Radfahrern in Tirana

"Oh God! There's a huge roundabout coming up. I don't know how we're going to survive it," says Lucas as we ride our surprisingly light bikes into Tirana. We're on the bike, surrounded by hundreds of cars, driving slowly or standing still. "Oh, the cars will watch out for us." They do in Albania, even in the busy streets of Tirana. There are few traffic lights, or they don't really matter to anyone. On every major intersection, there is a police officer frantically blowing a whistle and waving, directing the cars. It seems like a life-threatening task. Sometimes there are bike lanes, but they are always on one side of the road and go in both directions. Google Maps doesn't have cycling routes in Albania, so we choose a mix of car and pedestrian routes. Once you leave the main roads, it's quiet. It could be a small village here, even though the main road with hundreds of cars in heavy traffic is only 20m away as the crow flies. Unpaved roads and potholes dominate the city center of Albania's capital. And just like that, we're back on the main road, a huge intersection, a multi-lane roundabout, having to change sides of the road or go in the opposite direction. And traffic seems to be an impassable obstacle everywhere. But there is a trick on Albania's roads, a different form of communication away from traffic lights, crosswalks, and any traffic rules, if there are any official ones.

You just have to ride and then it starts to be fun. I don't ride in front of a car without looking, I approach slowly, signaling "Attention, it's my turn now, and I'm going through here," weaving through the cars to the roundabout exit or turning onto the street. Maybe the other driver with their car signals "No, I'm going through here now." Then I stop, wait, and next time I'm more assertive. The enemy is waiting, hoping that someone will just let me go. That won't happen. The one who waits loses. No one honks, even though all the traffic rules are actually broken while driving. Traffic doesn't flow smoothly and quickly in Albania's cities, but it does flow. Always forward. And to be honest, it's so much fun to weave through the slow traffic on a bike. It's definitely not safe, but every meter is a little challenge that can be overcome with a few tricks, changes in speed, and glances. And with every kilometer, a level is completed.