Hotel Bristol Tirana

... von Envar Hodscha jedenfalls ist heute eine Disco, Envar Hodscha, d** Albanien 40 Jahre lang regi**t hat, ist heute in einem namenlosen Grab auf einem gewoehnlichen Friedhof begraben. Seine Statue ist ebenfalls z**truemm**t, auf dem Zentralplatz steht nur noch die Statue von Skand**beg, dem nationalen Helden.

Albanien geho**te auch zum ottomanischen Reich, ab** ein Alban**, d** von den Ottomanen in Byzanz ausgebildet wurde, hat einen Aufstand ausg ...

Hallo zusammen

und Gruesse aus Tirana, Albanien, Land Nummer 124:-) Bin um kurz vor 9 in Tirana eingetroffen, die Strasse im Kosovo war schrecklich, der Grenzuebergang ziemlich merkwuerdig, es gibt zwar Kontrollposten, aber niemand hat die Paesse der Passagiere kontrolliert (weder auf der Kosovo noch auf der Albanischen Seite). Habe bisher nur ...

... shapped bunkers that were in the ground sticking up like mushrooms. During the 1950s these doms had been built as a way of protection for the people incase of invasion and today they dot the countryside still around. Passing through Albania we saw some beatiful snow capped mountains and rivers running down through beatiful hills. One thing you also notice about Albania is how many houses are not ...

... I was looking at my map to see where lonely planet recommended when I spotted there was a travel agency just around the corner. Maybe I could buy Macedonian tickets from there. I went inside the ugly little shopping centre and saw the agency. But it was closed. Bollocks. Luckily there was an internet café- that would kill two birds with one stone. I looked up the Irish pub in Tirana (always a good source for local beer) and then asked the ...

... tower. This tower has become a symbol of Tirana and is one of the cities oldest constructions. One of the most memorable buildings in Tirana is also situated off the square, the National History Museum, made striking due to a wonderfully impressive socialist mosaic that stands on top of its front façade. It's a beautiful piece of artwork! Running north of the square is Bulevardi Zogu I, the road which leads to the bus and train station. Bulevardi Deshmoret e Kombit, a wide tree ...

Tough terrain to Tirane indeed. Greetings from the infamous capital city of Albania! We have slowly made our way up the Albanian coast over the last three days, and today took a rest day in Tirane. We're staying at a quaint little hostel in the embassy district. The hosts are incredibly friendly, and the atmosphere is ironically very communist - shared dry goods and condiments in the kitchen, open doors and ridiculously cheap voluntary pay internet. The road ...

... for a change!)...20 minutes later he presents me with a Balkan feast! Grilled meat, fresh cut potatoes, veggies and grilled bread, Italian restaurants seem to be the main choice in the Balkans so it was a nice switch! This morning we hopped on a public bus for the 45 minute ride to the Albanian border.... I think there was a total of 6 people walking across so it was easy, quick and friendly! The journey from the border to ...

... CHEAP! After relaxing at the fancy restaurant and using their clean bathrooms to wash up, we headed back for the bus, but decided to stop in to check email in this little cafe we had passed on the way. The older woman who worked there inquired with her broken english as to where we were from, and yet again, was so nice and wonderful to us! She gave us free internet and seemed excited to just have foreigners there. Back to the bus, we boarded about half and ...

... hours of necessary shut-eye in the morning, I spent most of the ride watching the countryside and looking for the ubiquitous bunkers. While there didn't seem to be many around further south between Gjirokastra and Fier (in the middle of the country), the frequency jumped up considerably as we edged closer to Durrësi. From there they popped up just about everywhere. Plunked down in yards, buried in high weeds, jutting out from hillsides, lurking on ...

... that came up with the design was lucky enough to be invited to test the success of his creation. He was forced into one of his bunkers and a tank fired its cannon at it repeatedly. The engineer came out unscathed physically, but a little shaken. Fortunately (actually, I did hope this would be the case...) we arrived in Tirana at 5pm on a Wednesday afternoon. At 6pm, Albania vs Turkey kicked off at the Qemal Stafa Stadium. After finding a ...