Albania

Left around 7.15am. The border crossing from Montenegro to Albania was only an hour away. The border was pretty relaxed. We were allowed to get out and have a coffee at the café.

Albania at first sight from the border was quite rough. I noticed there weren’t many mosques nor churches. I was told it’s a predominantly atheist nation during and after the communist era. It was originally predominantly Islamic.

We drove by a very long river that seemed to go on forever, called Shkodra. Passed by Shkodra city, looked a bit underdeveloped compared to other parts of the Balkans we’ve seen.

I judged Albania too soon. Upon reaching Tirana we were greeted by a modern and bustling city. The architecture of the center square had footprints of an eclectic past: there’s the Ex’em Bey Mosque, the imposing communist era Opera building, nationalist mural and modern buildings and a random carousel ride. For two Euros, I climbed the clock tower across Ex’em Bey mosque where I had a good view of the city center.

We passed by a wide pedestrian street lined with alfresco cafes and restaurants shaded by maple trees. Refreshed with a good cup of coffee and a satisfying vegetarian sandwich of savory marinated vegies.

We only had enough time to have another photo opportunity with the “I love Tirana” letters at the park before we headed off for the bus.

After another couple of hours, we reached the roughest border crossing yet, Albania and Macedonia. There were cows grazing by the side.

Again, the landscape along the way was breathtaking. It had been that way all throughout the Balkans.