TIRANA - Last Stop in Albania

We knew that Albania had a complex history and wanted to find out a little more about it, so off to Bunk'Art 1 we go.

In summary, Albania other than a very brief period of independence in the 15th. century, was under the control of another country until the 20th. century.

Even when their independence was won in 1912, the people faced difficult times.  There was an occupation by Serbia, then a couple of short-lived monarchies and an occupation by Italy just prior to WW II.   Then with the war, occupation by Germany.  These last two occupations took a heavy toll on the Albanian people (lives lost in the resistance fights and in concentration camps) and on the economy with much bombing and destruction, as well as looting by the occupiers.

After the war, Albania became a communist state and was under the iron-fisted ruler Enver Hoxha for four decades.  During this time over 100,000 Albanians were victims of political persecution.

In 1990 the communist regime finally collapsed and another period of unrest and instability settled in.  The economic and political situation gradually improved and in 1990, Albania was accepted into NATO and today it is applying to become a member of the European Union.

Red on the Albanian flag for bravery, strength & valour, the double-headed eagle for the sovereign state of Albania

Bunk'Art 1 is a collaboration between the Albanian government and the art collective Qendrallra.  It is 3,000 square meters in a five-story underground fallout shelter, built in the 1970s intended to protect the political and military elite from Enver Hoxha's bogeymen of nuclear fallout and for the protection and isolation from Imperial powers.

It has 106 rooms connected by a rabbit warren of hallways.  Like the 173,000 small bunkers he built throughout the country, it was never put into service.

This was a very secret project.  After communism was overthrown it was decided in 2014 to expose the bunker.  In order to do so, entrance and exit tunnels needed to be built for access.  It's rather spooky going through the long tunnel to enter the bunker.

Many of the rooms are filled with the modern history of Albania, in multi-media format and there is a theatre used today for concerts, lectures and other events.

We never did get to Bunk'Art 2 which is right downtown.  It focuses on police and security services throughout Albania's turbulent times and reviews say it's as interesting as Bunk'Art 1.  Both are reasonably priced and we got a senior discount.

To start with, in the Valbona to Theth blog, I talked about the "bunkerization of Albania" by Hoxha.  Here, is a photo display of some of the different types of bunkers built and installed around the country.  Tap once on a photo to enlarge it.

From the tunnel leading to the bunker we spy a soldier prepared for the worst,  Chemical weaponry was on hand and nuclear weapons a possibility.

On the outside, there was a room that looked like it contained a heating system for the bunker.  It must have been quite chilly in the winter:

To enter the bunker is a two-door system with decontamination equipment in between the two doors to protect against both chemical warfare and nuclear radiation.

Note the thickness of the concrete doors.  The outer walls were concrete a meter thick while the dirt over the roof was up to 100 meters thick.

The hallways inside are lined with gray boxes that can produce Oxygen:

Hoxha had the largest accommodation in the bunker consisting of several rooms even though he never stayed here.  He did show up for the inauguration (top middle photo below).  The photo on bottom left shows the space given to an officer who would actually live in the bunker.

The inter-communications room.  "Without inter-communications there is no command, and without command, there is no victory."

The War Room:

And of course, the schoolroom:

Two of the big public spaces used today for lectures, performances, etc in the bunker:

Random Photos from the Bunker:

This was a scary room to go into.  It re-created the electronic border wire that surrounded the land borders of Albania during the German occupation.  If anything touched the wires, lights would flash, and I think I read that sirens would go off, an electric current would be activated and troops would come to check it out.  There was no escape.

Bunk'Art 1 was a fascinating experience and an interesting way to learn about Albania's recent history.  We highly recommend going at least to #1 and #2 if you have enough time. 

Enver Hoxha tried to destroy and eradicate Orthodoxy in Albania.  Orders were given for absolute persecution of religion and many crimes were carried out against the faithful.  Churches were destroyed and their possessions confiscated.  No bishops survived this period and for 25 years there was no ordination of clergy.

In the early years of democracy, the Albanian people had high needs for medical, social and dental care.  As the church was busy reorganizing itself, it simultaneously organized to provide primary health centres, mobile dental clinics and the training of nurses and midwives.

We were only able to visit the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania from the outside as the day we stumbled across it, we were inappropriately dressed to go inside:

Side View

Front Entrance; Close up of Part of a Brass Door; A Small Building on the Property

Clock Tower Looking Radiant

Frieze; Painted Dome; Enormous Chandelier

At Bunk'Art 1 we learned of the significance of this statue of Gjergj Kastrioti Skenderbeg in Skenderbeg Square downtown.  He was an Albanian hero, who against all odds in unequal fights repulsed thirteen different invasions of Albanians by the Turks who badly wanted Albania as a springboard to take other countries.  He became a symbol of solidarity in the resistance movement and created a sense of pride in Albanian identity as the people came out from under oppression.

On the left the photo below was taken at the actual inauguration of the statue in 1968 and on the right is a photo we took of the statue.

The Pyramid: 

Enver Hoxha's family decided to honour him by building a museum about him.  It was never used as such.  Over the years it was used as a convention centre, a military staging centre and a TV station.  Since it was such an obvious symbol of the unpopular communist legacy the glass was smashed, the insides looted and graffiti covers the outside of it.  Some want it torn down altogether, others want it to stay, stark and ugly as a reminder of the dark history the people suffered.

In addition to visiting Bunk'Art we walked around a lot, as usual.  Colourfully painted apartment buildings and unusual architecture caught our eye.

Love these cozy street lights near the clock tower

This huge mosque is just being built.  We have never seen one with four minarets.

Random Photos in Tirana:

There are a few pairs of these storks on the ground and in trees in the main square

Time to leave Albania and head for the cool air, rain and wind of Scotland.  Summer's over for two weeks!!

ARE ALBANIANS the KINDEST PEOPLE in the WORLD?

As we prepare to leave Albania experiences here have led me to ask this question.

Wherever we have travelled in the world, we have been met with kindness.  People saying hello, offering to help with directions, welcoming us to their country and sharing stories.

As strangers, alone in a foreign country, often not speaking the language all kindness stands out.

When I ask Google who are the kindest people in the world, many different studies and polls, measuring different criteria come up with many different answers.  

In our limited experience of travel in 25 countries, Albanians hands-down have been the kindest, most generous people, willing to give of themselves, to welcome you into their home and to get involved with you.

When we tell Albanian people of the kindnesses we have experienced here they nod and say yes, kindness is important.

Let me tell you of some of the acts of kindness we experienced at the hands of Albanians:

Our first experience was staying at Hostel Domestika in Bitola, Macedonia run by an Albanian couple.  They welcomed us every afternoon and one evening into their private space for conversation, gave us advice on what to see and where to go when we got to Albania, saved some traditional food that they were cooking for others so that we could taste it and learn about it.  Really they invited us to be part of their family while we were there.

Then in Struga, Macedonia we meet our neighbours, Sami and Rozi an Albanian couple who live part-time in the USA, in Macedonia and in Albania.  They bring us into their home for drinks, snacks and conversation.  Sami takes Paul to his dentist and drives him back.  Rozi invites me into her kitchen to teach me how to make halva, then sends me home with the product.  They take us sight-seeing.  One day Sami drives us to a nearby town then waits for us while we explore a village and castle that is too steep for him to walk, orientates us to the town, then lets us explore. We are taken to meet the family.  They treat us to breakfast as we must try traditional byrek and again are sent home with food.

                                                 

There are all the wonderful hosts we had who really went above and beyond hosting:

The young couple just starting up The Iliad in Berat.  After our first night, other folks moved out of a big room and they insisted on moving us to more spacious digs even though we were only there for another two days.  Lots of work for them.  Our laundry was done - no charge.  The breakfasts she made each day were traditional, hand-made, different every day, lasted us until dinner time and were delicious.  They shared a lantern lighting and release by their daughter with us.

At Sweetdreams Guest House in Gjirocaster, Mario arranged his work schedule so that he could pick us upon arrival and take us to the bus on departure.  His mom Elly cooked us fabulous, traditional fresh breakfasts, different every day.  His dad Stavros gave us tastes of his garden produce and brought us down a fruit plate every evening.  On our departure day, Elly comes down before heading off to work to give hugs and to say she loves us.

In Ksamil, our host at Voda Apartments lived downstairs.  On arrival, he walked us downtown to show us the location of all essentials.  A couple of times he brought produce from his garden: figs, apples and pears.  And once he knew Paul liked raki, dropped by for a drink and to leave half a bottle here and there.  On our final evening, he and his wife came to spend the evening with us, despite each of us being unilingual it was a great conversation.

There’s the lovely Kasandra who ran the hostel in Himara who even after we left, invited us back for conversation, to rest in the shade of her outdoor space before we hiked up the hill to our new accommodation and who continued to loan us beach gear.

Then there’s the smiling, happy Padeli – the fixer … who put himself out to find us accommodation when we had none in a very busy beach town at the height of tourist season.  And we witnessed him do the same for a family.  He invited all of us to his home for coffee, raki and snacks and he checked on us regularly to see if we needed anything.

Padeli talks a little about his philosophy of life.  If he has a motto, this quote seems to embody how he lives:

Finally, Rita who ran the Cold Springs Guesthouse in Theth.  A busy, widowed mom of an energetic pre-schooler who again made us feel so at home, like family.  She always had time for conversation.  She chose the right room for us so carefully; cooked meals to order every night, based on a variety of local, organic produce she had on hand.  

We leave Albania with our hearts full.  The places we saw were wonderful and the Albanian people were extraordinary.  We understand that people in Albania generally do not have much, but every day they prove that you do not have to be rich to be generous.

VALBONA to THETH: TALES from the TRAIL of the ACCURSED MOUNTAINS

Getting from here to there: a bus leaves Himare at 5 am bound for Shkodra ... a journey that continues along the twisty, winding coastal road that started when we left Ksamil for Himare.  Then north through the spectacular Llogara Pass that snakes ever upward from the sea to 1,027 meters.  

Shkodra is a quick 2-day stop to find a hostel that will book us a furgon (minivan) to get from Shkodra to the Koman Lake Ferry (a one-and-a-half-hour drive and a 3 hour+ boat trip), then another furgon from Fiere to Valbona (another one-and-a-half-hour drive) and to keep our big backpacks while we journey to hike the Albanian Alps. 

We do minimal sight-seeing here.  To get our hiking legs going we walk about 12 km to and from our hostel to Shiroka on Lake Shkodra for lunch.  It's hot here, in the mid to high 30's.  A cafe/bar en route is a welcome stop before getting to the end.

On the way, we pass amongst other sights a pigeon aviary and a mosque beautifully decorated on the outside.

August is the wedding month.  There is an interesting custom here where the much-decorated vehicles involved in the wedding drive around town honking their horns, other cars honking back - but in front of the pack is a car with the photographer hanging out of a window or the roof photographing the line of vehicles behind him.  We saw it several times.

We book our own accommodation in Valbona and Theth and plan to do the hike on our own, without a guide.  We will carry only day packs with enough clothes for four days plus snacks and water for the hike.

The drive starting at 06:30 hours from Shkodra to the ferry is uneventful.  The ferry ride on the other hand is spectacular.  There are three ferry companies and they leave at different time intervals.  Each of the 3 legs of the journey costs 6 Euros, payable to the guy that picks us up at the hostel.  The time table for each part of the journey works remarkably smoothly.

There are a lot of different boats here as many people book a tour which involves going from one end of the lake to the other and back again to Shkodra in one day.  The ferries really load up the vehicles with a number of them parked on the ramp rather than on the ferry deck.

What seems like chaos, in the end, works

The journey starts at a hydro-electric dam and from there the scenery is jaw-dropping.

It is amazing along this long ferry ride, how many isolated homes there are here on the mountains above the lake.  This is such a rugged country.  Many must be boat access only. 

The end of the journey is rather dramatic.  

Approaching Ferry Landing

The ferry drops its ramp onto the dirt bank, then the captain and deck-hands jump out to shovel the bank so the cars can get off without tearing the bottoms out of their vehicles.  From the moment the tires hit the ground it's straight up a short steep dirt bank.  Some cars need a push from the crew, others send gravel spinning as they get right to the top, while still others need to go to a halfway point and try again from there.

Our furgon is waiting and each of us is dropped at our accommodation.  We have a typical (for us) mix-up that sorts itself out with casual Albanian style.  I had booked a room in Hotel A that was confirmed.  A day later, Hotel A cancelled as they were full.  So a room at Hotel B was booked.  I had long forgotten this and had the driver take us to Hotel A.  Hotel A doesn't seem to expect us but has lots of room!  After checking in I realize that we should be at Hotel B (Oh no). 

I go down to report this to Hotel A and they say - "Don't worry" (a common phrase here), the owner of Hotel B works here!  What?  The owner of B says - Don't worry, it's OK.  Stay here at Hotel A and I will explain to Hotel B that you will not be checking in.  Amazing.  Perhaps it's all in the family.  Everything here is done by cash.  We wonder how anything is tracked, how taxes are paid, etc.  In the end, we are charged about 50% less for a better room than what we originally booked online.

This Hotel A is a series of lovely stone, alpine buildings set in the woods.  The big bonus is that it's right at the start of the walk to the trailhead.

A 'canal' runs through the property.  This portion is used as cold storage.  Another portion keeps fish for serving in the restaurant and another portion is used by the maids to fill and empty their cleaning buckets.  Hopefully, the water doesn't all run together.

Here's me near the beginning of the hike, thinking OMG ... really?   We're going, where?  Can I do this?

Here's the story:

Getting solid information on the length of the route gives varying information.  The locals say its 23 km.  The guesthouse we book at the end is about 4 km beyond the main village of Theth.

The peak is at 1966 meters (6450 feet).  After the 12 km walk on the riverbed to the trailhead at Ragam, its pretty much up for two to three hours.  The trail is quite narrow in places with straight down and straight up on either side.  This is the longest and most challenging hike that either of us have ever done.  It's as good a way as any to mark our 65th and 70th milestone birthdays year.

While up is challenging, the way down is even more so.  Most of it is quite steep with very loose stones on the path.  Every step must be calculated.

In the end, we complete it in 7 1/2 hours which includes a half-hour stop at the cafe/bar closest to the Valbona side and a half-hour stop at the cafe/bar near the Theth side.  The average time is 6 hours and some take 9 hours.

Some photos from along the hike:

The final approach to the 'V' of the peak

Known as the Alps Thistle, the Silver Thistle or the Mountain Thistle - very pretty

There are a couple of big tours that have hired guides and horses to pack their luggage.  We are surprised that they don't use mules.

In front of us on the trail, a horse missteps and tumbles fifty meters down the mountain stopped by a large stump, luggage flying in every direction.  It takes the guides about an hour to get the horse back on its feet and back up to the trail, to gather the luggage and put it back on the horse.  Amazingly the horse does not break a bone or lose an eye.  His face is a bit cut up.  It seems like this is not an appropriate job for horses.  Perhaps backpackers need to rethink their strategy and spend extra money for a hostel somewhere to store their luggage.

At the first cafe/bar is a colt that we later see on the trail following mama, obviously a packhorse in training.

At the cafe/bar at the far end of the trail, we meet up with a couple from Belgium that we spent some time with on our furgon ride to the ferry and on the ferry.  They announce that at the peak of the pass he dropped down on one knee and proposed to her, giving her a ring.  She was surprised, but said YES!  So there are drinks and cheers all around.

As we leave the cafe a group of young hikers approaches to say we are their inspiration to keep on hiking.  I think that means we look our age!!

When we finally reach our guesthouse at the end of the hike, sitting on the deck, we can see our path through the mountains.  From this perspective you can see the valley that we passed through is flanked by two towering peaks.  The views on the hike both of wide, gracious valleys and steep, treed ravines were spectacular.

Our guesthouse is a bit of a challenge to find.  Google maps doesn't quite have it yet as its new.  Built and run by the lovely Rita, widowed mom to little Conrad (4 1/2 years) who keeps us busy playing!  This guest house is the perfect place to relax.  No WiFi.  No TV.  No radio.  Just stunning scenery and good home cooking.  Rita gets lamb and cheese from the local shepherd; vegetables from the garden she and her mom grow together; butter and yogurt from a cow she and her mom own; pork from a local farmer and water here from the springs is so pure it can be used straight from the ground.

Like many people, Rita makes her own raki ... hers from plums.  Two barrels are busy bubbling away in her back yard:

The day after our trek we hike up to a cafe/bar that her brother owns which is on the path to a different hike into the alps.  The lovely Denisa (Rita's young niece) is in charge of the cafe on her summer break from high school.  She is a delight to talk to.  We get some photos across the valley to Rita's guest house (aptly named Cold Spring).

On this hike, we pass close to one of the 173,000 bunkers built from the 1960s to the 1980s under the rule of Enver Hoxha.   They are everywhere and referred to as the bunkerization of Albania.  Never used they were a significant drain on the economy.  They averaged 5.7 bunkers for every square kilometre.

We learn that most residents of the area do not stay for the winter.  While winters here, like everywhere are getting milder, its still too brutal and the road is not accessible.  Most head to Shkodra.

Rita has arranged a truck ride from Cold Spring to Shkodra.  It's about 72 km in distance.  There are four of us in the truck.  The first part of the journey to Boge is an insane gravel road high up through the mountains with potholes big enough to swallow a large dog.  From Boge to Shkodra is a paved, narrow, windy road.  Our (non-Albanian) driver loves his gas pedal, drives way too close to the far edge of the road that plunges a thousand meters or more down, plays chicken with other vehicles on the road and secretly I think loves to scare the sh*t out of his passengers.  It's insane.  A passenger asks him to slow down which he does deliberately for about a minute then drives faster than ever.  We are all grateful to arrive alive.

Another night in Shkodra then on to Tirana.