Wednesday 18 September
I had read TexasTravelMom's wonderful report
(https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/albania-a-lovely-adventure)
and felt well prepared, because she had so much good information.
I arrived in Durrës by ferry from Ancona, Italy. First I withdrew 15.000 LEK, which I thought
would be more than enough, but I have a friend who are going to ALbania next month, so she can
get the rest. I hadn't quite absorbed that I would ned cash for EVERYTHING.
The next thing I saw was a booth selling local SIM card good for 100GB for 21 days for 2.900 LEK,
but I thought "nah, I am only here for 3 nights. I'll manage". I opened Google maps and started
looking for transport to Tirana. After a few minutes I got the message that my data was used up
and if I wanted to use data, I had to pay 450 DKK. I was totally depndant on Google maps, so I paid
and a few minutes later I was blocked again. I ended up paying 1.400 DKK before i decided that this
was not the way to go. This was a rude awakening since I am used to travelling in EU, where I can use
my Danish contract almost freely. From what I understand, that TexasTravelMom had a better solution.
I went to a travelling agency and asked for busses to Tirana. She pointed me in the general direction
and by walking up and down the lines, I found one with "Tiranë" in front. I entered and paid 200 LEK
for th ticket. The bus took me to a Bus station in the middle of nowhere - or so it looked. I still
didn't want to use Google maps, so I took a taxi to my hotel, which I had booked the day before: 1.500 LEK.
The hotel was 12.400 LEK. Not much, but he wanted cash, so suddenly I had used most of my cash.
The hotel ("Hotel Tier Center") was a bit more "backpacker" than I had anticipated, but the room had a
kettle and a refigerator, which meant I could eat breakfast and dinner in the room if I wasn't too picky
about what I ate. I went to a suprmarket and bought bread, ham, and cheese for breakfast and a ramen cup
for my dinner. Not the best, but I needed to relax instead of going out for dinner.
Thursday 19 September
First thing I did was withdraw some more cash: 30.000 LEK.
Second thing was to buy a SIM card.
Third thing was to get a haircut and a beard trim. After 2 weeks in Italy it was a bit long.
Then I just walked around without any plan. I saw Skanderbeg Square, the Tirana Pyramid
(from the top. 116 steps!),
The Parliament (there was a loong queue of what looked like couples who wanted to be married), and other
buildings, squares and markets.
I spent some time in the afternoon to plan my next part.odgorica and I booked a bus to Podgorica, Montenegro
and a place to stay for two nights.
In the evening I went out for dinner partially to try my new app (https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/food-drink/quiet-restaurants). I found a very quiet restaurant
and had a nice meal.
Friday 20 September
First thing I did was take a bus to where my next bus trip started. I wanted to be prepared for how to get
there, and where to find the bus. When I got back to Tirana, I immediately took another bus to Dajti Express
to see the view from the top. I was a bit nervous because I have altitude anxiety and have always feared cable
cars. This one was the best I have been in. It is similar to the one in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, but it runs
a bit slower and doesn't swing so much when crossing the towers. A pleasant surprise.
After coming down again I visited the BunkArt 1, which a exhibition in the old command bunker from the cold war,
displaying historical artifacts and stories surrounding them. It was interesting enough, but I missed an overview,
where all the artifacts and stories were collected into one cohesive story.
When I came back to Tirana, I bought another ramen cup and some food and drink for my trip Saturday.