Balkan Day 7 - A Day in Tirana

Since meals are not included in the price of the hostel where we are staying, breakfast was ordered for us and brought to the hostel courtyard at 8:00 am, where it was set up on beer tables in a buffet for us. It was a very delicious breakfast and far exceeded the one we had previously had in our hotel in Ohrid!

At around 10:00 am, we took the buses to Tirana, where we met Emelda and her brother. They have lived in Germany for many years after their parents left the country and moved to Germany during the war. Both speak perfect German and led us through the capital of Albania for several hours, showing us the most beautiful places.

After exploring the city on our own for about an hour and enjoying a bite to eat, we marched in a long train to the University of Tirana. There, we had a workshop with the university choir for about 1.5 hours. Together, we sang 'Va Pensiero' in one of the lecture halls, where we were impressed by the enormous volume of the choir and the strong vibrations of the individual voices! While the choir supported us in learning the Albanian piece 'Lule bore', we taught them 'Sing' by Pentatonix, including choreography. It was definitely a very interesting experience. After the choir sang a piece for us and we said goodbye, we made a stop at the supermarket on the way back to our hostel, which is located a bit outside the city, to stock up on food for the evening.

The evening in the hostel garden was very nice. Underneath the starry sky, with pleasantly warm air, we could sit outside and enjoy our picnic. Gradually, everyone settled into their rooms and made themselves comfortable in their sleeping bags. Our expectations for the hostel were definitely exceeded in every way - it is a beautiful and idyllic place that brings the group together through living in close quarters!