Tirana, Albania

Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Suljeman Bargjini, a local ruler, although the area has been inhabited since long before the town was founded. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920. The city is surrounded on almost all sides by hills, with Dajti Mountain on the East and a valley that leads to the Adriatic in the distance, the Triana river also runs through the city, and is visible in many parts of the city. During WW2 Tirana was a fascist stronghold, that Benito Mussolini visited from time to time. A puppet government was established there with a puppet leader King Zog, at the reins. Tirana stayed in fascist control until is was liberated on 17 November 1944 after a intense battle between Communists and Nazi forces. The Nazis didn't hold for long and eventually withdrew and the communists seized power. The city experienced a incredible decline in architecture, as well as living standards as massive socialist-styled apartment complexes, and factories were constructed, while Skanderbeg Square was redesigned with a number of buildings being demolished. Tirana's Old Bazaar and the Orthodox Cathedral were burned to the ground for the creation of the Soviet-styled Palace of Culture. The Italian-built municipal building was destroyed and the National History Museum was constructed instead, while the structure housing the Parliament of Albania during the monarchy was turned into a children's theater. It seems as you have read and will read in the future, that when one regime enters, it destroys all reminders of the former regime, to replace it with a facade of their own. Of course, there were revolts against the standards of living and other issues throughout this time in Tirana's history, mostly by university students. Overtime, with the fall of the USSR, communism fell in Tirana. The most recent problem now is the chaotic development of the city. Everywhere you look the is construction. Multi-story complexes are going up and there is no utility backbone in the city. Many illegal homes are going up and the roads are not in great shape. Tirana is a colorful place, with a bustling nightlife, but no charm. Its a place with some kinks that still need to be worked out.

So I arrived in Tirana and immediately saw the mess that it is. I liked it though. It was a fast paced city with movement everywhere. I walked around the square and took the sights, the mosque and clocktower, the opera house, the national history museum. A big statue in the center of a former Albania war hero, horseback. On my way to the hostel I heard screaming. I look over and see a woman screaming and almost throwing herself into the road. She is screaming at every passing car. She obviously had a mental illness. Everyone avoided her as they walked by and she ignored everyone...except those cars. The hostel was nice I stayed there for several days and met a guy working their an American. That was nice, because it was good to talk to someone in English for a change. We went out and drank throughout the whole time there. I went to Mt. Dajti to get a view of the city. It was a nice trip up to the mountain. Great views and plenty places to hike around. On the way out I ran into the prime minister of Albania. Have a secret service guy show me his gun, because I wanted a picture of the pm. It was cool all the same. After a couple of days I left for Berat. I was waiting on a new card to come in mail. I am still waiting to get back to that card and out of Albania. I am ready to see a new place. I love it here. I would recommend it to anybody, but its time for a change of scenery. Next stop was Berat.