ALBANIA
Country Overview:
“Tirana is perhaps not a top 10 travel destination, but still a fun and interesting European capital”
I really enjoyed my time in Tirana. It’s a funky little capital with lots of murals, colorful buildings, and a desire to develop while dealing with and acknowledging its tumultuous history. I didn’t find a lot of traditional Albanian food restaurants, though there were plenty of gyros and sweets. One of the things I found surprising was that so many Albanians speak Italian, and many menus are often written in both Albanian and Italian. I wouldn’t necessarily come back to visit Tirana, but I’m glad I took the time to visit. I also celebrated my 31st birthday here and it was definitely a night to remember.
31st Birthday
I recently celebrated my 31st birthday in Tirana, Albania and though I wouldn’t necessarily have planned to celebrate it here, I had a great time. The pictures with the cake were actually taken a month ago in Istanbul, where I celebrated before leaving to Serbia - and sorry for the graininess. As Trump would say: “It is what it is.”
I don’t have any pictures from my actual birthday on the 7th as, despite running a blog, I didn’t feel that everything needs to constantly be documented. I did a pub trivia and had some drinks and fun conversations with people I met while here. I also got the news that Biden had won the elections (after several grueling days watching CNN with no results) as soon as I got to the bar, so there was a lot to celebrate on Saturday. Tomorrow I’ll take a bus to Kosovo and repeat the process of getting a new SIM card, finding a gym, and exploring a new city.