This is the first post from Tirana, the capital of Albania. The adventure began with a google map search of where on earth Albania is. This is a small country in the Balkan region of southeast Europe, just north of Greece and an overnight ferry ride east of Bari, Italy. I stumbled upon it because of a web internship opportunity with Outdoor Albania, where I’ll be working for the summer.
In the first few days of street-wandering in Tirana, I was surrounded by evidence that I wasn’t in the western Mediterranean euro zone anymore. Traffic is loud and chaotic; even the stoplights are confused. Sidewalk markets pop up each morning, offering everything from locally grown produce to mass-produced plastic wares to used shoes, and then vanish at sunset. The street food situation is promising: my favorite so far is the byrek, a pastry filled with surprises like spinach, yogurt and feta cheese. It might take awhile to get tired of these. Ubiquitous corn on the cob is another plus. The local currency is the Lek, and a US dollar buys around 108 of them. One byrek: 30 lek.
One of my favorite sites around the city is the Blloku district, whose access used to be limited to the communist ruling elite. Now it is the city’s fashionable bar and restaurant district, where anyone willing to pay too much for a drink can go to be seen. Another fun spot is Aquadrom, the city pool, where everyone goes to stay cool in the summer. The current OA intern and I spied on the VIP area, where 300 lek extra buys you a lounge chair near the pool that tries to be a daytime discotheque. No thanks. I prefer strolling in the city park for free. The lack of landscaping is endearing. Footpaths lead to a little man-made lake, where I have been meeting each day to work on my secret side project.
My “home” in Tirana (for now) is a backpacker hostel near the heart of the city. The local staff is good patio company, and it is a just a short walk to the OA office, where I’ll be working full time. The indoor hours with Outdoor Albania will be many, but the payoff is great: experience in the field of sustainable tourism plus enjoyment of the outdoor recreation that this beautiful country has to offer.
The meeting point: city park lake
McDonalds fail. The real thing hasn't made it here. Yet.
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