Albania : Shkodër and Tirana

From Tuesday 16 November 2021 to Friday 19 November 2021

After being confronted with the impossibility of renting a car in Montenegro, we arrive in Albania prematurely. We are disappointed that our Montenegrin adventure ended this way, but we are also eager to discover Albania, about which we know very little.

Shkodër

Our first stop in Albania is Shkodër, known as the cultural capital of the country. It is also one of the oldest cities in Albania, with traces of occupation of the area dating back to the Bronze Age. We arrive in the middle of the afternoon, and we go directly to the hostel we have booked to drop our bags. And for the next two days, we will sleep in a dormitory (which I particularly dread after the bad experience of the dormitory in Zagreb, Croatia).

We go immediately to look for a SIM card and an ATM (most of the transactions are done in cash in Albania). We have then the free spirit to enjoy our walk in the city, even if we will not do much this evening because the night falls quickly. Finally, our night in the dormitory goes relatively well, Victor does not snore (almost)!

The next morning, we get up early to visit the fortress of Shkodër, called Rozafa Castle. We walk 45 minutes to reach it from the city center. Its ruins carry a lot of history and have known multiple conflicts (siege of the Serbs and Montenegrins during the first Balkan war in 1912-1913).

Albania is a land full of mystery and magic, with legends told from generation to generation. The legend of Rozafa Castle is one of the saddest, though interesting, that I have heard.

Once upon a time, there were three brothers married to three beautiful women who lived in northwest Albania. The three parties worked night and day, very hard, to build a castle to protect their town. But every time the work was completed, the walls of the castle fell down, without them knowing why. One day, they met an old man who told them that there was only one way to keep the castle walls from falling down: a sacrifice. And more specifically, the sacrifice of one of their wives, the first one who would bring breakfast to her husband the next morning. The brothers promise, for the sake of the castle and the town, not to tell anyone about the sacrifice, especially not their wife. Unfortunately, all did not go as planned and the two older brothers, once home, explained the situation to their wives. The younger brother, as promised, did not say a word. The next day, the brothers waited nervously for lunch. The two wives of the older brothers did not come to bring lunch, but Rozafa, the wife of the younger brother, came with a basket full of food. Her husband explained that she was going to be sacrificed and buried in the castle walls so that they could finish building the walls. Rozafa did not protest, accepting her fate on three conditions: the brothers would leave a hole for her right breast so that her newborn child could be fed, another hole for her right hand so that it could be caressed, and a final hole for her right foot so that she could move her cradle. The castle never collapsed again.

Of course, everyone sees in this legend the moral that they like. For my part, I chose to see in it the strength of women who sacrifice their lives for something greater.

Before returning to the city, we make a detour to what they call the Lead Mosque. Built during the Ottoman Empire, it takes its name from its domes, covered with lead. After suffering damage in the 1990s, its lead is gradually stolen. In 1916, during the First World War, the Austrian army permanently removed the lead remaining on the building.

After our lunch, we visit the Marubi Museum of Photography. We see the work of Pietro Marubi, Italian photographer, and his successors. You can also see his old equipment. Whole sections of the country's history are reconstructed through his photos.

We have dinner in a small restaurant, which was recommended to us by our host. The Albanians have the sense of service, in addition to our order, the waiter brings us a free steak and cheerfully refills Victor in Rakja at the end of the meal.

Tirana

Our next destination is Tirana, the capital of Albania. While a few years ago it was the place of communist power, grey and dull, it is now a lively and very colorful city.

We arrive in Tirana at the beginning of the day and we go directly to our accommodation. The place is not easy to find, because the GPS doesn't tell us the exact place, but rather the area in which the accommodation is located. A few minutes later, we are happy to discover our apartment. It is big and bright.

A washing machine and a snack later, here we are in the city center of Tirana, at the meeting point of the departure of our guided tour. We take time to call the embassy of France before beginning: we would like to know if it is possible to obtain a second dose of the vaccine against the COVID in Albania. The embassy tells us to get information from the vaccination centers, the guide tells us that the vaccines are reserved to Albanian citizens. He advises us to do it in Bulgaria (which is part of the EU) or in Serbia (which seems to vaccinate everyone). We don't know it yet, but this conversation marks the beginning of our vaccine epic.

Now it's time for the guided tour! Tirana is an interesting city, for its terrible history, but also for its impressive development since the end of the communist regime set up by the dictator Enver Hoxha in November 1944.

In 1991, when the communist regime fell, Albania was considered the poorest, most underdeveloped and most isolated country on the European continent, as a result of a policy of closure practiced for decades.

The guided tour begins at Skanderberg Square, where Kastrioti Skanderberg, Albania's national hero for his resistance to the Ottoman occupation, stands proudly on his horse. The architecture of this square, built subtly in the form of a pyramid, allows the summer to let a trickle of rainwater, which aims to cool the inhabitants in summer, when temperatures sometimes reach 45 degrees.

The old Mulla Bey mosque, at the end of the square, is uniquely decorated, which is why it escaped destruction during the great communist religious cleansing (destruction of religious buildings), because it was considered as part of the cultural heritage rather than a religious monument. Open to the public, it is the first mosque that we visit.

Just next door, the bell tower, initially built in the 19th century, has successively been destroyed and renovated, each time taking different heights and shapes. We owe its current shape to China, the last country to have renovated it.

We continue our way by passing by the old castle of Tirana, now fitted out with bars and trendy restaurants. It is also in this district that we see the most beautiful Christmas decorations.

We pass in front of "the pyramid" dedicated to the cult of the dictator Enver Hoxha, that his successor Ramiz Alia, made build to pay homage to him at his death. A true pyramid-shaped building dedicated to the apology of communism, it is currently closed to the public, due to restructuring. The city wishes to turn it into an educational center.

We continue our visit by the district named "Blloku", the block, because of its inaccessibility by the population during the communist period. Surrounded by huge concrete walls, this area was reserved for the homes of the leaders and their families. Outside the block was the Middle Ages, inside the block was a modern western society. The dictator Enver Hoxha had his villa built there in the 1970s. Today, only a few bunkers mark the entrance to the neighborhood. A piece of the Berlin Wall, donated by Germany, also shows the separation and suffering that walls can create.

The villa of Enver Hoxha, is regularly maintained by the city. The intention is to turn it into a museum in a few years, which is not very well perceived by the inhabitants of Tirana, who see it as a tribute to their executioner.

This district, completely emptied after the fall of the communist regime in 1991, is now home to the trendiest bars and restaurants in the city. Very quiet during the day, this area is completely transformed at night.

We finish our visit by the square Mother Theresa, the orthodox cathedral of the resurrection of Christ, and the catholic cathedral Saint Paul. The guide is very proud to explain to us, as the Albanians, that all the religions mix and accept each other, besides no war had for cause the religion on the territory.

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The next morning, we want to delve a little deeper into the dark period of communism in Albania. It is terribly difficult, but nevertheless, we feel that our understanding of the Albanian way of life can never be complete until we have immersed ourselves in the history of this country.

Bunk'art 1 seems to us the ideal place to perfect our knowledge and immerse ourselves in the terror lived by the Albanians during the communist regime from 1945 to 1991. Built secretly between 1972 and 1978, this huge structure was part of the plan to "bunkerize" the country. In total, 168 000 bunkers were built.

Bunk'art is a special structure, ordered by the government to protect the regime's elite, mainly in case of a nuclear attack. Dug 100 meters under the mountain, this bunker covers 2685m2 and is composed of 106 rooms spread over 5 floors. It is the dictator Enver Hoxha who decided to build it after a visit to North Korea in 1964. This shelter has known several training maneuvers, but was never really used, Albania has never experienced a nuclear attack.

In addition to visiting the architecture of the bunker, we learn in detail about the installation and fall of the communist regime in charge of the country and its impact on the way of life of the inhabitants. Some of the rooms, especially those presenting the system of repression of the citizens, are very moving.

After this visit which emptied us emotionally, we decide to approach the now colorful and alive side of the city. We walk from building to building to discover the multiple street-arts that color them. Because the Albanian Prime Minister is a big fan of art, there are some at every corner. We also discover some humorous drawings on the road signs which amuse us a lot.

In the evening, we go to the central square of the city. Tonight, a free show is provided by the local pop star, Arilena Ara. It's a real American-style hotness, with fireworks in honor of the anniversary of the liberation of Tirana.