After spending the morning at Dinasty Hotel resolving website uploads and Garmin GPS map updates I was ready to get out into some fresh air in Tirana.
I was presented with a few choices as I walked past places to eat and drink. One choice was "Two beer or not two beer" at Shakesbeer, Tirana. I decided to see if Shakesbeer had something nice and easy for lunch with a beer to go with it. It was fine - nothing spectacular.
As I walked around Tirana further I noticed, what seemed a little odd from the outside….a bikers bar in the centre of the city, that looked like it needed to be surrounded by a car park, off a highway, in the U.S.A.
Steelwings Tirana
The scene inside was even more incongruous with almost every customer being a young, tattooed and/or pierced art student wearing skinny jeans, Converse All Stars and a T-shirt. Certainly didn't look like too many big, tough, hairy and tattooed Harley riders were there.
Anyway, while the artistic 'bikers' sketched I tried an Albanian beer whose name sounds very similar to the short form of Stella Artois…..Stela, from Tirana. Although it is OK it is nowhere near as good as Stella Artois (in my opinion).
I continued my sightseeing tour of Tirana and headed for the museum and old centre of Tirana, Skanderbeg Square, which was a project of Florestano de Fausto and Armando Brasini (architects of the Benito Mussolini period in Italy) which has since had several interventions. The most recent works were undertaken in 2010.
Ministerial Building Skanderbeg Square
Ministerial Building Skanderbeg Square with Military Post
Skanderbeg Statue with old Mosque and new building in background
National Museum mosaic facade and pedestrianised plaza
The buildings around the old centre and Skanderbeg Square range from historically significant and recently restored and well maintained through to tired, old, insignificant buildings, to more recent buildings that were poorly constructed and look ready for replacement to modern and well constructed feature buildings.
Such as the remarkable new Orthodox Cathedral
Mercedes SHITET (For Sale) in front of the Cathedral.
After doing a circuit of the old centre of Tirana I checked the National Museum to see if it was actually open (there were conflicting opening times indicated…..). The museum was open so I decided to see what was on display.
The museum chronologically presented the history of Albania from antiquity to recent times and concludes with very striking and moving displays of the communist period and genocide.
Such as instruments of torture…
...and blood stained clothes from as recently as 1990
All of which are contrasted dramatically by the small display relating the life and work of Mother Teresa from Albania, although she didn't spend a great deal of time there leaving the region in 1928 and not returning until 1991.
Mother Teresa is Albanian
Outside the museum I continued around the old city centre back towards the newer side of the river.
Et'hem Bey Mosque (Skanderbeg Square) 1823
There are definitely some interesting communist era landmarks throughout the city. One of the more unusual is 'The Pyramid'. The pyramid was constructed after the communist leader, Enver Hoxha's death and housed a museum commemorating his rule. Either the 'Government' or one of Enver's sons were responsible for the pyramid being constructed. There is no longer a museum and the site is obviously falling into disrepair.
A pyramid to commemorate a communist leader…..?
One of the major tourist attractions is the rather dated rotating restaurant/bar. I caught the lift up and joined about 5 other people taking in the sights of Tirana as the restaurant/bar rotated.
Obviously the rotating restaurant is a great vantage point to see the new and old of the city of Tirana. There are new public buildings that have been completed, while a few new private buildings are being constructed in the centre and further out into the suburbs. It is also obvious that there are many old and run-down buildings that have had their facades 'tarted-up' while the insides may leave a lot to be desired.
Some of the new being constructed while some of the old barely stand.
The Dictator Enver Hoxha's former residence
After a full circuit in the rotating restaurant I dropped down to the footpaths to head back to the hotel.
From 2000-2011 Edi Rama, Mayor of Tirana, removed many illegal buildings to return public land to the public along the river and open space areas. He also promoted colourful and decorative painting of the facades of buildings throughout the city.
Edi Rama (Former Mayor) encouraged colourful facades for old and unsightly buildings
Edi Rama (Former Mayor) encouraged colourful facades for old and unsightly buildings
I can appreciated the objective behind painting the facades, although the long-term solution still needs to be implemented to bring Tirana forward as a beautiful city for residents, businesses and visitors.
Close-by the hotel the Artificial Lake is a pleasant area where many people congregate to recreate - although I don't think people swim in it (apparently it is very polluted).
Tirana's Artificial Lake
Tirana's Artificial Lake
I made it back to the hotel and relaxed for a while before going out for something simple for dinner on the streets of Tirana before returning to the hotel to work on this website.
Moving further north tomorrow.