Exploring Tirana, Albania
With our alarm set for 9am, hubby went to bed at 8:30pm. I figured there was no way I could sleep 12 hours so I stayed up and conducted a little research on the country of Albania. Climbing into bed at midnight, the sounds of pouring rain made for a sound sleep… until we both woke up at 3:30am! Hubby got out of bed looking for a little snack and returned with this bag of MnM’s. We actually polished off the entire thing in a matter of minutes! Then the sugar rush kicked in… after tossing and turning for another couple hours, we got up at 6am to start our day. My eyes felt raw and my body exhausted but with coffee right across the street, all would be fine.
After a strong cappuccino, we ventured out to the market place. In the oldest neighborhood in the city stands the “New Bazar”. Surrounded by colorful buildings, the 300 vendor farmers market boasts fresh fruit, eggs, spices, olives. We bought eggs for one penny each, from a lovely little lady. We will buy more and I’ll have to get a photo of her… very sweet. Along the perimeter of this market we found coffee shops and restaurants.
One thing worth mentioning… we literally roamed three miles looking for breakfast. So many cafe’s, no food. We looked for any sign of food in every restaurant. No clanging forks, no sound of dishes stacking. So, I found internet to look up: “Do Albanians eat breakfast?” The answers I found explained everything.. Albanians eat what you would find in a hotel continental breakfast… cereal, toast, pastry, coffee. We decided they must do this at home. It went on to say that lunch is the big meal of the day. This is why we bought eggs, bananas and yogurt. Breakfast in our flat is how we will start each day!
Loved the paint job on this building. Though the grounds surrounding it were a bit torn up, it was barely noticeable because the eye automatically went to the cat on the “shelf”. Colorful buildings can be found all around this city. We will tour around in the next couple days to compile a collection… During the Communist rule, all buildings were gray and drab. In 2000, Edi Rama (former artist) was elected Mayor. He immediately began, what has been referred to as a “cosmetic attack” on the city. Illegal buildings removed, colorful paint covered the gray. Though this did not address the pressing issues for this newly freed area, it was a good start toward revitalizing and modernizing the city.
Our exploration led us to Skanderbeg Square. Stunning! Still wet from the heavy rains, this plaza in the heart of the city, was built by the Austrians in 1917. The perimeter is lined with the National Historical Museum, Opera House, National Bank and an Orthodox Church. Transformed into a pedestrian area in 2010… so this area is relatively new. We noticed a lot of people sit in the grassy area along the edge and on the steps and benches. It’s quite peaceful…
Just off the Skanderbeg Square, we noticed this tower. Part of the revitalization project includes ten towers. This one, TID Tower houses restaurants, shops and businesses. The mixture of architecture from different eras throughout Albania’s history, is a photographers dream. I’ll try to get some better shots over the next days/weeks.
The highlight of our day for my hubby, the history buff… BunkerArt 2. This museum cost the equivalent of $4.50pp in USD. With the reasonable price, we didn’t expect too much. Boy were we wrong! This was a bunker that led to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The underground system was created to escape possible nuclear attacks. So much information! Walking through the tunnels, exploring the many rooms, we literally experienced a reconstruction of the Cold War and how Hoxha, the Communist dictator, ruled the country. Powerful evidence of the oppression experienced by citizens… shocking. We saw examples and relics of the methods used to “spy, suppress, torture, murder and incarcerate those considered enemies of the state.”
It was sobering to see the weapons used to defend… the list of those executed under the “Division of People’s Protection”.
The people of Albania will never forget the suppression/oppression experienced under the Communist regime. They will not forget the manipulation by the media… photos viewed by their own eyes but found to be altered to depict a completely different story. We talked to several who feel it is their life’s mission to remind people to watch for the propaganda spread and falling for the loss of freedom… “it’s a slow, methodical process”.
In the heart of the bunker, just outside the Ministry of Internal Affairs, sits the living quarters of the top officials. A necessary communications center, sleeping quarters with “red phone”/emergency phone right beside the bed. On the right is a shot of the original wood flooring. It was a true herringbone. Eat your heart out designers…
On the left, an old school teletype machine. Pretty cool to see one in person. On the right is a briefing room. During the occupation and collapse of communism, the leaders needed a secure space to discuss tactics.
Very sensitive to who entered their newly freed country, the bunker had a room to cut the hair of “hippie tourists”. Found this posted “rule” entertaining.
For me… this was the most sobering room we walked through. Three rooms… FULL of names… hanging lists of people… humans… killed because of their political preference. This is particularly frightening because of the political incivility being experienced in the United States of America. It seems we can no longer accept that someone has a different political opinion from us. Elected officials have been quoted as saying supporters of a certain candidate should be jailed… Seeing these lists, seeing that precedent is set for taking serious steps against those with which we disagree…
A total of six quotes, posted throughout the bunker… pointed out by the museum director. He said to let these quotes stand out to those experiencing political unrest in the United States of America. We stood before each one… reading… rereading… taking it in. Stunning to realize the Albanian people went through this oppressive era in my adult lifetime.
As the museum director said… “Never forget… never take your freedoms for granted… always protect your rights”. It means so much coming from someone who has lived through the oppression of Communism and being freed. We found out there is a BunkerArt 1, which we will try to visit while in the country.
Walking away from this powerful, historical, thought provoking experience, we headed for the closest coffee bar to debrief… to process all we had seen. We couldn’t help but take the museum curator’s pointed warnings to heart. It was an eye-opening experience. Time to take a little rest before dinner… Until tomorrow… be kind, accept political differences gracefully and lovingly. Be thankful for our freedoms.
We are really enjoying Albania… it’s not at all what we expected! We are pleasantly surprised!
