To Tirana

Farewell Shkoder, it’s been fun. Since May 1st, Shkoder has been in festival mode, specifically, the flower festival. I’m not really sure what it’s about - maybe a celebration of spring? Anyway, the ‘walking street’ in the centre comes alive every night with live music and various displays, as well as locals frequenting the many outdoor bars and restaurants. It’s been a nice place to begin our Albanian journey.

Tirana too is surprising. The Albanian cities we have seen (well it’s only two so far), are very pedestrian and cyclist friendly - they have many pedestrian only streets and cycle paths and the cars are quick to stop for pedestrians.
Tirana appears to be going through a mad building phase and they seem to be trying to outdo each other for originality of design. Particularly impressive is a new building which overlooks Skanderbeg Square, the huge square which sits at Tirana’s heart. Skanderbeg is a hero to Albanians. In the sixteenth century, he led his armies to repel the Ottomans in more than a dozen battles, and it wasn’t till after his death that Turkish rule prevailed.
The building I’m speaking of has been designed to appear as a bust of Skanderbeg. I hadn’t read about this before I visited the square, but as soon as I saw the building, it was clear. Have a look at the picture attached. I think it’s amazing.Read more