23. - 27.09. 2017 #Tirana

I arrive in Tirana and the first thing that stands out is that the city does not have a main train station or a central bus station. That means that I have no idea exactly where I am arriving.

Later I am lucky, I only walk half an hour to the Airbnb.

The apartment is somewhat hidden, but quiet. It has only been open for two weeks, and was previously completely renovated. The apartment is spacious, all fancy and brand new. I immediately look forward to the large shower, where I can finally shower without flip-flops after a month!

When I finally want to take a shower in the evening, suddenly no water comes out of the tap. The landlord tells me that the mayor has declared a state of emergency and therefore the water is being rationed. According to this, no water should flow between 3pm and 6pm and after 10pm - in reality, the shutting off seems to be much more arbitrary, there is constantly no water and often only with weak pressure. Two days later, the water finally flows well, I want to take a shower, but the water is ice cold. The landlord seems to have forgotten to turn on the boiler. On the last day, I finally look forward to a morning shower before I have to leave the Airbnb, but even now the water is icy. So I was only able to shower for the last time in Ulcinj on the first day. You can imagine how much I was looking forward to the run-down, dirty hostel shower in Athens!

In addition, the power was cut off for several hours during the second night. This apparently happens more often. It sounds cliché: but Tirana showed me how good we have it, simply being able to turn on the tap and press the light switch! It was a strange feeling to be without electricity and water in the middle of the night. And that, even though Tirana hardly seems backward otherwise.

Construction is happening everywhere!

Otherwise, Tirana is great - it reminds me of Belgrade. There are great cafes and restaurants everywhere, the food is good and cheap, and everyone is very hospitable. Especially in good weather, I enjoy walking through all the small streets. There are significantly fewer chain stores than in Western Europe, instead there are small shops and stands for every need. The city is entertaining, you can easily wander around and discover something new everywhere.

On my second day here I take a cable car up to Mount Dajti to enjoy an amazing view of the city.

The Skanderbeg Square is centrally located in the heart of Tirana. Here is the National Museum and also the oldest mosque in the city.

In addition, I eat at the restaurant Oda, which has been recommended to me several times. The place may seem touristy, but the service is really nice and the food is excellent!

What really surprised me after all the Balkan cuisine of recent weeks is how easy it is to order vegetables here. Ever since Budapest, meat has clearly been my main source of food, partly due to a lack of alternatives. In Belgrade, they laughed at the vegetarians in the hostel, in Montenegro you get potatoes with the meat if you order vegetables as a side dish. But here in Albania they have the best stuffed peppers and eggplants! Finally, I can eat healthy again!

The next day, unfortunately, I wake up with a constantly runny nose and headache - and because it is also raining, I hardly leave the house for the next two days. On day 4, my departure is already scheduled, but luckily late enough that I can still discover remarkable things about the city. This includes a museum called 'Bunk'Art', which is located in a former nuclear bunker. Unfortunately, I can only visit the part of the museum that is located in the city center. Here, the focus is on Albania's communist past, which ended only in 1990.

Afterwards, I am excited about my 14-hour bus ride to Greece - Hooray!