On my travels last summer I met a girl in Bratislava who told me about the wonders of Albania, insisting if I got the chance, it was somewhere I had to visit. Fast forward to a couple of months ago, I was searching Workaway to find a job for over the summer, applying to all the hostels I saw in Europe and the first to get back to me was the Bearded Dad in Tirana. I took that as my sign that this was the place to visit and here I sit, in the living area of my hostel feeling to lucky to have this opportunity; and even luckier to be able to write about it.
Volunteering in the hostel, I feel as though getting to grips with the city quickly has been important. My first (well actually second, after a day of hibernation) day here I took a ‘free’ walking tour of the city to get my bearings which as always has proved invaluable. We started our tour in Sanderbeg square which is the central location in Tirana. Named after an Albanian hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu, who resisted invasion by the Ottoman Empire at its peak for 24 years, it’s where you’ll find the Opera house, the national museum, a mosque and other interesting artefacts.
Our tour started at the clock tower, moving to the mosque in the square which had such an interesting history of religious turmoil. Moving through Sanderbeg our lovely guide talked us through the spots we could find drinking water which was helpful in the mid-day heat. As with a lot of walking tours I’ve done a lot of the points of interest were large religious buildings, but as Albania has such a split religious population as a result of its invasions and communist regime, it consisted of Mosques, and Catholic and Christian churches where I also learned that Mother Teresa was from an Albanian family, which in all my years of Catholic education I’ve never been taught. Our guide took us into the churches where the air conditioning felt almost as holy as the sacred space and was a welcomed deviation from what I expected, where walking tours often skim past buildings such as these.
The tour also took us to various monuments around the city marking independence the one in Rinia Park was fascinating as it had etched the signings of independence. Learning this history helped me see Tirana with different eyes over the coming days. We strolled towards the Piramida Tirana where our guide shared stories of his childhood to illustrate the way the architecture had changed over recent history which was fascinating to listen to, explaining that what are now steps to the top used to be a steep slope that many children would try to climb and roll down. I often think personal stories and recommendations is what takes walking tours to the next level by creating meaningful connections between the past and present, and travellers and locals. We made it to Tirana castle where I was expecting more of an actual castle but it was really castle grounds filled with cute bars, restaurants and souvenir shops. Looking back it’s a bit of a shame that what I assume to be an old castle has been transformed into a tourists paradise but it was welcomed at the end of our tour when we could find somewhere closeby to eat.
As a volunteer I’m being fed in the hostel so I haven’t eaten out all that much yet, however the spots I have been to have been great. My first day I visited fast food Albania and had a chicken gyros. For 350 lek, so less than £3 I feasted on chicken, salad and fresh fries in a soft floured bread. I was so hungry I didn’t check the description and was slightly saddened that it was loaded with heaps of what tasted like natural yoghurt but honesty I was too hungry to care. After the walking tour we visited Oxhaket restaurant close to Bunkart 2 where this food did not disappoint. At around 600 lek for a fresh woodfired salami pizza there were zero complaints to be made. Now you’re probably questioning the authenticity of my Albanian experience with these two meals but I promise I’m eating my fair share of traditional Albanian dinners in the hostel cooked by our fabulous nanna.
The hostel itself has been the highlight of my time in Tirana so far and I couldn’t recommend it more to anyone visiting Albania. The garden is gorgeous with fig, pomegranate and passionfruit trees ripening every day, a bar thats almost ready to go and a TV for any spotify or movie night needs it is so comforting yet fun and fresh. Inside the kitchen and living areas have a similar vibe, homely yet exciting with new guests and friendly volunteers it’s not a place you could ever feel lonely. My fellow workawayers have been the most lovely, welcoming group of girls I could have imagined and i feel privileged to even know, let alone work with them. One of my favourite moments so far was being taken by nanna (who doesn’t speak a word of English) almost stripped down to find myself in Albanian dress which was made entirely by her hand. She played Albanian music and we danced and laughed and this truly felt like a special moment for all of us.
I’ve been working hard (or hardly working) these past few days and planning a trip south to the beach in Himarë on my off days. I can’t wait to explore more of Tirana and Albania, meet new people and keep these good vibes going
Catch you soon, Lil 🙂