Colleen’s Adventures

Pyramid of Tirana – Originally intended as a monument to former dictator Enver Hoxha; currently a youth & cultural center

June 3, 2024

Last night I managed to find a little Italian place near the American Embassy and had pizza and a beer for dinner. Not exactly traditional Albanian, but hey, I’m here for 5 weeks, so I’ll give myself a pass.

Today I finally felt rested enough to go out and explore a little. The first week in a new place always has my head spinning – trying to get my bearings, getting currency, navigating around the city, scoping out grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries, and of course – cafes!! I spent about 4 hours wandering up and down streets in the neighborhood west of my apartment. Lots of people out and about. Everyone seems comfortable, laid back, relaxed and unguarded, which is great to see. First stop was currency exchange – Albania is still a heavily cash society. Cards can be used at some larger stores and restaurants, but cash is king in Albania. Luckily, currency exchanges are plentiful in the city. I exchanged 200 euro for 20,000 Lek and I’m ready to go!

It’s unusually warm for early June, so I wasn’t setting any land speed record on my walk. The Namazgah Mosque is still under construction (since 2015). It should be completed by the end of the year and will be the largest mosque in the Balkans, with a capacity of 10,000!

Passed by the Pyramid of Tirana. I’ll tackle the climb to the top another day – temps pushing 90 and rising humidity – just say no!

I wove my way up and down the streets of the Blloku neighborhood. This neighborhood used to be the exclusive enclave for the VIP’s of the ruling party during the Communist era. In the stereotypic style of not-so-benevolent, megalomaniacal dictators, the elite of Hoxha’s party lived the life of luxury with all the trappings of the west, while the rest of Albania suffered oppression, deprivation and even starvation. Today Blloku is a very desirable neighborhood with leafy streets, upscale shops, designer boutiques, expensive restaurants and cafes.

Communist era bunkers are all over the city. Hoxha was paranoid about nuclear war and other countries invading. His answer was to build these bunkers all over the country. From the 1960’s to the 80’s, billions of dollars were spent on the bunkers, draining all the financial resources of the country. Sad.

I wandered down another street and found a restaurant serving traditional Albanian cuisine. Lamb Sausage, Beet and Goat Cheese salad, and – of course – Albanian beer! After a leisurely meal, I made my way back to my apartment – mission accomplished. A successful first day!