Balkan 1: Tirana

15:06, somewhere above the clouds

My sister and I were flying with the low-cost airline Wizz Air to Tirana, the capital of Albania, at the start of our Balkan trip. The first setback came early: a two-hour flight delay, which made five and a half hours at the airport in total. The mood was still fine. Points for the leftover Muránske buchty from my sister's hike, minus points for the lack of chairs at the airport, and a large bonus for a place to stay at 14 € for both of us with a 9.5/10 rating.

That was the last entry in my sister's travel diary. She was so absorbed in the trip after we landed that she never found the time to write again, so the rest of the account is mine.

19:03, Rooster hostel

At last a few minutes of rest. Before that, this is what happened.

We landed at Tirana International Airport and stepped out into strong heat and sun. After the quick EU customs check we looked for our pre-paid bus to the city centre. A man at the airport, who spoke no English, explained with gestures and by pointing at his watch that the bus would arrive at 16:30. We bought water at the airport shop for 199 Lek. The bus was about twenty minutes late, or we had misread the gestures, and we left for the city at 17:00.

The first impression of Tirana was the traffic: constant honking, people carrying large sacks on their bikes, buildings in poor repair next to the main street, improvised electrical wiring and very few pedestrian crossings.

We then looked for an ATM of our bank, which advertised free withdrawals abroad in its app. They were not free. Through the side streets we reached the hostel, where the receptionist, a British woman, was the first person we met who spoke fluent English. She was a great help in finding our way around.

We went for a walk to find dinner and ended up at a traditional restaurant in a side alley, where we ordered Tave Dheu and veal, both with rice. Both were good.

At the till, the cashier was so nervous that she miscalculated my total, which I pointed out. On the way back we bought travel-size shampoos at Rossmann and a lemonade at Conad, a supermarket chain similar to Coop Jednota, because the lemon soda with dinner had been excellent. We also found the city market, which was closed at that hour.

My overall impression of the city: a lively mix of styles and eras, unlike anything I had seen elsewhere in Europe.

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