Living In Albania For 1 Year-Part 1

Now this sounds interesting...

01/2021 Who the f*** decides to live in Albania for 1 year?!

Why? Because, why not? This adventure idea first entered my mind while working on onion farms in Australia back in 2017. I was researching visa policies of various countries on break when I came across Albania. I read that Albania gives a 1 year free visa on arrival to US Citizens. After looking up pictures I was sold. Added to bucket list. I did not know when I would go, but I knew someday I would make it happen.

Fast forward to 2020. Everyone is making do as best they can with C-19 and we didn’t really know what was going to happen. My job was working on cell phone towers (its own adventure for another article) in Boston. It was a means to an end. Even if the pandemic didn’t exist, I knew I wasn’t going to stay long. What made me pull the trigger early however was:

1. I saved good money quickly with this job. We were deemed essential and got all kinds of work since loads of money was flowing into phones, data, and internet usage. (Also driving in traffic free Boston was beyond heavenly)

2. I had personal disagreements with the mandates.

3. After those first weeks, Albania reopened and stayed open. They decided to live and let live. No masks, no social distancing. No closing of small businesses. Everything open.

4. I didn’t have to provide proof of the jab if I only had a transit layover in Frankfurt. Only the PCR test. (Which was a bloody $180 in Albuquerque where I flew out from)

5. Dollars go far in Albania. At the end of this series there will be a budget break down.

I hatched a plan to wrap things up in Boston and take care of affairs before going. I submitted my letter of resignation a few weeks before Christmas, and not long after New Years 2021 was my flight. Had family in Albuquerque so that’s why I flew from there. Then Denver-Frankfurt-Tirana. A leap into the unknown.

First thing I noticed at the gate in Frankfurt, it looked like all locals getting on the plane. Scanning the crowd it seemed like I was the only foreigner. Also interesting to note how Albanians present themselves. The women want to look like Dua Lipa or the Kardashians with all the designer brands. All the men have clean faded cuts, shades, a watch, and crossbody sling bags. Later I would discover they all love to drive BMW, Mercedes, and Audi. Allegedly there’s more German cars in Albania than people.

I get a great view of the Alps as we fly across Switzerland, then over the Adriatic Sea before coming into the capital of Albania, Tirana. As we begin to land, towards the sea there’s a lot of green and brown checker like patterns of crops. In the other direction is mountains hugging the city. When I go up to customs, they did not even stamp my passport. A quick glance and the officer said what I think is: “Përshëndetje dhe mirëseardhje.” (Hello and welcome) Oh I know I will struggle with this language.

Just outside of Arrivals is local vans to the center. Local transport generally only leaves when full, so be prepared to play the waiting game. It’s quite dusty on the roads, but every other corner has a carwash and cafe. Actually, they are everywhere. There were tons of construction towards the center, so the traffic was pretty bad. I always love those first moments in a new country. Every detail is interesting. I can’t help but just look around and observe everything.

The van drops off on the road lining the east side of Skanderbeg Square. Lining the center is the International Hotel, Opera House, Mosque, Cathedral, National Historic Museum, and a statue of the National Hero Skanderbeg. There is an incredible mural above the museum showing the people throughout Albania’s history. As I walk across it is sunset and I hear the call to prayer from the mosque sound off.

The address to the Airbnb was a bit confusing, or perhaps the address itself in the neighborhood hard to find. There is an ivy-covered gate that I thought was the apartment complex. There’s a man smoking inside the gate, and I call out to him:

“Excuse me is this the Airbnb? Daniella’s Airbnb?”

“No”, he replied. “This is the Polish Embassy.”

Oops! It’s quite incognito for an embassy. I didn’t see any clear signs.

On my messages the owner of the apartment, Daniella, said her Father would wait outside the gate for me. I stand on the street for a minute looking around, when I see a sharply dressed old gentlemen wearing a suit and tie, bowler hat, shined shoes and cane come up to me. He speaks no English, but I know instantly he’s the one. With a slight tilt of his head, he motions for me to follow him. We cross the street and go down a back alley to a small gate. Once inside he opened the first door before the stairwell. It’s a small place, like a studio, but its comfortable enough. I thank him “Faleminderit.”, he tips his hat towards me and walks off.

It’s getting dark now and I’m feeling fried out from all the flights, but I go off and do what I always love to do in a new city. I go for a walk. Just around the block. I stop at a small grocery store. Always so interesting how a country’s identity gets woven into something so common that we all use. Looking at all the different brands, types of food, I really enjoy it. I buy a few simple things to cook in the morning. Later I would discover that it is cheaper to eat at the restaurant every day, than it is to go buy a full range of groceries.

Next couple days I don’t sleep well from the jet lag, but I go off and explore nonetheless. Also, when I visit a new place I don’t always do extensive research. I want to be surprised. I’ll usually just look up how to get from the airport to wherever I intend to sleep the first days and figure everything else out from there. No itinerary. However, a great resource I use occasionally for acquiring base knowledge about traveling through a country is called Wikitravel. They do a great job in helping you get a good footing for whatever journey you’re soon to embark on.

https://wikitravel.org

There are many things to see and do in this city, and even if I were to just spend all year here that would not be enough time. I take a walk through Blloku, and the city park. Blloku is the central district full of shops, restaurants, bars, clubs, etc. Some years before when Albania had a communist government, money was siphoned into this area and became a bubble for the elites. I’ll talk more about the country’s hard history throughout this series. The central park is really nice. It’s large enough that you feel like you are in nature and out of the city. The park surrounds a lake. A few trails circle around it. There are many hang out spots lining the city side of the lake.

Close to there you’ll see some other unique buildings such as the Namazgah Mosque, Pyramid of Tirana, and the Air Albania Stadium. I thought the Pyramid was really interesting. It was closed off at the time. It was a communist monument/museum. I heard they wanted to renovate it into a convention center and make it safe to walk to the top. I don’t know all the stats of the Albanian football (soccer) team, but the stadium looks really cool. I missed a game, but I would still recommend you try to go.

Another thing you’ll see here is concrete bunkers built into the ground. They are everywhere. They were constructed as a defense due to the presumption of war. Most now are covered in murals, paintings or graffiti. Some of them actually blend into the city surroundings quite well. Out in the countryside you’ll spot them dotting the landscape.

After a few days I decide to go to Berat. A UNESCO site consisting of an Ottoman old town and hilltop castle. There are two main bus areas on the north and south sides of Tirana as the main points for travel in each direction of the country. Berat is one of the exceptions. It lies south but the bus leaves from the north side. You have to take the city bus to get up to the station. It was busy in the morning. Buses have signs and drivers are hanging around calling out the locations. I see the sign for Berat and the driver is quick to load my bag up. Remember there is rarely a set schedule. Vans leave when full, multiple times per day, so your best chance is to show up in the morning. I wait perhaps 30 min before the bus fills with people. As we get ready to leave the van next to us is having an argument between the driver and a passenger. I don’t know what they are arguing about, but then they start fighting and throwing hands. Other drivers run over to break them up. Once there is distance, things calm down and people go on with their day. No police involvement or presence.

It takes a long hour to get out of the city because of the traffic. Once out the land opens up to green hills and farms. We pass several roundabouts. There are guys selling CDs on the side of the road. I’m surprised CDs are still relevant, and I wonder what kind of music or content is on there. Berat sits in-between two tall hills split by a river. We get dropped a few kms from the center. It takes about 30min to walk to Maya Hostel. It sits on the other side of the river across from the old town. Multiple story building with a nice front yard. It’s quiet and peaceful. The owner checks me in and says its only me and another American guy here. I drop my bag and it’s time for another walk. The Ottoman Old Town is a tightly packed cluster of white painted buildings and cobblestone streets.

Ottoman Old Town, Berat

The road up to the castle gets steep quick and will give you a good workout. It’s one of the few castles in the world that has a village with residents still living inside its walls! You pay a ticket at the gate and then can walk wherever you want. It’s a huge area. I’m amazed they manage to build so much up here. Like any strategic position in ancient times, the castle gives views of the valley and mountains beyond.

There’s a church and a mosque. On one side there’s a bust of Constantine from when the Romans were in control of the area. Many historical sites in Albania have evidence of different empires and time periods etched into the sites as they were reused and rebuilt throughout time. In some places you can distinctly see the difference in how one culture built their wall on top of the other. Most of the walls and structures are still well preserved so you can walk on them just like those in the past. I love imaging how things could have been back in the day. As I’m sitting admiring the view, a goat walking along the wall comes up to me. How did he get up here haha?

Back down on the street next to old town is a nice walk area full of cafes. I meet the other American and we bask in the sun with a great coffee. An older guy who used to work in vineyards throughout California. Now retired, he decided to make his dreams to visit various Mediterranean countries come true. I run into him again by complete chance almost 9 months later further down the coast.

I spend just a couple days here. There is a pyramid style hill on the other side of the castle that has a hiking trail. Perhaps two hours up. Also has great views. The mountains farther away are covered in snow. The Albanian Alps actually can be quite serious, and in some places you will need good gear to complete any lengthy crossings.

In the morning, I walk to the bus station. I’ve seen pictures of this small beach town called Himarë and I’m feeling the pull. I’ll go to Vlorë and then another bus. I’m excited to be in the Med again (last time was in Egypt late 2018) and I’ve heard the coast is amazing.

But that will be in Part 2!

Thanks for reading and I look forward to seeing you in the next article!

-AbroadwithBrian