvelle Vague

Others include Radio bar, Kino, Hemingway.

As a side note the Blloku area was where the "elite" class of Feb communist regime and leaders lived and now it's the happening area of town.