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A weekend in Tirana, Albania
I wasn't going to write a TR on this most recent trip but figured that I hadn't seen much about Tirana on the forum so thought I would put together a shorter TR to show some of Albania's capital city, Tirana.
My friend had booked a trip here and asked if I wanted to join. As it turned out, BA had a business class sale on when I was looking so for just over £300, I had my return from ABZ - LHR - LGW - TIA. It's such a pain that no airline flies from Aberdeen to Gatwick anymore which means that you have to make your own way from Heathrow to Gatwick. I booked the National Express coach - £36 for a return ticket. I had the morning off work the day I was flying down to London. I had booked to fly down the afternoon before and then head to Gatwick before flying out to Tirana on the Friday morning. I've reviewed the Aberdeen lounge loads so won't go into any detail here. I had a few glasses of wine and some soup before boarding. BA1309, ABZ - LHR, G-EUXE, A321 A quick flight down to Heathrow with the usual afternoon tea offered on the way down. I took the Ploughman's platter with ham, some cheese and half a Scotch egg. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ef690743_c.jpg Some nice sunset views as we got closer to London - the days are so short at this time of the year (especially in north Scotland!) https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...38428721_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...012dc7f7_c.jpg I hopped on the coach and it took just over an hour from leaving T5 to getting to Gatwick's South Terminal. The hotel was less than 5 mins walk away and it's actually connected to the Terminal which is really handy. I checked in, got a nice upgrade to the new part of the hotel as a Diamond member and headed to the room. I chilled for a while and then went top the Executive Lounge for evening drinks and nibbles. I was glad I got there early as the place was absolutely mobbed. I was lucky to get one of a handful of spare tables when I got there. I enjoyed a few hours chilling there with wine, nibbles and catching up on some TV I had missed what with being away on holiday. An early night was on the cards before getting up and going to the airport around 8.30am the next morning. After a good sleep, I packed my things up and walked across to the Terminal. My friend had checked his bag so I went to the First class check-in to do the same. The baggage belts had broken down so a small wait ensued but there was a great member of BA staff going around chatting to passengers waiting in the queue. After 5 mins or so, I was on my way and up to the BA lounge. Well, this is different! I hadn't been to Gatwick in 5 years. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...478d925c_c.jpg Me and my friend had a few drinks, a bit of a chin wag and then headed down to the gate where boarding was on final call. BA2648, LGW - TIA, G-GATU, A320 I took my seat in the front row which didn't have a bulkhead. Given that boarding had nearly completed I wasn't actually bothered with many folk passing by me. When my friend booked, J was pretty expensive so he had booked to sit in the back (his ticket actually cost more than my J ticket in the sale..... :D). One of the crew at the front was getting coached on how to be the CSD (or CSM or purser or whatever they're called at Gatwick) and he started out being so nervous. Things didn't improve for him when he managed to spill an entire Bloody Mary over me about 15 mins after we took off.......! Moist leg for the next 3 hours! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6b8dea8b_c.jpg He was absolutely mortified and so apologetic and got some paper towels straight away to dry the floor and the table...... "I'll give those to you, sir, I don't think you want me to dry your leg for you" - LOL. I was fine with it - accidents happen. The actual boss lady at the front gave me some warm towels so I could clean up a bit better. Anyway, Bloody Mary refilled and I kicked back to enjoy the views with some music and then lunch. The Thai red vegetable curry was great. The smoked salmon thing for starter looked a bit dodgy so I avoided it. Dessert and cheese both very tasty. Supposedly BA have just got new caterers out of Gatwick. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e8015c74_c.jpg For the rest of the flight, I enjoyed the views over The Alps as we made our way across Europe and then down the coast of Croatia. Also spent some time chatting to the crew at the front who were lovely. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b383bfeb_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...77427401_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5f931841_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6ec466de_c.jpg So, a nice flight with BA bar the moist leg! We had pre-booked a car which took us to the hotel we had booked - seemingly Tirana's newest hotel - the Hilton Garden Inn. I had booked a suite which was a great room. The bed and pillows were some of the comfiest I have ever had in a hotel I have stayed in. There was a small balcony with a table and two chairs which had views over the city to the mountains. This gave some nice sunset pictures. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...fc6708e7_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d351d14b_c.jpg We grabbed a cab to the Blloku area and found a great bar where we had some cocktails. We had booked an Italian restaurant for later in the evening. The food was great and much needed. Instead of going home, we decided to stay out partying and got home in the wee small hours...... The next morning (and most of the day) was a bit of a write off. I did get up and go for a small walk and found a bench to sit on and people watch. After a while, though, I decided that I needed a nap so went back to the hotel. At least I got out of bed.....my friend was in bed all day! There's a river which runs through the city. The hotel was one side of the river and then you crossed the bridge and there were some cool bars at the other side. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3263ff3d_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a43c0f04_c.jpg Back on it...... https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...bae45029_c.jpg |
Not a common place for folk to visit! My OH visited there in the early 80's and I think was glad to leave!
Oopsies at getting a drink to wear instead of drink. |
there’s a Hilton now? Wow. I went back in 2014, had a blast in Tirana. Head back in the summer, the coast is stunning!
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Originally Posted by nequine
(Post 31796939)
Not a common place for folk to visit! My OH visited there in the early 80's and I think was glad to leave!
Oopsies at getting a drink to wear instead of drink.
Originally Posted by GetSetJetSet
(Post 31798248)
there’s a Hilton now? Wow. I went back in 2014, had a blast in Tirana. Head back in the summer, the coast is stunning!
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By chance, I met an FTer in Corfu in September who had just come from Albania. He found Tirana unremarkable but had far more positive things to say about the rest of the country, particularly the beaches. He spoke of how affordable food was with coffee for less than $1. Albania showed up in a list making the rounds titled Places to visit in 2020 before they become packed with tourists.
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Originally Posted by SanDiego1K
(Post 31811463)
By chance, I met an FTer in Corfu in September who had just come from Albania. He found Tirana unremarkable but had far more positive things to say about the rest of the country, particularly the beaches. He spoke of how affordable food was with coffee for less than $1. Albania showed up in a list making the rounds titled Places to visit in 2020 before they become packed with tourists.
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Interesting report and photos. Thank you for sharing!
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Still a rather off the radar destination, but non the less an interesting place to visit.
Went there back in 2013 for almost three weeks, travelling from Tirana to Durres, by the coast and onwards with train (for a couple of dollars) to Vlore and Saranda (by minivan). Great experience, friendly people, great coffe and food. Dirt cheap. Beautiful beaches. And with Enver Hoxha over 700 000 bunkers left dotted the whole country side, it makes for a different journey. |
Thanks for the report! I am planning on heading to Tirana later this year, so this was very interesting.
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Originally Posted by 757
(Post 31815263)
Interesting report and photos. Thank you for sharing!
Originally Posted by JustGo
(Post 31860202)
Still a rather off the radar destination, but non the less an interesting place to visit.
Went there back in 2013 for almost three weeks, travelling from Tirana to Durres, by the coast and onwards with train (for a couple of dollars) to Vlore and Saranda (by minivan). Great experience, friendly people, great coffe and food. Dirt cheap. Beautiful beaches. And with Enver Hoxha over 700 000 bunkers left dotted the whole country side, it makes for a different journey.
Originally Posted by dcmike
(Post 31860315)
Thanks for the report! I am planning on heading to Tirana later this year, so this was very interesting.
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Oooh, that spill must have been rather uncomfortable. Never mind being a bit smelly after a while.
Enjoying the TR so far - thanks for sharing. |
Apologies for the delay in updating this!
Next day was a day of exploring Tirana - so much walking during the day that I amassed 26,500 steps for the day! I left the hotel and took a left towards the main part of the city. I enjoyed walking by all the small cafes and shops on the street. It amused me that the locals were sitting at 9.55am drinking red wine and beer while playing cards. I came across what I think was the main Mosque in the city which people were milling into in time for morning prayers presumably. It was also nice to see that the Town Hall had been decorated in time for the start of December. The New Year decorations were also out with a massive "2020" sign in the gardens. A few pics of my wander around.... https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a6e3e5fc_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8e04e0f6_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b754d792_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...93d3b798_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4886f381_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...292f8d09_c.jpg This is the cute Tanners' Bridge - an 18th century bridge by which livestock would enter the city. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...994e8c36_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...036ca385_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5254779e_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e79cabce_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2c16c2c5_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...021e01d0_c.jpg On the way back to the hotel I found this little square full of bars and restaurants in amongst the apartment blocks. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5e4e3a36_c.jpg And some nice art work on the walls. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...34c5182a_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b755bbf8_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...05e9d3a8_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d1d0b5ea_c.jpg After a pit stop for a bit of lunch and a beer, I took a cab up to Mount Dajti which has the longest cable car way in the Balkans at 4.7km. It was a decent day but the winds were pretty high. Sitting myself in the cable car heading up the mountain with it swaying from side to side was pretty nerve-racking at times but the views were great. There's a hotel at the top with a rooftop bar and some nice gardens with a small crazy golf course. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4c97eba9_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f1a316db_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ea79139f_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4591d1de_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0ae617c0_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...005e1ab3_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...030a75a4_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f62e400b_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...095784a0_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d59ac65_c.jpg" And back down to the station! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c6828b93_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d5daec8d_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...52639ee3_c.jpg I hadn't planned how I was going to get back to the city..... there were no cabs around and no buses..... so I walked the 4.5 miles back into the city centre just as the sun was setting. I had a wander around some bits I hadn't seen and then found a bar for a much needed drink! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0523d20d_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b2fe5568_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d5deb420_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...fcceb146_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9569e388_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...15177434_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...279630fb_c.jpg So, a great day walking around the city and I was left absolutely shattered by the end of the day. Nice dinner, some wine and an early night before heading to the airport in the morning. |
If Enver could see his Pyramid..... Glad the country is developing. I guess in a few years it could get more and more popular as Albania has so much to offer.
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Wish I knew about Enver's Pyramid, and the story behind it when I was there, interesting.
Thanks. |
We visited Albania in 2017 and loved it. We particularly liked the world heritage at Berat, which is around 3-4 hours south of Tirana.
Hoxha's bunkers in Tirana were also great to visit. Albania - 10/10. Would visit again :D Thanks for the TR! |
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