Long weekend in Albania

Old Oct 16th, 2017, 07:02 AM
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Long weekend in Albania

The purpose of this trip was basically to spend time with Albanian friends whose daughter was getting married, so we were not on a full fledge tourist mission to see everything available as "family time" was more important.

We arrived on Turkish airlines to very slow immigration counters., but finally got through and collected our luggage. Our friends were waiting for us and the others on our flight also coming to the wedding.

Taxis were arranged for all. The company charges 20E to the city but they gave us a card for the return trip for 8E ( 1,000 LEK). The airport is not far from the city but traffic seems very congested as there are no ring roads and everyone is funneled to roundabouts leading into the city and crossroads. Your hotel will tell you how much time you need but from where we were staying I would count on 40 minutes, but you may be there in 20.

We were booked in at the Plaza Hotel, which is really really nice. I had made other arrangements but everyone else was staying here and the family wanted us all to be in the same hotel, so this is where we stayed. I am so glad we did.

http://www.plazatirana.com

The wedding reception was also there. The breakfast was excellent and you could order things from the grill, etc. if you didn't fancy what was presented ( pancakes and omelets to order, among other things)

The next day we had a private tour van for our small group to go to Kruje, the closest historic town to Tirana. You can read up on it here

http://www.albca.com/albania/kruje.html

We had lunch at the Panorama restaurant. http://hotelpanoramakruje.com/restaurant/

The food was excellent. I think our hosts ordered every typical dish there was so we could try everything. Soups, lamb and cheese breads are all amazing, as is the freshness of the greens and salads. I am sure you will find the Albanian food tasty.

It takes the full day to tour this area if you have a guide at both museums as there are lots of historic details/wars, invasions, conquests to understand. We enjoyed Skanderbeg's history and also the in tact home of a wealthy towns person that has been kept true to the times in good condition.

Our guide with the van was not really good at all but the ones in the museums were tops.

Basic English was spoken by most servers in all the restaurants we were in but then again they were not small, local places, but attached to the hotel in Kruje and very nice hunting lodge place in Tirana. But I do think that not knowing the language here is not a huge problem. The people are VERY hospitable and welcoming.
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Old Oct 16th, 2017, 07:02 AM
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moe later...
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Old Oct 16th, 2017, 07:22 AM
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Ohh this looks interesting lincasanova. We have friends who are Albanian, extremely hospitable people, and they tell us Albania is a great country to visit.
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Old Oct 16th, 2017, 07:36 AM
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ttt
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Old Oct 16th, 2017, 08:25 AM
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I don't know anything about Albania so am looking forward to the rest of your trip report. Thanks!
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Old Oct 16th, 2017, 12:38 PM
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We did not see a lot of the country but from what we did see and from the short history lessons we heard, the Albanians are a very resistant people. There are over 80 political parties but the government passes from the two major parties, Socialists and Democratic every 8 years. Terms are 4 years but usually the same party is given a second chance so is in for the 8. A typical salary is about 300E / month. Gasoline was about $5 a gallon, ($1,25 Liter). Cappuccino about 1E.. a hairbrush I bought ( really lousy brush) was about 3E... and name brands in the malls are the same as in Europe.

The newer architecture is quite striking. TIRANA is not an OLD city so don't expect a large, quaint historic old town.

They use a lot of colorful lights at night. For example, all the stoplight poles along the major central streets inTirana have little red or yellow or green lights attached to the length of the light post that change with the stoplight itself.. They also use beautiful blue lights inside arches at the huge university building, which is quite impressive at night, too.

Would I have this on my bucket list before Prague, Budapest, Dresden?

No, but it is special to be in a country so little is commented about in your circle of friends, and that one feels so ignorant about in general, and then to see everyday life continue very similarly as to anywhere around the Mediterranean: Good food.. lots of smokers outside the buildings, large shopping malls, attractive young people, energetic deliverymen everywhere.. cheap beer....It definitely merits more than a short stay in Tirana and a visit to Kruje.

I understand the coastline is spectacular and North into the mountains even more special villages.

We also felt the country must have a high level of technicians and university graduates. There are numerous European/ American institutions there and Albanians seem to love Americans, which is nice to know.

Our tour guide in the ethnic house in Kruje spoke 5 languages. and his English was perfect. I asked if he had lived in an English speaking country and he had not. I found this also in St P. Russia with a tour guide. She also had perfect English and had never set foot in an English speaking country. Their educational system, along with obviously excellent study habits is impressive, to say the least. The fellow was quite happy I complemented him so much on his language skills.

We did visit the National Museum that was full of the history of Albania and interestingly enough the repression and liberation, accords, agreements, pacts, deaths.. all well-documented. This is located in the huge square.. vast Soviet type architecture.. large, cold open spaces perfect for huge gatherings.

There is also Italian influenced architecture from the Mussolini's occupation .. and just when the Albanians were liberated from the Nazi's.. amidst celebrations.. the Russians moved in to top it off (until the 80's I believe.)

The Turkish influence can be felt and seen in the streets and restaurants and jewelry. Tirana feels more Middle Eastern than anything. Flashy silver jewelry and folkloric music that may remind you of Turkey.

Since we were attending a wedding, which by the way, was absolutely amazing, from the opulent flowers to the hours of dancing and food.

We really did not do much more than converse, eat and eat some more the last two days!

But it has whet our appetite to go back with much more time to enjoy the other places we have been told that we must see.. along the coast and in the mountains.

We brought back no souvenirs but I had bought some Baklava at a local bakery that was out of this world.

I'm sorry I am kind of all over the place with this spontaneous report. I'm just trying to get it done and really have nothing more than my wonderful memories to pull from. I tried to keep it more or less in order but some parts may not seem like a logical sequence.

For those who like to drive in Europe, I would not feel worried about driving here if you have driven in Italy. Some do drive horribly crossing solid no passing lines, etc.. but I am accustomed to driving in Europe and I think if I just follow the rules and keep a distance there should be no problem. There are buses that go absolutely everywhere in the country, and there is no good train system as it is so mountainous, so driving seems to be the preferred way to get around.
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Old Oct 16th, 2017, 12:55 PM
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There were several ATMs near our hotel so we just took money out once from there and used our credit card for large charges like the hotel and one of the restaurants.

We dined here the last night and it was excellent.. and pricey, but definitely worth a visit. The decor, the service and the food were very very good. During the day yo will be dining with diplomats from the nearby USA Embassy and others.

http://www.sofraeariut.com

Another afternoon we had a coffee and ice cream at the Panoramic Bar and restaurant. This is atop a hotel and slowly revolves. It was a very clear day so we got a good overview of the entire city. The hotel it pertains to is also considered a good hotel.

http://skyhotel-al.com/index-6.html

The first night we dined here.. beautiful different levels, several places to choose from.. outdoor/indoor dining.. fountains outside.. good food.. decent prices and excellent service

http://kompleksitaiwan.al/index.php/en/

I forgot to add that we visited the Mosque and the Orthodox Church.
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Old Oct 16th, 2017, 01:06 PM
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When you have time you will find the history of Skanderbeg fascinating. I am enjoying re-reading it now as there was so much to digest during the tour. I should have read up on the history of Albania before we went.. something I usually do, but for some reason, did not this time. Perhaps I was just more focused on seeing our friends than worrying about understanding the past of anything.

http://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/skanderbeg.html
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Old Oct 16th, 2017, 08:29 PM
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Thanks for this.
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Old Oct 16th, 2017, 10:06 PM
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Mrs Bilbo is thinking about flying into Corfu and catching a ferry into Albania with bicycles to tour around.

Thoughts?
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Old Oct 17th, 2017, 05:40 AM
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I didn't see any bike paths outside the city and we were only on a few roads.. so.. best to contact some bike club or maybe thorntree people. I have NO IDEA! Sorry!

I'm sure the coastline is beautiful.. and perhaps you can find good info on some page somewhere of how bike friendly the coast actually is.
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Old Oct 17th, 2017, 06:42 AM
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Nice to see someone else going to Albania!

bilbo - If you take the ferry from Corfu you will probably go to Saranda, not Tirane and I don't think cycling should be a problem there, but certainly not a country with bike paths.

For my trip to Albania start here (links at the top of the page):
https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...on-to-albania/

That was 2011, I suspect Tirane has progressed a good bit since then.

One caveat, Albania was never under Soviet control the way countries like Hungary were. Hoxha kept the country isolated from everybody.
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Old Oct 17th, 2017, 07:19 AM
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Thanks linca and and thursday
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