One of the delights of staying in a hostel is the way other travellers tip you off: where to eat, what to see, where to go. Nothing was too much for the people who ran the place, and every taxi they arranged was half the price than any we arranged ourselves.
To get a sense of the history, we went to Bunk Art 2. Hoxha built a massive anti -nuclear bunker, a 5 floor underground palace but we went to Bunk Art 2 which shows the horrific history of the Albanian Ministry of Internal Affairs from 1912-191. It is full of eerie passages and information about the Sigurimi, the secret police who relied on civilian informers to muzzle dissent. Some of it is truly upsetting: the brutality and horrendous tortures of the camps are illustrated in detail. I did not last as long down there as my daughter who was taking it all in.
I waited outside underneath the brilliant blue sky, watching Albanian citizens approach the tent “Tirana Stands with Ukraine” bringing new duvets and canned food.
We were not here just to look at the atrocities of the old regime though, but to delight in modern day Albania. To find out what was going on, chats to fellow hostel dwellers were far more helpful than any whingy Tripadvisor reviews. The information exchanged would be from someone who went to a great club or restaurant just the day before, and it reminded me of my youthful travels around the globe which was pre-internet. You get better advice from other actual humans than you do online! Who knew?
The internet has made travel easier, in a certain way, but also – with its list of must-dos – ultra-conformist. Yet, there is nothing like someone telling you to wander down a back street to a vintage market or tiny café they just found. We ate in great little restaurants and even my vegan daughter was fine because the food is quite Turkish so lots of aubergines and corn bread though she missed out on the exquisite baked feta. I ate meatballs on spicy cabbage and great seafood and the best olive oil. Just the homemade bread and olive oil was gorgeous.
Arriving back late, we would sit and chat while Yuri offered us their homemade raki. Someone really knows what they are doing there. You think raki is rough? Well have you had Kiwi, Lemon and Lavender Raki? I am going back just to taste the Chilli Strawberry Lime combo.
Source link : https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/albania/relived-days-freewheeling-youth-midlife-trip-albania-daughter/
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Publish date : 2022-03-30 03:00:00
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