Përshëndetje from Tirana, Albania! 

Moving into the Balkans, I spent the last four days exploring the city and mountains while staying at Tirana Backpacker Hostel! I would highly recommend this stay as it was only about $22/night including free breakfast, and all the volunteers were very kind! The colorful hostel has a lovely garden with hammocks, an outdoor kitchen, a book exchange, and recommendations for things to do around the city. The other guests were all very friendly as well with a wider age range, so hearing about everyone’s travels and suggestions was very helpful! There was also an option for a cheap vegetarian dinner prepared by the volunteer staff every night. The rooms were air-conditioned and comfortable. 

The overall vibe of the hostel and city was different from the bustling places we had visited previously, but it was nice to take a slower approach to this trip. We learned more about the city and its history through a free, guided walking tour and spent much of our time walking around the city and its more popular sights. After learning about the country’s tough history through many hostile takeovers and more recently under a long communist dictatorship before finally becoming a democracy in the 1990s, we explored more historical sights in Tirana. We visited the House of Leaves, a previously used communist site for secret surveillance, serving as a headquarters with video and audio recording devices and maps displayed along with more historical videos and information spread out through 32 rooms. Entrance was 700 lek (around $7.50), and we spent about two hours there. We also climbed the pyramid steps to see a full view of the city and surrounding mountains. Some previous sights such as the castle on ‘the most beautiful street’ had been destroyed during communist ruling, and there was a lot of new hostels/skyscrapers and construction around the town. They were easily seen as they were very tall and seemed slightly out of place, cutting into the beautiful view of the mountains but showcasing the country’s growing tourist popularity. 

Albanian currency, lek, converts to about 97 lek to 1 euro or 100 lek for $1.07 and everything was pretty cheap regarding transport, food, and activities. Meals were between $2-6 for full meals at typical restaurants, with higher prices in the airport or at nicer restaurants for drinks and nicer meats. Albanians have a lot of Italian influence, so coffee and pizza were plentiful, and having a coffee while sitting outside for over an hour talking to neighbors or alone is very common. The food was very good and again seemed less processed/fatty than a typical meal in the US. Something I am still getting used to is simply walking up to/into a restaurant and sitting down wherever, and the wait for food is definitely a lot longer and no one ever seems to be in a rush. Most places (especially restaurants) only accept cash, although some that took cash accepted euros or lek as the conversion rate is almost equivalent. 

Another thing to note was the language, with the main language being Albanian. Not everyone spoke English, making some conversations a bit more difficult. Italian was also spoken more than I expected. In the main square, I did see other tourists on tours occasionally, but for the most part, I was surrounded mainly by locals when outside the hostel. Albania does have around a 60% Muslim population, and while it is not required, dressing more modestly (longer shorts, tucked-in/longer shirts) is better accepted. For transportation, there are buses around Skanderbeg Square (100 lek) and others to and from the airport (400 lek). those going further into the mountains and outside of the cities are more unreliable, however, and don’t have a specific schedule. 

On our last full day, we paid 25 euros ($26.88) for a full-day hiking tour to the mountains for just me and my sister. Our guide, Matt, was very kind and brought us from Tirana to Palumbas (northern Albania) where the sister hostel marked the beginning of our trail. We hiked to a cave that was about 500 meters deep, and made of high limestone arches. Although slippery, we made it to the end where the bats were gathered in the far top of the cave. We turned our flashlights off for a moment to hear them and were fully immersed in the dark. It was a lot more peaceful than I was expecting, and when we left we made our way down to a very steep and skinny trail to a river. There was thick clay covering the bottoms and all the stones, and the water was shockingly cold, but the sight was breathtaking. The river split the high layers of the mountain and continued downwards, and we ended up moving down into the sun and sandier space to the side. After staying by the river for about two hours, it took another hour to hike back up into the town where we had lunch. The entire trip took from 6 am to 8 pm by the time we made it back (difficulty with the buses) and was about 10 miles for the day but was altogether worth it for something unique and new. 

While now very tired, I greatly enjoyed the experience and would recommend this for a cheaper, short trip! To continue the adventure, I am now on my way to country number five, Greece! 

xoxo,

Ang around the World 🙂