Exploring Tirana, The Capital of Albania, Tirana, Albania

Kotor was lovely, albeit quick, and I’m now on a bus on my way to Tirana, Albania. I met a lovely couple at a cafe in Mostar who said they loved Tirana. I’m looking forward to lower prices, and discovering more about this part of the world.

Thankfully, this bus ride is uneventful, although we drive along some windy roads, high above the sea (the views are beautiful) and a couple of times, I notice there’s no side rail, and try to avert my gaze and think happy thoughts. As we get closer to Albania, the landscape becomes flat, and I’m happy to see some cows. The bus ends up momentarily delayed by a flock of sheep on the highway, and I have a chuckle. When we get off the bus it’s pandemonium. I’ve been warned about Albanian driving. We’re not even at a proper bus station, more like the back of some random warehouse. I have no idea how to find a cab. The bus driver sees me, starts speaking to a man, and somehow, I end up with a taxi driver to my hotel. He’s nice enough, and although the ride isn’t expensive, I have no idea if I paid too much.

My hotel is fine, though strange. It’s on a street behind a street, with only one way traffic, so a bit hard to find. My room has doors onto a kind of terrace, but, strangely, it’s accessible by anyone, and the view is a kind of depressing group of apartment buildings with laundry littered on their balconies. I decide to take a shower and go out for a walk. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).