Transformation and progress :Tirana, Albania

Dubai Airport intimidates

Our flight to Tirana included a 3 hour transit in Dubai. Little did we know that those 3 hours would be tense. The Airport has 3 terminals. We arrive at Terminal 1 through an aerobridge.  Our tour leader warns us that it could take us a good portion of our transit time to make our way to our next departure terminal, Terminal 2, which is on the opposite side of the airport. For transiting passengers a shuttle service runs between the terminals. We have to keep checking that none of our group is missing. There is literally no time to see what the airport has to offer. We wait together with our boarding passes for our next flight which are checked before we can board the airport bus to shuttle us. Two of our members have to answer nature's call and so the tour leader stays back to shepherd them after giving us clear instructions as to where to wait for him. Our transport drives along the fringes of the airport for what seems like ages. Terminal 2 is like a bus station. By the time we find seats it's already time to board. There's such a long queue that some of us approach the staff and, citing our age, ask if we could skip the line. They were condescending. What do we skip the line for? Only to enter a holding area where the ‘gatekeeper’ wants to be sure we are bound for Tirana. A bus comes by. We board as quickly as we can without pushing and shoving. Standing room! Luckily the ride is not too long. Small consolation that the gangway to our smaller aircraft is a ramp with non-slip slats at intervals which means rollered hand luggage can be wheeled in without the huff and puff.

Frenzy at the carousel

We have also been advised not to sleep during the 6 hr flight for we will be landing in time for lunch, after which we will have a guided tour.

After the 16 hour travel with the tiresome transit in Dubai, fellow group members are quite exhausted by the frenzy at the baggage carousel in Tirana. All our bags come in quite late. Besides, anybody could have walked out with our bags with so many passengers crowding around the various carousels and flitting between them.  

Peripheral Vision: did anybody else notice?

When in a group tour there are so many instructions to follow and to keep track of the ‘flag’ that appreciating the surroundings takes a back seat. Thank goodness for peripheral vision that the facade of the airport caught my eye. The facade covers an entire building. If I had not looked closer I would have dismissed it as a poor replica of the bird's nest stadium at the China Olympics. But this is even more intricate employing Balkan motifs, proudly highlighting local culture. It's impressive.

Lots of questions

I'm sitting on the right side of the tour bus with a blocked view but my eyes are all agog. That's when I get a glimpse of a dreary stooped figure aloft a high pedestal. Mother Teresa?  

We are driven to a modern part of the city and dropped close to a  huge new building that has majestic minarets and domes. It resembles the Hagia Sophia of Istanbul, Turkey. It looks majestic and very new. 

We walk towards a restaurant for lunch. It's Chinese food prepared by an Albanese chef. We have Muslim women in our group. Our tour leader ensures their Halal needs are met. We are in the Balkans but our first meal there is 4 course Chinese. Perhaps to acclimatise our digestive system?

Dodging the heat

Our local tour guide, a tall slender female, joins us. We drive to the city centre. Our tour is estimated to take from 45 mins to an hour. DrInk, feeling sleepy, decides to take a rest in the gardens nearby while the rest of us follow our guide walking along beautiful boulevards and tree-lined avenues. It is a very hot day . Our guide has been advised to keep us in the shade as much as possible.   

Black and white facts on red and black

She leads us to Skanderbeg Square named after a military leader who led a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire. He is said to have called himself "Lord of Albania". Nearby is a huge blood crimson flag with a black double headed eagle motif in the centre. It depicts the turbulent history of Albania through  various reigns, from the Roman to Ottoman to socialism,  communism and then democracy. Red signifies strength, courage and sacrifice, while the eagle represents the Roman origins of Albania.

We are standing in a vast beautifully tiled space surrounded by significant buildings. Closest to us is the Palace of Culture ( the old Bazaar was razed to build this during communist times). It is occupied by the National Library of Albania as well as the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet.  Across from it is the national History Museum which includes a pavilion for Mother Teresa.

Expect the unexpected

Next to us stands a unique colourful mosque: Et'hem Bey Mosque. Frescoes appear both in the interior and exterior. What makes them different from generic mosques are themes that are rarely found in Islamic art as well as vibrant colours.. 

Adjacent to it is the heritage clock tower of the Ottoman Era. It has a square base and is topped by a belfry resembling those of churches. In the background is the "Book Building" whose name is derived from the facade that looks like a very large tome with the concave cuts at the page edges to mark chapters or sections.

A few feet away stands a huge structure, a skeleton of a twisted shell. The square is getting ready for an Expo.

Auditory draw

 As we walk towards more government buildings we are surrounded by a recording played from a speaker beside a bunker. This is Bunker Art 2. It seems we are hearing the names of the political prisoners of the communist rule.  The dome shaped entrance has its walls covered with their pictures. According to our guide the bunker consists of 24 rooms and one apartment to be used by the minister of the interior. It also has a large meeting hall that is now used to display exhibits, as well as surveillance and interrogation rooms. 

Paranoia 

The minister is said to have built more than 150,000 bunkers throughout the country. His fear of invasion from the United States and the Soviet Union caused him to have these bunkers built throughout his rule. 

Traces of various civilisations.

The mosque and the tower are unmistakably Ottoman. The several governmental  buildings in the vicinity show different architectural styles:Roman, Byzantine, Communist, Italian and modern. The building whose walls are adorned with pink tiles stands out.. The Orthodox church is visible in the distance. 

A cage for visiting dignitaries

The former Hotel Dajti, with broad red carpeted steps leading up to its entrance  is rather deceptive. The suspicion begins with its stark structure.. It was the primary center for international visitors and diplomats during Albania's socialist period; the guest rooms were bugged with microphones, and there was a sub-basement floor for listening staff.

Taiwan in Tirana

Opposite this building is Rina Park which the locals affectionately call their Taiwan. It was built by the family that had visited Taiwan and decided to imitate it in a pavilion surrounded by restaurants. The Park itself is a welcome cool, green area in the centre of a bustling city.

In the clouds but also rooted in reality

Colorful Installation art in the form of human figures made out of rectangular dowels line the bridge we cross next. This leads us to the art gallery in front of which stands a structure made out of metal and plastics. It's like playground equipment, only larger in scale. You can sit under it or climb all over!It is none other than THE CLOUD! made  by a Japanese architect for Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, in London. Later it was moved to Tiranaa. It is used for cultural events. 

Far behind it is the rebuilt castle which is not in our itinerary. Neither is the Orthodox Church.

Memorial or Mausoleum?: towards progress

Before us stands a huge white pyramid. Sixteen stairs, with nearly 300 steps each, all around the pyramid lead up to the top with a 360-degree view of the city. Oiginally a museum about the legacy of the long-time leader of Communist Albania. His daughter  co-designed it. When the regime collapsed it  ceased to be a museum and was then repurposed. Now it is an IT centre for youth.

The disappearance

We have now finished our tour and so wait in a shady spot till the  us comes to pick us up. The driver calls back in panic. He couldn't find DrInk and I'm unable to contact him. The guide kindly lets me use her phone to call him . He is not where I thought he would be,i,e taking a nap under the trees. We spend a frantic 20 minutes trying to figure out where he could be. The driver's search in the gardens under shady trees turns up nothing. And then, after what seems like infinity, the driver calls back to say the missing person has returned to the bus.

With a collective sigh of relief we head towards our hotel for a welcome bath and nap.

Supermarket forage

Our hotel is in a posh area. Soon after we check in and take a little rest we go out to shop for our dinner and for the next day's lunch. We have been given simple directions to the local supermarket. We follow the directions  but do not find any. We approach a couple of women at the bus stop. They search both electronically and physically, conveying to us in English in which direction to go. We had actually passed by the supermarket whose entrance was on the other side. Looking for yogurt took nearly 30 mins because the sales girls on the ground floor speak no English. Then we have to look for jam. We search in the basement floor and approach a salesgirl there.She speaks a little English. Going up and down the escalator several times we are able to finally get everything we need, including a 2 litre bottle of water, to be on the safe side.

Relaxed enough to appreciate the surroundings. 

Walking the neighbourhood is pleasant especially because it is pedestrian friendly and compact. The well-lit squares are surrounded by posh apartment complexes that include play areas which are all well maintained . Along the way are  trendy boutiques, upscale shops, fashionable restaurants, and vibrant bars

Just outside the hotel is the canal with several neon lit pedestrian bridges. The walkway is lined with beautiful clusters if street lamps lit by solar power.

The  contrast

Early in the morning we decide to explore the other side of the canal which seems bleaker, quieter and darker. But first we do a 15 min walk towards the city to see if we can spot remnants of the old Fort but to no avail. But I do get closer to another installation art that I had wanted to explore further the previous day. Again it's a variation of the eagle motive with separate wings soaring high on tall poles.

Walking the residential area across the canal is a revelation. The area is gloomier, shabby and littered. The buildings are generally grey with ubiquitous striped awnings. At 5 am people are beginning to gather at bus stops. A few route buses are ready to take passengers to work. A few cafes are ready for customers for their morning boost. The grocer has already piled vegetables and fruits into the raised bons and boxes but has not opened his shop yet. Another is cleaning out the area around his restaurant.

The low down on transformation

In the days of communism functional grey concrete buildings had dominated the landscape. In 2000 the mayor was keen on repairing the city but there was little money available. Being an artist himself he had the idea to paint these buildings in bright colours. That is why Tirana is so colorful.

The area where we are housed in was an upscale area that used to be off-limits to the general population as it was reserved for the Communist elite only. It has evolved into a most desirable  and expensive real estate.

Other notable features:

Public transport seems to be good. The long buses are well maintained and on schedule.

The traffic lights do not always display the iconic walking man but the double headed eagle.

Drivers obey traffic rules, especially at zebra crossings.

Questions answered.

Mother Teresa was not born here, but her family in Albania.

The new mosque that had walked by is The Namazgah Mosque or the Great Mosque of Tirana. It is the largest mosque in the Balkans. We are told that  Turkey built it for Albania.

60  % of the population is Muslim.

An eye opener

One of the wettest and sunniest cities in Europe did not disappoint.  In fact there was a lot to learn about the transformation. Tirana looks like a jumble

of Russia, southern Europe and South America and some modern buildings. there is an explosion of colour metaphorically reflecting the joy  of being rid of communism.