Tirana, the capital of Albania, was the most westernised city we have been to in the Balkans. We stayed across from a large artificial lake with bike and walking tracks encircling it. There were a lot of restaurants, bars and coffee shops near our area too. On our free walking tour, we learnt about its communist past, which only ended in 1991 and how the country was emerging from its strict past into a more liberal society. For this reason, Albania is working hard to enter the EU and is a part of NATO. We also learnt that during the Balkan wars, Albania lost Kosovo to Serbia, explaining the ongoing tensions behind Serbians and Kosovo-Albanians. We saw a lot of street art around the city and the main central square had been transformed into a Christmas amusement park.
The house in which the Albanian communist leader Enver Halil Hoxha (who is very unpopular nowadays) lived.
Many bunkers across the city and country due to Enver Halil Hoxha's paranoia of being invaded by other countries.
The dilapidated pyramid that was to be the memorial site for Enver Halil Hoxha.
Old communist statues
