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. 

Durres - port city with plenty of history

Originally known as Epidamnos when the Greeks started this city in 7 BC and having been continuously habituated since then, it has been a major port through history. 

Not the most picturesque of places but maybe I just had luck but had an amazing sunset which was truly enjoyable and made prettier by the different statues by the beach.

I really had no idea what to expect but was surprised to learn and visit the different sites. 

Durres Castle or fortified city was built in the 5th century and been repaired and reinforced throughout history. 

1) the Venetian tower - key part of the fortress of the city and thought to have been built in the 15th century and a key point to defend the city as from here they had five openings for cannons as protection. It has been reconstructed after mother nature earthquake damaged it. If you visit it, they have a projection on the dome of the tower which tells the history of Durres.

2) The Roman amphitheatre - this one is impressive. Only discovered in 1966 by an archeologist who kept hearing people saying their pets will get lost into different places where they could hear their cats meow or dogs bark but never knew where they were. Well....they were going into the ruins underneath that had a pretty massive Roman amphitheatre. 

This is the largest amphitheatre in the Balkans and it's still in the process of been excavated and studied but it was a 4 story/level high with a capacity of 20,000 people. 

And there are houses still where the amphitheatre is which the government is buying so they can continue the archeological rebuild. 

The photo of the tunnel shows how one could go down multiple levels and to the chapel that was in the amphitheatre. 

3) the Roman baths. They are located under a government building which when they started building it under the communist regime they found this and hence built the structure in a way to preserve these Roman baths. 

If you didn't knew, the Romans were quite obsessed with cleanliness and hence they built Roman baths and aqueducts to bring water so they can be clean. What's impressive is that they knew how to have hot rooms (kind of saunas as they heated the rooms from below), had cold rooms and pools of different temperatures. 

The baths were also a gathering place and we're people would hang out and discuss business. 

To go into the Roman baths area which seems to be locked all the time (as from outside the fence just looks like some archeological remains....you need to go to the bar that's by the entrance and they keep the key to the lock. That way you can go down under the government building and see the Roman baths. 

And here are a few more photos of Durres and it's beach

PRACTICAL DETAILS 

- I had a guide called Joana which was truly fantastic and can pass her details if anyone ever makes it here. 

- Accomodation - not sure as I didn't stay here

- FOOD: 

Meison Bistro & Markata - one block from the promenade, they have a selection of fresh fish and seafood to choose what you want. 

Great food but with non existent service.

The promenade by the beach is full of restaurants all of them offering an extensive menu of everything from fish, steak, pasta, pizza, etc. 

I was told the four seasons restaurant is on the better side of most. 

- how to get to Durres

From Tirana it's only around 45 minutes by car. You can take a taxi or a bus