Cold weather, power outages, and litter
Trip Start
May 06, 2007
1
95
166
Trip End
Jul 24, 2008
Tirana,
Albania
Friday, December 14, 2007
Tirana was very different than any other city I've visited on any continent. It felt very post-communist with the massive concrete block buildings that are now painted bright colors with a special penchant for lime green and neon yellow, but also felt South American with the little markets up random alleyways selling a variety of objects including fruits and vegetables, sunglasses, scarves, shoes, electronics, and live turkeys. There was also trash everywhere! Even though trash cans line the streets, no one bothers to use them, instead tossing trash in the most convenient location slightly to the side or directly in front of where they happen to be standing.
Rolling power outages are a regular occurrence across Albania and Tirana is no exception. In Tirana they seemed to occur twice a day - once in the early afternoon and once in the evening, lasting about 3 hours each time. During these outages, there's no running water and the electric heaters don't work. And it's rather dark in the evenings since the sun sets around 4:30pm. All of this adds up to a slew of fun times shivering in the candlelight waiting for the power to turn back on.
On my second day in Tirana, I attempted to visit the National Art Gallery. When I arrived around 4:15pm, I discovered that it was closed from 3-5pm. No problem - I could easily return 45 minutes later when the posted sign said they'd be open from 5-7pm. At 5:15pm, when I returned I was told in broken English by one of the two men chain-smoking behind the desk that the lobby opens at 5pm, but the museum doesn't open until 6pm. And, the main exhibit of Albanian artists is currently closed, only a small exhibit on Italian artists is open this week. I decided it wasn't worth the price of admission to return to see an exhibit on Italian artists in the Albanian National Gallery and decided to call it a night.
Tirana doesn't exactly have a hopping nightlife, so I spent both evenings hanging out at the hostel sitting in front of the wood-burning stove attempting to keep warm. Luckily there weren't many people staying at the hostel, so I could take blankets from four other beds to bring my total up to five, enabling me to sleep without shivering.
