Tirana
A day in Albania's capital
The country is positioning itself as one of the trendiest options for tourists looking for beaches at good prices.
The airport already evidences the trance in which it finds itself, wanting to leave the dust left by its past tyranny and prepare to become something bigger. But by then, everything was still very rustic.
On our way out, we were surprised by the number of car rental companies. It happens that this is the way tourists are choosing to get to the beaches, due to the lack of good public transportation.
We took the Luna shuttle that took us in half an hour straight to the center of the city. On the way we saw the transformation that is underway, a lot of cranes and excavators and modern skyscrapers being erected all over the place.
We knew that there were few attractions in the capital, but we wanted to see it even without the sun and sea option.
As we walked through its streets we liked the good energy we felt.
Its history tells of the domination by the Ottoman Empire until 1913; then it was taken over by Mussolini and Nazism in the 1940s.
Enver Doxha was the dictator who ruled it for four decades until his death in 1985. In the 90's democracy arrived, weak, with civil war: the State itself set up a ponzi scheme with almost the entire population. Another terrible fact was the number of dead, about two thousand, in combats against NATO.
Tiranë flourished in 1500, with the Turks. The center was paradoxically reborn with the Italian invasion, during the Second World War. Since the 90's the city has been trying to recover its identity, with infrastructure improvements and recovery of green spaces. Tourism, as detailed above, is in full development.
We started our tour along Murat Toptani Street towards the Tirana Castle, Kalaja e Tiranës. They are in fact fragments of the old defensive wall of 1800 finished destroyed by the Ottomans, now converted into a lively shopping.
Then we passed by the Namazgah Mosque, continuing to the Pyramid of Tirana. The sun was beating down, we made the effort and climbed to the top. It was built in 1988 as a mausoleum of the dictator Enver Doxha, but after his fall its destiny changed. It is a brutalist concrete structure. It is now a cultural center. During the Kosovo conflict in 1999, it served as a NATO base. For those who do not want to get tired, you can reach the beautiful bar at the top by elevator.
Then in Rinia Park we entered the work The Cloud, are the remains of an art installation that remained as a sculpture where young people gather.
We entered Bunk'Art 2, the anti-nuclear bunker converted into a history museum.
Next, Skënderbej Square, Sheshi Skënderbej, in honor of Sheshi Skënderbej, Prince Alexander who is the national hero of Albania.
In the National Historical Museum highlights the mosaic on its front, by several artists completed in 1981, symbolizing the history of Albania represented by a woman, the Motherland.
In the square stand the Mosque of Ethem Bey, from 1821 and the Clock Tower, Kulla e Sahatit, built by the same Ethem Bey.
It was around noon so we opted for a taste of the street food in the square at On The Run, some great hot dogs and beers!
The heat felt strong, so we decided to cool off at the hotel spa. We checked in at The Plaza. We were assigned a corner room on a high floor, with a fabulous view of the city and its mountains.
At sunset, we had a drink at the bar on the hotel's top floor, then strolled around the beautiful plaza and returned to the majestic hotel for dinner.
And so, enjoying the spectacular view offered by the Maritim The Plaza we bid farewell to up-and-coming Tirana.
